Saint Peter and Paul Historical Church

The Saint Peter and Paul site, which historically was known only as Saint Peter’s, is located on the North-Eastern side of Aqoura. The site was initially an antique funeral chamber manually carved in the cliff, surrounded by several rupestrian sarcophagi. The chamber itself is composed of a large single room where several tombs have been carved. Its internal height is about 2.5 m and the carvers have left two spurs resembling pillars with pseudo Doric capitals joining the cave floor to its ceiling. An Estrangelo (syriac) inscription, conserved on one of the chamber’s internal surfaces, can be translated as “Dominus Stephanus Ksntin”, which led some scholars to connect it to the emperor Constantine. Several geometric painted motifs frame this inscription. The access to this chamber, transformed into a chapel, was arranged in 1953, with the addition of the actual gateway, composed of a double arched doorway framed by fluted columns and squarish pillars and surmounted by a double niche where the statues of Saint Peter and Saint Paul were erected.

• Route : Patriarchal Circuit
• Village : Aqoura