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Capernaum is the site of the ancient fishing village where Jesus once lived. It’s located on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee.
History of Capernaum
Capernaum was first inhabited in the 2nd century BC. It was destroyed by an earthquake in 749 and was abandoned by the 11th century. Kfar Naḥum, the Hebrew name for the village, translates to “village of comfort”. It’s mentioned in all four Gospels.
The ruins of a synagogue were discovered in 1838 by American explorer Edward Robinson (1794-1863). They were identified as part of Capernaum in 1866 by British archaeologist Charles William Wilson (1836-1905), and it’s believed to be the synagogue where Jesus first started to preach.
The western portion of the site, containing the majority of the ruins, was purchased by the Franciscans in 1894 under Friar Giuseppe Baldi, while the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem acquired the eastern portion of the site. A Franciscan monastery sits next to the ruins on the western portion. The Church of the Holy Apostles and a Greek Orthodox monastery can be found on the eastern portion. The rest of the site is surrounded by a national park.
House of St. Peter
In 1968, Italian archaeologists and friars Virgilio Canio Corbo (1918-1991) and Stanislao Loffreda made a major discovery of a 1st century house. Christians believe it to be the house of St. Peter. Unfortunately, due to the tight schedule of our pilgrimage group, we were only able to visit the Church of the Holy Apostles. We could see the structures of the Franciscan monastery from the property of the Orthodox monastery. If I have the chance to visit the Catholic sites in the future, I will update this entry.
Church of the Holy Apostles
The Church of the Holy Apostles is part of a Greek Orthodox monastery built on the eastern portion of Capernaum. A path from the gates leads to an option courtyard with a large tree, and another path connects to picnic tables near the Sea of Galilee and the church.
The Church of the Holy Apostles is dedicated to the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. It’s believed to sit atop the ruins of a Byzantine church dedicated to St. John the Theologian. The church is topped by two central domes surrounded by six smaller ones.
The Church of the Holy Apostles was completed in 1931 but had to be evacuated after the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. It then sat in a demilitarized zone between Israel and Syria for several years. No Christians or pilgrims had access to the monastery, and local Druze farmers used the church as a barn.
Restoration of the church began after the Six-Day War in 1967. A Greek iconographer painted the Byzantine-style frescoes on the walls between 1995 and 2000.
Frescoes in the Church
The frescoes on the walls represent the life of Jesus and scenes from the bible as well as important saints of the Orthodox church.
Inside one of the large domes is Christ Pantocrator surrounded by the 12 prophets who foretold his coming. The other large dome depicts Christ as an old man surrounded by 12 patriarchs.
Fresco of the Last Judgement
The wall opposite the altar contains perhaps the most striking fresco, which depicts scenes from the Last Judgement. It’s easily the one that gets the most attention from visitors, and it’s quite clear and effective in conveying its message to the viewer.
On the left side are scenes of paradise. On the right side are horrifying scenes of those who have been damned, with the prophecy of Daniel above. The scenes are separated by a river of fire leading down to hell.
Sea of Galilee
A path from the church leads to the Sea of Galilee. Some pilgrims in our group went down to the lake to wet their feet and filled up small water bottles to take home with them.
Kfar Nahum National Park
Just outside the gates to the Greek Orthodox Monastery of the Holy Apostles is Kfar Nahum National Park. It sits to the northeast of the ancient village and is a nature park that complements the religious sites.
We walked through the small park to have lunch (see below). The trails are nicely landscaped and contain native plants. There’s also a dock allowing visitors to take a boat from Tiberias. There are plans to add features to the park, such as a replica fishing village and tourist information booth, and link it to a promenade from Tabgha, where the Church of the Multiplication is located.
Restaurants at Capernaum
Capernaum is a popular place for pilgrimage groups to stop and have lunch. I’ve eaten at two restaurants near the site.
St. Peter’s Restaurant (Permanently Closed)
On my first trip to Capernaum, before heading back to our hotel in Tiberias, we stopped for lunch at St. Peter’s Restaurant. It’s a short drive north of Capernaum and is clearly geared towards mass tourism. There were several pilgrimage groups inside.
We were able to choose from four different overpriced dishes: fried tilapia, grilled tilapia, kebabs, or chicken. There was also an unlimited salad bar. I had the kebabs while Marisol had the fried tilapia. It wasn’t that great.
David’s Harp
David’s Harp is located at Kfar Nahum National Park. On my second trip to Israel, we stopped there for lunch before visiting the Church of the Holy Apostles.
It’s definitely geared towards large groups and prices are high, but the food is delicious. Each table was filled with meze plates, and we were able to choose from fish, kebabs, or chicken as a main dish.
