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Antioch on the Orontes, now Antakya in southern Turkey, was one of the great cities of the Roman Empire.
The book of Acts tells that it was here that the gospel first reached large numbers of non-Jews, and here that the disciples were first called Christians (Acts 11:26). Antioch became the base from which Paul and Barnabas were sent out on their missionary journeys.
The Church of Saint Peter, a cave church on the hillside, is honoured as one of the earliest places of Christian worship.
Antioch is where the faith got its name and found its mission. It was the first truly international church, where Jew and Gentile sat together, and the launching point for the journeys that carried the gospel across the world.
Pilgrims come to the cave church of Saint Peter and stand at the cradle of Christian mission, the place the word Christian was first spoken.
Why is Antioch important? The disciples were first called Christians here (Acts 11:26).
What is it called today? Antakya, in southern Turkey.
What can you see? The cave Church of Saint Peter.
Holy Sites
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