Walking the World Series: Jerusalem - Church of the Cockcrow
The Church of the Cockcrow is a Roman Catholic church located on the eastern slope of Mount Zion in Jerusalem. The church is managed by the French Assumptionists, and the existing building was constructed in 1931. The roof features a golden rooster sculpture, and the entrance has wrought iron door reliefs depicting biblical scenes. The underground area preserves caves and ancient stone steps from the Second Temple period.
The Church of the Cockcrow commemorates the event recorded in the New Testament where Peter denies Jesus three times before the rooster crows.
The sequence of events is as follows — during the Passover "Last Supper," Jesus told his disciples, "Tonight, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times." Peter immediately retorted, "Even if everyone else falls away because of you, I will never fall away!" Jesus clarified again, "Truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times." Peter insisted, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you." The other disciples also agreed.
After the supper, Jesus took the disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray and asked Peter and two others to stay awake. But Peter and the others fell asleep. While Jesus was praying, Judas arrived with priests and soldiers, betraying Jesus with a kiss as a signal. The disciples scattered and fled. Peter followed from a distance and mingled with the crowd arresting Jesus, heading to the high priest Caiaphas’s residence (the location of the Church of the Cockcrow).
Jesus was taken into the residence for trial. Peter warmed himself by a charcoal fire in the courtyard and was noticed by the crowd:
First denial: A servant girl pointed at Peter and said, "You also were with that Galilean Jesus." Peter denied in front of everyone, "I don’t know what you’re talking about."
Second denial: After a while, another servant girl recognized his Galilean accent and said to those around, "This man is one of Jesus’ disciples." Peter swore, "I do not know the man!"
Third denial: A little later, someone said to Peter, "Surely you are one of them; your accent gives you away." Peter cursed, "I do not know the man! I don’t know what you’re talking about!"
Just then, the rooster crowed twice. Peter immediately remembered Jesus’ prophecy and turned to see Jesus being led across the courtyard by soldiers. Jesus looked at him with loving yet sorrowful eyes. Peter was filled with shame and remorse, rushed out of the courtyard, and wept bitterly outside.
After Jesus’ resurrection, he appeared to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias and asked Peter three times, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter answered three times, "Lord, you know that I love you," and Jesus entrusted him three times, "Feed my sheep." This "threefold commission" corresponds to the "three denials," symbolizing Jesus’ forgiveness of Peter and reassigning him the mission to shepherd the church.
Image 2: The wrought iron door relief. The figure in white with a halo on the left is Jesus interacting with the disciples, with a background of a meal scene (corresponding to the "Last Supper"). Meaning: It depicts Jesus’ prophecy, "Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times," foreshadowing Peter’s subsequent weakness. The figure in red on the right is Peter, showing regret, with a rooster image in the background (echoing the "cockcrow" story). Meaning: It shows Peter’s repentance after denying Jesus, reflecting the Christian theme of "human weakness and redemption."
Images 12-16: The limestone caves beneath the Church of the Cockcrow were originally water storage facilities from the Second Temple period, later converted into secret chambers. Tradition holds that this was one of the places where Jesus was held after his arrest. The round holes in the cave walls are interpreted as points where the instruments used to restrain Jesus were fixed, making this an important site for Christian pilgrims commemorating Jesus’ suffering.
Image 18: The sculpture is a landmark outdoor feature of the Church of the Cockcrow, vividly recreating the scene of "Peter denying Jesus" — the seated figure is Peter, looking panicked; the surrounding servant girls and soldiers represent the people who identified him during the "three denials"; the rooster atop the pillar symbolizes the "cockcrow" story. The inscription on the base, "Non novi illum. Lc22.57," is Latin for "I do not know the man."