Touching the Promised Land 10 | Day 2 - TABGHA
- Regina Liu
- Jan 19
- 5 min read
DIVINE MULTIPLICATION & RESTORATION
The area now known as Tabgha was formerly called Heptapegon, meaning 'Seven Springs.' Here, the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes and the Church of the Primacy of Saint Peter lie close to each other, a mere two to three hundred metres apart, with the latter built directly on the lakeshore.
The Church of the Multiplication
We first arrived at the Church of the Multiplication. To one side of the small plaza in front of the church stands a plaque, which describes the two miracles where the Lord Jesus fed the multitudes, as well as other significant New Testament events believed to have taken place in Tabgha.
The present-day church stands on the site of a fourth-century chapel, which was later expanded in the fifth century into a larger church, renowned for its beautifully laid mosaic floor.
Below are images of the church interior, the sacred stone beneath the altar (traditionally held to be the stone on which the loaves and fishes were multiplied), and the mosaic of the loaves and fishes in front of it.
The fifth-century church was destroyed during the early Arab period, but its ruins remained undisturbed until the late 19th century, when they were discovered by Christian missionaries and archaeologists from the German Society for the Study of the Holy Land (the same German Templar community mentioned in my travel notes regarding the Haifa colony). Excavations began in the 1930s. When World War II broke out, the German missionaries and archaeologists—before being expelled by the British Mandate authorities—built a protective wall around the excavated 'Stone of Multiplication' and the mosaic floor. Having been buried for about 1,500 years and protected soon after excavation, both artefacts remain remarkably well preserved. The current church was reconstructed on the original site and opened in 1982.
Between the church and the small plaza lies a cloister-enclosed courtyard, featuring a spring and a luxuriant, age-old olive tree.
The Church of the Primacy
Leaving the Church of the Multiplication, we followed a path down to the shore and the Church of the Primacy. The Gospel of John, chapter 21, records that after His crucifixion and resurrection, the Lord Jesus appeared to His disciples for the third time, prepared breakfast for them, and then engaged in a poignant dialogue with Peter. This site in Tabgha is traditionally identified as the place where the Lord entrusted the leadership of the Christian church into the hands of Saint Peter. Part of their exchange is reproduced in the table below.
Readers familiar with Scripture will recall how, before His arrest, the Lord Jesus foretold to Peter: “Truly I tell you, this very night, before the cock crows, you will disown me three times” (Matthew 26:34). As prophesied, Peter, in a moment of weakness, denied the Lord three times (Mark 14:66–72) and afterwards wept bitterly in remorse. Here at Tabgha, the risen Lord gave Peter the opportunity to affirm his love three times—thereby restoring him from his earlier threefold denial—and ultimately established him as the Rock upon which He would build His church and its leader (the Primacy).
The Church of the Primacy is also a Franciscan church (the Franciscan order and its founder, Saint Francis, were mentioned in the travel notes on Acre). It, too, was originally built in the fourth century. Unlike the Church of the Multiplication, it was not destroyed during the Arab period. It was nevertheless reconstructed on the original site in the 1930s, and the exposed foundations of the fourth-century structure are still visible along one side of the church wall.
Opposite the small chapel lies an open courtyard. At its centre is a small, semicircular open-air stepped gathering area, while at the lakeside end, beneath the shade of trees, stands a sculpture. It commemorates the moment when Peter, for the third time, reaffirmed his love for the Lord and received the charge: “Feed my sheep.”
Inside the Church of the Primacy there is also a sacred stone, much larger than the one in the Church of the Multiplication. In front of it stands a plaque bearing the Franciscan emblem and the words “Mensa Christi”—meaning “Table of Christ.” This is traditionally regarded as the place described in John 21, where the Lord Jesus shared breakfast with His disciples.
Stepping out of the church, I felt a sudden urge to return to the water’s edge—the Sea of Galilee holds an inexplicable pull. So I made my way down to the shore alone. The beach along the lake was quite broad, and our guide mentioned that in recent years the water level has been unusually low—close to the minimum warning line—and that the government is exploring ways to replenish and protect it.
I picked my way carefully across the stones, large and small, that littered the shore, until I reached a smooth, rounded rock near the water. There I bent down, feeling the faint mist carried by the breeze across the lake, and let myself be fully absorbed in the moment…
It didn’t seem particularly crowded that day. But our guide suggested it might have been because we’d arrived early. As an important Christian holy site—one even visited by the Pope—it usually draws great numbers of pilgrims and visitors. Many come to the lake to immerse part of themselves in the water…
I hesitated for a moment, wondering whether I, too, should perform some kind of partial immersion. But I am who I am: if I got myself half wet, I would probably be too distracted by worrying about getting dry, which would totally disrupt the sense of connection I was feeling in that moment. Furthermore, I suppose I am someone for whom the ripples run deeper when touched not by the hand, but by the spirit in the air...
Stop 4: Mount of Beatitudes
Having walked the shore where Jesus restored Peter and demonstrated His power to provide, my heart were prepared for the next spiritual ascent. From the tangible sites of miracle and ministry at the lake’s edge, we journeyed upward to the place where Jesus proclaimed the foundational truths of His kingdom. The gentle hills that slope down toward the Sea of Galilee provide the natural amphitheater for the Sermon on the Mount: "Blessed are the humble, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven…"
