Cana
About Cana
“On the third day, a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee.” (John 2:1)
In the Bible, Cana is celebrated as the place where Jesus performed his first public miracle (John 2:1-11). During the wedding celebration, the host ran out of wine and Jesus told the servants to fill six stone jars with water. However, when the master of the banquet tasted the water, it had become wine.
Kafr Cana
The exact location of the Galilean town is widely debated today. The Arab village of Kafr Cana in the Lower Galilee has been acknowledged in Christian tradition as Cana of the Galilee. The name Cana may come from the Hebrew word for “reeds” which suggests the town was located near swamp or plains. In Cana, Jesus performed two miracles.
Second Miracle (John 4:46-54)
A distressed royal official heard Jesus was in Cana and he begged Jesus to come and heal his sick son in Capernaum. Jesus told the official to go but Jesus promised his son would live. As Jesus was saying this, the fever left the young boy.
Church Street
Although Arabs predominantly inhabit the town, there are a few Catholic churches conveniently placed along Church Street, a quiet pedestrian street. There is a church named St Bartholomew, according to tradition, was built on the site of the home of Nathaniel of Cana (commonly known as Bartholomew) who was one of Jesus’ disciples.
Interesting Facts
- In the Roman Byzantine period, there was a large Jewish community here. By the Mamluk period, most of the residents were Christians. Today, most of the residents are Muslim.
- The Franciscans believe excavations beneath their present Franciscan Wedding Church, dating from the early 1900s, confirm the existence of an early place of worship on the site.
- One of the many highlights that pilgrims love is how couples get the opportunity to renew their wedding vows in Cana, inspired by the miracle of water turning into wine.
