The lost biblical town believed to be the site of several of Jesus’ miracles may have finally been discovered after years of excavations along the Sea of Galilee.
Archaeologists this month announced they believe El-Araj, a site on the lake’s northeastern shore, is the ancient settlement of Bethsaida, the village where the Bible says Jesus healed a blind man and carried out some of his most famous acts of ministry.
The conclusion follows years of discoveries that researchers say have dramatically strengthened the case for the site.
Among the findings are the remains of a Byzantine church, a first-century house uncovered beneath its foundation, ancient fishing weights and a mosaic inscription referring to St Peter as the ‘chief of the apostles and keeper of the keys of heaven.’
Speaking in Washington DC on May 5, excavation director Steven Notley said the growing body of evidence has ‘essentially confirmed’ El-Araj as biblical Bethsaida, a mystery that has puzzled archaeologists and biblical scholars for decades.
Among the most significant discoveries was a first-century structure buried beneath the apse, or dome, of the basilica, which researchers say matches an eighth-century account describing a church built over the home of Peter and Andrew.
‘So, we have a first-century house wall under the apse,’ Notley told EWTN News.
‘It doesn’t have a plaque on it that says “Peter slept here,'” but from a perspective of archaeology, it doesn’t get much better than that.’
Other excavations at the site uncovered a mosaic that reads ‘the chief and commander of the heavenly apostles.’ It referenced the Apostle Peter, as he was the early leader of the Church
The Bible says that Peter (pictured) was born in Bethsaida, along with Andrew and Philip
According to the Gospels, Bethsaida was the setting for several miracles performed by Jesus during his ministry around the Sea of Galilee.
The town is most famously linked to the healing of a blind man, described in the Gospel of Mark, in which Jesus restored the man’s sight in stages after leading him outside the village.
Bethsaida was also located near the site where Jesus is believed to have fed thousands of people with just a few loaves of bread and fish in one of the Bible’s most well-known miracles.
The village is referenced multiple times throughout the New Testament and became closely tied to Jesus’ ministry because several of his disciples, including Peter, Andrew and Philip, were said to have come from there.
In the Gospel accounts, Jesus later rebuked Bethsaida, along with nearby towns, for witnessing his miracles but failing to repent, underscoring the town’s importance in biblical history.
Excavations at El-Araj began in 2016 after archaeologists identified the site as a possible match for Bethsaida because of its location along the ancient shoreline and evidence suggesting it was once a thriving first-century fishing village.
The theory gained momentum in 2017 and 2018 when teams uncovered Roman-era remains, fishing weights and the ruins of a large Byzantine basilica believed to be the long-lost ‘Church of the Apostles.’
Experts said the church closely matched the writings of eighth-century bishop Willibald, who described visiting Bethsaida during a pilgrimage around 725 AD and reported seeing a church built over the home of Peter and Andrew.
Archaeologists uncovered stone walls they believe were part of the birthplace of Jesus’ apostles
Over the following years, excavators uncovered additional evidence, including a mosaic inscription discovered in 2021 that strengthened the connection to St Peter.
Christians recognize Peter, originally Simon, as a fisherman and one of the first followers of Jesus, later appointed the leader of the early Church following Jesus’ ascension.
According to Christian tradition, he later died a martyr in Rome during the reign of Emperor Nero around 64 CE, crucified upside down because he felt unworthy to die in the same manner as Jesus Christ.
Notley said in 2021: ‘This discovery is our strongest indicator that Peter had a special association with the basilica, and it was likely dedicated to him.
‘Since Byzantine Christian tradition routinely identified Peter’s home in Bethsaida, and not in Capernaum as is often thought today, it seems likely that the basilica commemorates his house.’
Two walls set perpendicular to one another. One of the walls dates to the first century AD, while the second dates to the second or third century AD
Researchers believe the church was destroyed in an earthquake in 749 AD before eventually being buried beneath layers of sediment and vegetation.
Then, in 2025, a wildfire tore through the area, unexpectedly revealing ancient ruins previously hidden by dense underbrush.
The blaze exposed walls, structural mounds and fragments of Roman-era pottery scattered across the site. Archaeologists also uncovered fishing tools and evidence of a Roman bathhouse, further suggesting the area had once been a bustling settlement during the time Jesus lived and preached.
Those discoveries aligned with ancient historical descriptions of Bethsaida, including accounts written by first-century historian Flavius Josephus, who documented towns and activity around the Sea of Galilee during the Roman period.
The excavation has become one of the most closely watched biblical archaeology projects in Israel because Bethsaida is referenced multiple times in the New Testament as a center of Jesus’ ministry.
According to the Gospels, Jesus healed a blind man there and performed the miracle of feeding thousands nearby.
The town was also home to several of the disciples who would become central figures in early Christianity.
After years of debate over Bethsaida’s true location, researchers now say the combined discoveries at El-Araj may finally have solved one of biblical archaeology’s most enduring mysteries.
