The Franciscan church of Capernaum was founded on the traditional site of St. Peter's home (Luke 4:38). There is strong evidence for very early reverence and public use of the house from 1st Cent AD itself. It was first mentioned in 381, by the pilgrim Egeria. "In Capernaum the house of the prince of the apostles has been made into a church, with its original walls still standing." In the 5th century, a much bigger octagonal shapped church was built in its place. The church was destroyed prior to the Islamic conquest in 638. The site remained virtually abandoned until the Franciscans bought the land in the late 19th century. St. Peter's House was discovered in 1968. In 1990, the Franciscans built the modern church over the site of St. Peter’s house. Hexagonal in shape it has a glass floor, from where visitors can still see the original church below. We were unlucky as the church was closed, but could manage to see from outside.
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