Church of the Primacy

Church of the Primacy
Jesus Confers Primacy to Peter

Each of the Gospels treats the subject a little different, but there is no doubt in any of them that the role of "universal pastor" was intended by Jesus for Peter.

John 21: 1-17 The Primacy of Peter

At the sea of Tiberias, Jesus again appeared to his disciples... Peter was among them and said he was going fishing, so some of the others decided to join him. By the time the sun rose, they still had caught nothing. Then Jesus appeared on the shore but they did not recognize him. He called: "Children, how's the fishing?" They replied that they had not caught a thing. He called back that if they cast the net on the other side they would catch something. They did, and caught so many that they couldn't haul the net into the boat.

Finally recognizing that it was the Lord because the beloved disciple had told him... Simon Peter jumped into the water while the others followed towing the nets... Jesus invited them to broil some of the fish they had caught on the charcoal fire where he was already cooking some bread and fish. ... Then he served them breakfast.

When they had finished, he said to Simon Peter, "Simon, Son of John, do you love me more than these?" "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs." A second time Jesus said, "Simon, Son of John, do you love me?" "Yes, Lord you know that I love you." Jesus asked a third time, even though Peter was losing patience. "Simon, Son of John, do you love me?" "Lord, you know everything, you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep."

The History & Archaeology of the Site

The current chapel was built in 1933, but it was built over a 4th century church site. The flat rock projecting from the current altar is probably the one mentioned in John's Gospel. In the early Byzantine period it would have been venerated as the table on which Jesus offered breakfast to the disciples.

Photographs from The Church of the Primacy