Christian sites in Galilee

The Galilee features prominently in the New Testament; the Holy Family lived in Nazareth, and Jesus spent his ministry, in Galilee where he performed several miracles. Visitors to Nazareth can see the Church of the Annunciation built to commemorate the place where the Angel Gabriel appeared before Mary. Also in Nazareth is St. Joseph’s Church, built over grottos that may have been the Holy Family’s home and Joseph’s carpentry. While in Nazareth visit the Salesian Church of Jesus the Adolescent, the Synagogue Church, and the Greek Orthodox sites of Mary’s Well and St. Gabrial’s Church.

Jesus spent several years based in Capernaum preaching to locals in Galilee. Important biblical events took place during these years, including the Sermon on the Mount, on the Mount of Beatitudes. Visit Tabgha, where a church marks the site of the miracle of the loaves and fish. In Kursi, on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee are the remains of a Byzantine church that stood where Jesus performed the miracle of the swine.

Christian sites in Galilee include Mount Tabor, site of the Transfiguration of Jesus; Bethsaida, site of a biblical-era fishing village, and Cana, where Jesus turned water into wine. For a real adventure, hike the Jesus Trail through the spectacular Galilee countryside, and for a spiritual experience, Christians can be baptized in the Jordan River at Yardenit.