St Peter’s Church

LoginSave

This rare Crusader church – administered by Koinonia Giovanni Battista, a Catholic community based in Italy – has a peaceful, grapevine-shaded courtyard and a ceiling shaped like an upturned boat, a nod to Peter, a Sea of Galilee fisherman. The interior paintings of Jesus on the Sea of Galilee date from 1902. There's a hostel for Catholic pilgrims here.

A replica of the Vatican’s famous statue of St Peter stands in the courtyard near the carved-stone Monument to the Virgin of Czestochowa, erected in 1945 by Polish soldiers billeted here during WWII.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • 500649340 2015; 4847930; Annunciation; Architecture; Basilica; Basilica of the Annunciation; Christianity; Church; Church of the Annunciation; Courtyard; Dome; Galillee; Horizontal; Israel; Middle Eastern Culture; Nazareth - Israel; No People; Orthodox; Orthodox Church; Outdoors; Palestinian; Photography; Religion; Spirituality; Travel; Exterior of the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth.

    Basilica of the Annunciation

    15.48 MILES

    Dominating the Old City’s skyline is the lantern-topped cupola of this Franciscan-run Roman Catholic basilica, an audacious modernist structure that’s…

  • Ruins of amphitheater in the ancient Roman city. Bet She'an National Park, Israel 165513272 semicircular, stone, ruins, theater, travel, row, past, archeology, destroyed, engineering, column, layers, culture, middle, history, east, old, roman, open, level, israel, building, technology, circular, spectators, bet, area, time, place, architecture, city, arena, seating, tribune, tourism, art, antique, amphitheater, mediterranean, ancient, scene, style, sliced, structure, exterior, pavement, performance, national park, beit, shean

    Beit She’an National Park

    19.96 MILES

    Beit She’an’s extraordinary Roman ruins are the best place in Israel to get a sense of what it was like to live, work and shop in the Roman Empire…

  • Magnificent monastery surrounded by columns and slender tall palms and cypresses. The Church of the Beatitudes is a Catholic church of the Italian Franciscan convent on the Mount of Beatitudes. ; Shutterstock ID 2170188309; purchase_order: 65050; job: ; client: ; other: 2170188309

    Mount of the Beatitudes

    6.43 MILES

    Since at least the 4th century, this landscaped hillside is believed to be where Jesus delivered his Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7), whose opening…

  • GINOSAR, ISRAEL, SEPTEMBER 15, 2018: An ancient wooden boat found in Ginosar, Israel; Shutterstock ID 1323755573; purchase_order: 65050; job: ; client: ; other: 1323755573

    Ancient Galilee Boat

    4.03 MILES

    In 1986, when the level of the Sea of Galilee was particularly low, a local fisherman made an extraordinary discovery: the remains of a wooden boat later…

  • Cranes in Agamon Hula bird refuge, Hula Valley, Israel.

    Agamon HaHula

    22.29 MILES

    These restored wetlands are one of the best places in Israel to see cranes, pelicans, storks and an incredible 400 other bird species. To cover the 8.5km…

  • The Cave of the Coffins facade, Bet She'arim National Park, Israel.

    Beit She’arim National Park

    24.77 MILES

    Nestled between Mt Carmel and Lower Galilee, spellbinding Beit She’arim is pitted with ancient catacombs, many of which you can enter. In the 2nd century…

  • The Zavitan hexagonal pillars pool in Yehudiya Forest Nature Reserve.

    Yehudiya Nature Reserve

    13.96 MILES

    Both casual strollers and experienced hikers – especially those who aren’t averse to getting wet – will find plenty to engage and challenge them in…

  • An ancient Roman era main street in Tzipori National Park.

    Tzipori National Park

    15.27 MILES

    In ancient times, Tzipori was a prosperous and well-endowed city with stone-paved roadways (you can still see the ruts left by Roman wagons), a…

View more attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Tiberias Open Air Museum

0.04 MILES

A sloping pedestrian park featuring sculptures by contemporary Israeli artists; most are made of mosaic tiles or carved from stone. Situated along a…

2. Music Beach

0.05 MILES

This tiny strip of sand and sea, just north of the Yigal Allon Promenade, is the only place in the town centre where you can swim.

3. Al Amari Mosque

0.11 MILES

With its black basalt walls, white dome and striped minaret, this mosque looks a bit lost in the courtyard of a modern commercial centre. Built by Daher…

4. Al Bahr Mosque

0.13 MILES

Built of basalt in the 18th century, the Sea Mosque once had a special entrance for the faithful who arrived by boat.

5. Galilee Experience

0.14 MILES

On the upper floor of a 1970s eyesore, the Galilee Experience screens a Christian-oriented film (21 minutes in English and Chinese, 36 minutes in 10 other…

6. Water Level Surveyor

0.22 MILES

This 5m-high sculpture, shaped like an outline of the shoreline of the Sea of Galilee, indicates the current water level of the lake in metres-below-sea…

7. Church & Monastery of the Apostles

0.24 MILES

From the serene, flowery courtyard, steps lead down to a Greek Orthodox church, its air of mystery enhanced by gilded icons, brass lamps and elaborately…

8. Tomb of Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai

0.33 MILES

Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai, Judaism's most eminent 1st-century sage, played a central role in replacing animal sacrifices – the raison d'être of the Temple…