After leaving Nazareth, Jesus relocated to Capernaum, a modest fishing village on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee — and it was there that his public ministry truly began. Ancient Capernaum sat just a few miles from Magdala, the hometown of Mary Magdalene, and served as a kind of home base for Jesus throughout much of the Gospel narratives. It was in Capernaum that he called his first disciples — fishermen like Peter, Andrew, James, and John — and performed some of his most famous miracles, including healing a paralyzed man lowered through a roof by his friends
Today, archaeologists have excavated much of ancient Capernaum, and what they found is striking. Beneath a fifth-century octagonal church, they uncovered what is widely believed to be the house of Peter — the very home mentioned in the Gospels as a place where Jesus stayed and healed. The site is now managed by Franciscan friars and remains one of the most visited archaeological sites in Israel, offering a rare and tangible connection to the world of the New Testament.
The proximity of Capernaum to Magdala also adds texture to the story of Mary Magdalene, one of the most misunderstood figures in Christian tradition. The two towns were within easy walking distance, and recent excavations at Magdala have uncovered a first-century synagogue — one of the few from that era still intact — where Jesus may very well have preached.
