Do you want to visit a village where Jesus once lived; prayed, and performed extraordinary miracles? Do you want to stroll down the streets he once walked and sit on the stone benches where he once sat? Capernaum, nicknamed Jesus’ Town; is an ancient biblical village extremely important to Christians that you can visit today! Long ago, Capernaum was just a trading village home to chiefly fishermen.

Many travelers passed through the town on the Via Maris, but that is not why the village became famous. Capernaum became a vital element in religious history as it was where Jesus called home. Located in Galilee, near the Mount of Beatitudes and Tabgha; lies Kfar Nahum. In Arabic as “Talhum,” Kfar Nahum stands where the ancient village of Capernaum once was long ago and attracts thousands of pilgrims and tourists to its streets each year to revel in the fantastic history and religious significance the town holds. 

Capernaum Became Known as Jesus Own Town

So Capernaum became known as Jesus’ Town because it was his anchor location for all his activity on the Sea of Galilee. It was near here that Jesus found five of his apostles and archaeologists uncovered an early Christian home; which they believe belonged to Peter’s mother-in-law. It is said that in this home, Jesus cured her of great illness.

Other extraordinary miracles happened within these four walls; including the story of a paralyzed man being lowered through the roof to be healed by Jesus. Later, this home was reconstructed as a religious site; and today a church hovers over the ruins. This location isn’t the only reason why Capernaum is so famous; in addition to here, the ancient synagogue plays an important role in Jesus’ Town. 

So Capernaum has the largest synagogue from antiquity ever found in Israel at two stories high and the ability to hold hundreds of worshippers; archaeologists were surprised at its size, given that it wasn’t a densely populated area. This synagogue, the White Synagogue; dates back to the Byzantine era, so you may be thinking, “But that was after the time of Jesus!” You are correct, but it turns out that the White Synagogue was built on top of another smaller black synagogue that dates back perfectly to the time of Jesus.

You can look down to the older synagogue below and see the door where Jesus would have walked through to attend the service in a corner of the White Synagogue. It was here that it is believed that Jesus gave sermons, cast a demon out of a possessed man, cured a servant of palsy, and even rose the daughter of Jairus from the dead! All that in the astonishing site of Capernaum!