Church of the Multiplication of Loaves & Fishes

While staying in Tiberias, Israel (on the Sea of Galilee), we visited the Church of the Multiplication (of the Loaves & Fishes) in Tabgha. You may remember from a previous post that I included a photo of Fr. Chris, high up on a hill in the mouth of a cave, reading the Beatitudes from the Sermon of the Mount to us . . . we were down on the ground across the street from him! That is the presumed location of Christ's Sermon on the Mount.
Here's some history:

The earliest recording of a church commemorating Jesus' feeding of five thousand is by the Spanish pilgrim Egeria circa 380.^[1] "Not far away from there (Capernaum) are some stone steps where the Lord stood. And in the same place by the sea is a grassy field with plenty of hay and many palm trees. By them are seven springs, each flowing strongly. And this is the field where the Lord fed the people with the five loaves and two fishes. In fact the stone on which the Lord placed the bread has now been made into an altar. Past the walls of this church goes the public highway on which the Apostle Matthew had his place of custom. Near there on a mountain is a cave to which the Savior climbed and spoke the Beatitudes."

The church has been enlarged, renovated, destroyed by the Persians, rebuilt, etc. over the years. The mosaic floor from the 5th century church and the stone upon which Jesus placed the bread for the feeding of the 5,000 have survived, and we were able to see and touch them during our visit.


Church of the Multiplication Photos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note altar with stone underneath and mosaic floor from 5th century church.

 

Stone beneath altar where Jesus placed the loaves before feeding the 5,000. Note famous mosaic of bread and fishes.