About Capernaum

“Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake…” Matthew 4:13

Capernaum was referred to in the Bible as the town of Jesus. It was a fishing village on the northern shores of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus lived here as He carried out His Galilean ministry and performed many of His miracles. Later Jesus cursed Capernaum and its people because of their disbelief.

Historically a Significant Town

In biblical times, Capernaum was a good place to meet and influence people as it was near Via Maris, an important international trade route that linked Damascus with the Mediterranean. It became a prosperous town. The residents were fishermen, farmers and merchants. It was eventually abandoned in the 11^st century, following a massive earthquake.

Archaeological Findings

The white limestone synagogue was built over an earlier 1^st century synagogue made of black basalt stones. This 1^st century synagogue is likely the synagogue where Jesus would regularly preach, where Jesus expelled a demon from a possessed man (Mark 1:21-27) and where Jesus healed a man with a withered hand (Mark 3:1-6).

The modern Church of Capernaum is constructed on the site believed to be the home of Peter where Jesus cured Peter’s mother-in-law (Mark 1:29-31). The topmost layer has been identified as the ruins of a 5^th century octagonal church; the second layer, a 4^th century house church; and the lowest layer, a simple 1^st century dwelling.