St. Peter's Church served as a beacon for many centuries for pilgrims traveling by sea to the Holy Land because of its dominant location in Jaffa, and holds great significance to Christians traveling to the Holy Land today because the church is dedicated to St. Peter, one of the 12 disciples of Jesus. It was Simon whom Jesus renamed Peter, and said on to him “upon this rock I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18).

The famous and scenic Church of the Beatitudes chapel stands a top of Mount of Beatitudes, constructed between 1936 and 1938  by the noted architect Antonio Barluzzi, and it honors the place where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5, Matthew 6, Matthew 7,Matthew 8). You’ll visit this beautiful holy site during our 5th day of our signature Christian pilgrimage Holy Land Tour of Israel, and it’s often described by pilgrims as one of the more memorable moments when visiting the Holy Land. 

A popular Christian pilgrimage stop during a Holy Land tour is the Franciscan Church of the Visitation in Ein Karem, in the west side of Jerusalem, which honors the visit made by Mary the mother of Jesus’, to Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist’s (Luke 1:39-56).