The Holy Land Nazareth, Sea of Galilee and Capernaum

Nazareth is the capital and the largest city in the Northern District of Israel. Nazareth is known as "the Arab capital of Israel".  In 2015 its population was 75,726. The inhabitants are predominantly Arab citizens of Israel, of whom 69% are Muslim and 31% Christian.  "Upper Nazareth" is built alongside old Nazareth, and had a Jewish population of 40,312 in 2014. The Jewish sector was declared a separate city in June 1974.  In the New Testament, the city is described as the childhood home of Jesus, and as such is a center of Christian pilgrimage, with many shrines commemorating biblical events.

The church of the Annunciation was established at the site where, according to Roman Catholic tradition, the Angel Gabriel proclaimed that she would give birth to Jesus.  The current church is a two-story building constructed in 1969 over the site of an earlier Byzantine-era and then Crusader-era church.

Inside, the lower level contains the Grotto of the Annunciation, believed by many Christians to be the remains of the original childhood home of Mary. The site has been a pilgrimage destination since earliest times and remains an important stop for Holy Land pilgrims today.

The Sea of Galilee is situated in northeast Israel, between the Golan Heights and the Galilee region, in the Jordan Rift Valley, the valley caused by the separation of the African and Arabian Plates.  Much of the ministry of Jesus occurred on the shores of Lake Galilee. In those days, there was a continuous ribbon development of settlements and villages around the lake and plenty of trade and ferrying by boat. Many of his miracles are also said to have occurred here including his walking on water, calming the storm, the disciples and the boatload of fish, and his feeding five thousand people in Tabgha.

The gospels describe how Jesus recruited four of his apostles from the shores of Lake Galilee: the fishermen Simon and his brother Andrew and the brothers John and James. 

The earliest building at Tabgha was a small chapel built facing the sea of galilee in the 4th century A.D. by the Jewish convert to Christianity, Joseph of Tiberias. According to the new testament it is believed that Jesus stood on this rock when he blessed the fish and loaves just before the feeding of the crowd who had come to hear him.  

The Jordan River is a 150 mile-long river in that flows roughly north to south through the Sea of Galilee and on to the Dead Sea. Israel and the West Bank border the river to the west, while the Golan Heights and Jordan lie to its east. Both Jordan and the West Bank take their names from the river.

The church of the Beatitudes is located on a small hill overlooking the Sea of Galilee, and built on the traditional site of Jesus delivery of the Sermon on the Mount, pilgrims are known to have commemorated this site since at least the 4th century. Some of the beatitudes are:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of               heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth

Inside the Church of Beatitudes

Capernaum was a fishing village established during from the 2nd century BCE on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee.  It had a population of about 1,500.   A house turned into a church by the Byzantines is said to be the home of Saint Peter.  The village was inhabited continuously until the 11th century CE, when it was abandoned sometime before the Crusader conquest

Archaeological excavations have revealed two ancient synagogues built one over the other. 

Under the monumental building are the remains of the early Roman synagogue from the times of Jesus, which was built with the local black basalt rock. This earlier synagogue was the center of activities of Jesus, where he taught.

Parts of the synagogue stones are displayed in the area around the excavations, such as this element which shows the ark of covenant.

Church at Capernaum built over the house of St. Peter.