Capernaum (Kfar Nahum) is situated on the shores of Lake Kinneret (The Sea of Galilee) in the north of Israel. This ancient fishing village was inhabited between the years of 150 BC up to approximately AD 750.
Capernaum is mentioned many times in the New Testament; however, the earliest references to the ancient town were made by the Jewish historian Josephus who spent a night there during the Jewish-Roman war and wrote about a connection with the Jewish-Roman village to a fertile spring.
In 1838 the biblical scholar Edward Robinson while visiting the holy land, correctly identified the remains of a synagogue at the place known to be Capernaum. The partial excavation took place around 1865, but it was only in the early 20th century that more extensive excavations began to take place, and the Synagogue was partially restored.
More recently, it has been discovered that there were, in fact, two synagogues, the earliest from the first century CE and built from Black Basalt, the later one built sometime around the 4th century CE and built from white limestone. A major discovery was also made of a house believed to be St Peters house and an octagonal church.
The Franciscans and Greek Orthodox Church own and control the ruins. The area itself is considered holy by Christians and Jews alike; however, it has a special interest for Christians because Jesus made it his home after he left Nazareth and the place where he performed several miracles. He also chose his first four disciples from Capernaum, Peter, Andrew, James, John, and later on Matthew. The modern Franciscan church was built in 1990 on the site of St Peters house.
The area of the Capernaum National Park is operated under the auspices of The Israel Nature and Parks Authority, and the Franciscan Church manages the archeological part with the ruins. The Parks authority has constructed a walkway of about 3 ½ km connecting Capernaum to the Taghba churches that are situated nearby and a landing for boats that bring visitors from Tiberias.
When Pope John Paul II was in the Holy Land in March 2000, he paid a visit to Capernaum.