Mount of Beatitudes
According to the tradition, the Mount of Beatitudes is the place where Jesus gave his important sermon on the mountain. A church, monastery, hostel and gardens and farm are located on the hill, above Tabcha.
Mathew 5: 1-3: "And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the..."
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Contents:
* Interior * Gardens |
Background:
According to the tradition, the Mount of Beatitudes is the place where Jesus gave his important sermon on the mountain (Mt 5, Lk 6:20) to the multitude that assembled to see and hear him.
The sermon has 9 verses, each starting with "Blessed the..." or in Latin "Beati ...". The Latin word gave this hill its name - Beati-tudes. In this place is a Roman Catholic Franciscan church, monastery, hostel, gardens, farm and a visitors center.
Location:
The mountain is located above Tabcha- 175M higher than the sea of Galilee, yet 35M under the Mediterranean sea level.
It is approached by a road that climbs up from Tabcha junction, via Vered-Hagalil, towards Rosh-Pina and Upper Galilee.
An aerial photo is shown below, indicating the major points of interest. You can point on the purple points to navigate to the selected point.
Photos of the Church :
The beautiful Basilica of the Church of Mount of Beatitudes was built during the 1936-1938 to a design of the Italian famous church architect, Antonio Barluzzi. The following photo shows the church from the north-east side, where the visitors enter.
Click on the photo to view it in higher resolution...
Another view from the south-west side.
Church Interior:
The interior of the church, from the side of the sea of Galilee, is seen in the following photo. The verses and symbols related to the sermons are written on mosaics on the floor of the church and around the altar, as can be partially seen in the photo below.
The ceiling walls have a shape of an octagon, and on each side there is a window with one of the eight verses (although there are nine), starting with "blessed are...", or in Latin: "Beati ...".
Popes that Visited the Church :
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In the entrance to
the church are on display ornaments that were donated by the visiting
popes:
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The Gardens :
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This is the view of the beautiful Gardens and the Monastery building on the north side, past the entrance doors. In the Garden are small assembly areas where groups gather, sit, listen to their pastor reading from texts and sermons, chant and other religious rituals. |
The garden has statues, benches and signs with excerpts from the Bible.
Some of the marble stone excerpts from Matthew, in this case Mt 5:10 (Latin): "Beati qui persecutionem patiuntur propter justitiam: quoniam ipsorum est regnum cælorum" - "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven".
New Testament References:
(a) Matthew 5: 1,2
This text describes the sermon on the mountain (chapters 5-7):
"And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was
set, his disciples came unto him:
And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,"
"And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his
disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem,
and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be
healed of their diseases;"
(b) Luke 6:17-20
This is another text on Jesus sermon before the multitude.
"And they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed.
And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of
him, and healed them all.
And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor:
for yours is the kingdom of God".
(c) Luke 7:1
The next chapter provides a hint on the place of the mountain. It reads (Luke 7:1):
"Now when he had ended all his sayings in the audience of the people, he entered into Capernaum."
Thus, the mountain is located near Capernaum as believed by most Christians, and Mount of Beatitudes is located close to Capernaum.
(d) Matthew 5 3-11:
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The sermon on the mount focuses on 9 verses:
"Blessed are the
poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
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Etymology (behind the name):
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Links:
- Footsteps of Jesus - This pictorial presentation is arranged by BibleWalks staff. The Beatitudes and the sermon on the mountain is listed in event #32.
- Horns of Hittim - another site identified with the location of the sermon on the mountain
BibleWalks.com - walk with us through the sites of the Holy Land
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