Simon, Peter

The ancient Christian churches all venerate Peter as a major saint and associate him with founding the Church of Antioch and later the church in Rome, but differ about the authority of his various successors in present-day Christianity. According to the gospels, Peter confessed Jesus as the Messiah, was part of Jesus's inner circle, thrice denied Jesus, and preached on the day of Pentecost. Every June 29 since 1736, a statue of Saint Peter in St. Peter's Basilica is adorned with papal tiara, ring of the fisherman, and papal vestments, as part of the celebration of the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul.