Israel tourism and travel guide 

Saint Peter's Church is the most prominent church in Jaffa and it is also the most often visited. The church looks out upon the bay and the city of Tel Aviv. The church and the adjacent monastery were built upon the ruins of a Crusader fortress which itself was constructed over the remains of a Byzantine church. During the seventeenth century, the Ottomans gave permission to the Franciscans to settle there and they built a church which served pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem; apparently, Napoleon prayed there as well during his invasion of the country in 1799. The remains of an inn can be found next to the church. The present church was built at the beginning of the twentieth century in Baroque style with an elongated nave and a round ceiling supported by massive pillars. In contrast to most churches which are built facing east, St. Peter's Church faces west, towards Rome, where Saint Peter was sent, and the direction from which the angel Michael arrived in Peter's dream which, according to tradition, took place here. In the churchyard, there is a statue of King Louis IX of France who was sanctified in Christian tradition due to his role in the Crusades. The walls of the church are decorated with oil paintings describing Saint George fighting the dragon and at the front of the church, there is a painting portraying Saint Michael revealing himself to Peter.