Church of the Multiplication
Encyclopedia
The Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes, shortened to (The Church of the Multiplication), is a Roman Catholic church located in Tabgha
, on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee
in Israel. The modern church rests on the site of two earlier churches.
' feeding of five thousand is by the Spanish
pilgrim Egeria circa
380.
"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. People who go there take away small pieces of the stone to bring them prosperity, and they are very effective. 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 was significantly enlarged around the year 480 with floor mosaics also added at this time. These renovations are attributed to the patriarch
Matryrios. In 614 Persians destroyed the original Byzantine
church and the exact site of the shrine was lost for some 1,300 years. In 1888 the site was acquired by the German
catholic society (Deutsche Katholische Palaestinamission) which was associated with the Archdiocese of Cologne. An initial archeological survey was conducted in 1892, with full excavations beginning in 1932. These excavations resulted in the discovery of mosaic floors from the 5th century church, which was also found to be built on the foundations of a much smaller 4th century chapel. The current church was built to the same floor plan as the 5th century Byzantine church. Since 1939 it has been administered by the Benedictine
order as a daughter-house of the Dormition Abbey in Jerusalem.
and two aisles. The sanctuary
is backed by an apse
with transepts on either side. Under the altar is a block of limestone
found during excavation, that is venerated as the stone on which the miraculous meal was laid.
Christian
art. The mosaics in the two transepts depict various wetland birds and plants, with a prominent place given to the lotus
flower. This flower, which is not indigenous to the area, suggests the artists use of a Nilotic landscape
popular in Roman
and early-Byzantine art. All the other motifs depict plants and animals from the Galilee
. The mosaics found in front of the altar depict two fish flanking a basket containing loaves of bread.
, basalt
paving stones, and part of the apse frieze
. The foundations of the original 4th-century church can also be seen under a glass panel to the right of the altar. Basalt presses and a font
are also displayed in the courtyard.
Tabgha
Tabgha is an area situated on the north-western shore of the Sea of Galilee in Israel. It is the traditional site of the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes and the fourth resurrection appearance of Jesus in Christianity. Until 1948, it was the site of an Arab village.The...
, on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee
Sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee, also Kinneret, Lake of Gennesaret, or Lake Tiberias , is the largest freshwater lake in Israel, and it is approximately in circumference, about long, and wide. The lake has a total area of , and a maximum depth of approximately 43 m...
in Israel. The modern church rests on the site of two earlier churches.
History
The earliest recording of a church commemorating JesusJesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
' feeding of five thousand is by the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
pilgrim Egeria circa
Circa
Circa , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...
380.
"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. People who go there take away small pieces of the stone to bring them prosperity, and they are very effective. 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 was significantly enlarged around the year 480 with floor mosaics also added at this time. These renovations are attributed to the patriarch
Patriarch
Originally a patriarch was a man who exercised autocratic authority as a pater familias over an extended family. The system of such rule of families by senior males is called patriarchy. This is a Greek word, a compound of πατριά , "lineage, descent", esp...
Matryrios. In 614 Persians destroyed the original Byzantine
Byzantine
Byzantine usually refers to the Roman Empire during the Middle Ages.Byzantine may also refer to:* A citizen of the Byzantine Empire, or native Greek during the Middle Ages...
church and the exact site of the shrine was lost for some 1,300 years. In 1888 the site was acquired by the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
catholic society (Deutsche Katholische Palaestinamission) which was associated with the Archdiocese of Cologne. An initial archeological survey was conducted in 1892, with full excavations beginning in 1932. These excavations resulted in the discovery of mosaic floors from the 5th century church, which was also found to be built on the foundations of a much smaller 4th century chapel. The current church was built to the same floor plan as the 5th century Byzantine church. Since 1939 it has been administered by the Benedictine
Order of Saint Benedict
The Order of Saint Benedict is a Roman Catholic religious order of independent monastic communities that observe the Rule of St. Benedict. Within the order, each individual community maintains its own autonomy, while the organization as a whole exists to represent their mutual interests...
order as a daughter-house of the Dormition Abbey in Jerusalem.
Layout
The interior of the church has a central naveNave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
and two aisles. The sanctuary
Sanctuary
A sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...
is backed by an apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
with transepts on either side. Under the altar is a block of limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
found during excavation, that is venerated as the stone on which the miraculous meal was laid.
Mosaics
One of the main highlights of the church are its restored 5th century mosaics. These mosaics are the earliest known examples of figured pavement in PalestinianPalestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
art. The mosaics in the two transepts depict various wetland birds and plants, with a prominent place given to the lotus
Nelumbo
Nelumbo is a genus of aquatic plants with large, showy flowers resembling water lilies, commonly known as lotus. The generic name is derived from the Sinhalese word Nelum. There are only two known living species in the genus. The sacred lotus is native to Asia, and is the better known of the two...
flower. This flower, which is not indigenous to the area, suggests the artists use of a Nilotic landscape
Nilotic landscape
Nilotic landscape is term used to describe artistic representations of landscapes which emulate or are inspired by the Nile river in Egypt. The term was coined to refer primarily to such landscapes created outside of Egypt, especially in the Aegean, though it is occasionally used to refer to scenes...
popular in Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
and early-Byzantine art. All the other motifs depict plants and animals from the Galilee
Galilee
Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
. The mosaics found in front of the altar depict two fish flanking a basket containing loaves of bread.
Fifth Century Remains
Also preserved in the modern church are the sill of the left entrance to the atriumAtrium (architecture)
In modern architecture, an atrium is a large open space, often several stories high and having a glazed roof and/or large windows, often situated within a larger multistory building and often located immediately beyond the main entrance doors...
, basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
paving stones, and part of the apse frieze
Frieze
thumb|267px|Frieze of the [[Tower of the Winds]], AthensIn architecture the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Even when neither columns nor pilasters are expressed, on an astylar wall it lies upon...
. The foundations of the original 4th-century church can also be seen under a glass panel to the right of the altar. Basalt presses and a font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
are also displayed in the courtyard.