Gustve Dore The sight of Antioch - Gustav Dore

The sight of Antioch, so celebrated in the annals of Christianity, revives the enthusiasm of the Crusaders.

"The sight of this city, so celebrated in the annuals of Christianity, revived the enthusiasm of the Crusaders. It was within the walls of Antioch that the disciples of Jesus Christ first assumed the title of Christians, and the apostle Peter was named the first pastor of the young church. For a long time Antioch was considered in Christendom as the eldest daughter of Sion ; it bore the name of Theopolis (the city of God), and the pilgrims visited it with no less respect than Jerusalem. The ramparts of Antioch, whose solidity equaled that of a rock, were three leagues in extent. "This place," says an old author, " was an object of terror to those who looked upon it, for the number of its strong and vasty towers, which amounted to three hundred and sixty." Wide ditches, the river Orontes, and marshes still further protected the inhabitants of Antioch, and cut off an approach to the city." - Michaud's History of the Crusades Book III