Jaffa, Joppa, is located about 30 miles (48 km) south of Caesarea. The modern population of Jaffa is about 60,000. Jaffa has a Jewish majority (mostly from other Mid-Eastern and North African countries) with a sizeable Arab Christian and Muslim population. The name Joppa appears for the first time in the list of cities that Thutmose III captured (15th century BC). The legend of Andromeda being bound to the rock was first associated with Joppa by Strabo (1st century AD)

Peter came to Joppa from Lydda to raise Tabitha (Dorcas) from the dead (Acts 9:36-42). While in Joppa, the apostle stayed at the house of Simon the Tanner. When Peter was praying on the roof, he had a vision of a large sheet filled with animals being lowered from heaven (Acts 9:43–10:23), signaling to him to go with the messengers from Cornelius. The Church of St. Peter marks the traditional site of Peter’s vision of the great sheet.