Bethlehem is a Palestinian town south of Jerusalem in the West Bank.

This is the biblical birthplace of Jesus and it’s a major Christian pilgrimage destination. The
birth is marked by an inlaid silver star in a grotto under the 6th-century Church of the Nativity,
which shares Manger Square with the 15th-century Church of St. Catherine and the 1860
Mosque of Omar.

Sites to visit in the Bethlehem area:

Church of the Nativity
Grotto of the Nativity
St Jerome’s Cave
Church of St Catherine of Alexandria
Milk Grotto
Shepherds’ Field
Tomb of Rachel
Field of Boaz
Herodium

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CAPERNAUM

A fish-market and frontier post beside the Sea of Galilee, Capernaum became Jesus’ home
town and the scene of many of his miracles.

It was also the home of the first disciples Jesus called — the fishermen Peter, Andrew, James
and John, and the tax collector Matthew (who as Levi collected taxes in the customs office).

In this town:

• Jesus worshipped and taught in the synagogue — where his teaching made a deep
impression on the local people because, unlike the scribes, he taught with authority. (Mark
1:21-22)

• In the same synagogue, Jesus promised the Eucharist in his “I am the bread of life”.

• Jesus healed many people of illness or possession by the devil, including Peter’s mother-in-
law and the daughter of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue.

• Jesus pronounced a curse on the town, along with Bethsaida and Chorazin, because so many
of its inhabitants refused to believe in him.

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Jerusalem is revered as a holy city by half the human race.

It is where Jesus was brought up as a child, preached during his adulthood, crucified in the end
of his life, and resurrected by God.