St. Peter's Church, Tel Aviv, Russian Orthodox church in Abu Kabir, Tel Aviv, Israel
St. Peter's Church is a church building in the old quarter featuring Russian Revival architecture constructed entirely of brick. The structure has a tall tower with bells that rises prominently above the neighboring buildings of the historic area.
The church was built on land bought in 1868 with the help of Archimandrite Antonin (Kapustin), where a pilgrims' hostel, a well and orchards were laid out before construction. Building began on 6 October 1888 in the presence of Grand Dukes Sergei and Pavel Alexandrovich and Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna, with Italian masters and local residents; the artist A. Z. Ledakov painted the icons. It was consecrated on 16 (28) January 1894 by Patriarch Gerasimos of Jerusalem. Restoration ran from 1995 to 2000 under Abbot Pimen (Kharaime).
The church is dedicated to the Apostle Peter and the Righteous Tabitha, whose tomb, found during excavations by Archimandrite Antonin and architect Conrad Schick, lies in a chapel beside it. At the entrance stands a prayer alcove with an icon of Tabitha and a book inscribed in several languages, Hebrew included: "Saint Tabitha, pray for us."
The walled compound is entered from the south, from Rehov 3938, beside the nature school; a prayer alcove with Tabitha's icon and a book-shaped statue stands at the gate. The church lies in the heart of the 32-dunam grounds, with the cemetery west of it. The bell tower is the highest point in Jaffa and is not open for climbing.
The tomb attributed to Tabitha, found in 1835, lies in a rock-cut burial cave in the church cemetery; Archimandrite Antonin and architect Conrad Schick uncovered it during garden excavations, and a chapel was later built over it. Its mosaic floor is dated to the 5th–6th centuries.
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