“Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee”: Nazareth and Galilee Christian Day Tour

Activities:

• Begin your day in Nazareth

• Nazareth - Israel’s biggest Arab city, Nazareth is a fascinating place, set in the Lower Galilee. It combines traditional, simple Arabic charm, Christian history, and grand old Arabic architecture. Nazareth is home to many important early Christian sites, including the Basilica of the Annunciation, Mary’s Well, and the Synagogue Church, as well as an authentic, living Arab souk (market).

• Basilica of the Annunciation - Nazareth, the childhood home of Jesus, is closely associated with Christianity and attracted many pilgrims throughout the last two thousand years. Although it is not the birthplace of Jesus, it is the town where he grew up from the age of 3 (upon the return of the Holy Family from Egypt). In the time of Jesus, 1st century AD, this was a small Jewish village in the hills of the Lower Galilee. One can imagine the quiet life in Nazareth, away from the Politics of the Priests and the Rabbis of Jerusalem, amongst the simple hard-working people of the Galilee, and understand how a true leader of the people can immerge from such a peripheral community.
  
  The standout site in Nazareth is the Basilica of the Annunciation, the largest Christian church building in the Middle East. This church was dedicated in 1964 on the Papal visit of Pope Paul VI. We will also visit Mary's Well - the spring and its water are considered holy by both Muslims and Christians. Earlier generations attributed unusual healing properties to it.

• Leave Nazareth and on your way to the Sea of Galilee stop at Kana

• Kana of the Galilee - Kana of the Galilee is hometown of Nathaniel (later known as St. Bartholomew) that Jesus was said to have turned water into wine at the wedding of a poor couple. The Greek Orthodox Church of St. George was built in the late 19th century on the site of the miracle. It houses two of the six stone jars that followers believe Jesus used in performing the miracle.

• The Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fish - The modern Church of the Multiplication marks the site where Jesus performed the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and the fish, and where he appeared after the resurrection. The 4th century Byzantine mosaic depicting the miracle is still visible on the floor, and a glass panel reveals the foundations of the original church.

• Capernaum - Located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, Capernaum was a fishing village in the days of Jesus. This is where Jesus called his first disciples, the brothers Peter and Andrew. The remains of the ancient village were excavated starting the 19th century - some of the findings are a testimony to the rich Jewish lives in the early Roman times, and the existence of a Judeo-Christian community as Christianity grew and evolved in the land. Amongst other astonishing relics, we can still visit a very well-preserved synagogue and remains of the House of Peter and the Byzantine church that was built over it. A modern octagonal church is situated above the site nowadays - its glass floor allows a look at the remains under it. As the place in which Jesus, Peter, and the Apostles lived and preached, Capernaum is a main site of pilgrimage for Christians.

• Primacy Church of St. Peters - On the shore of the Sea of Galilee, a modest grey Franciscan chapel and a small Crusader building mark the site where Jesus appeared to his disciples after the resurrection and tested St. Peter before appointing him leader of his church. The rock in the middle of the church floor is believed to be the Mensa Christi, where Jesus prepared and ate breakfast with his disciples.

• Your final stop will be the Yardenit Baptismal site

• Yardenit Baptismal Site - The Baptismal site Yardenit is situated at the southern end of the Sea of Galilee. This is where the Jordan River flows out of the Sea of Galilee on its way down to the Dead Sea. These are the waters in which Jesus was said to have been baptized by John the Baptist.