The great number of events that are connected to this area of the Holy Land, as well as its natural beauty has made it from the beginning of Christianity a frequently visited holy shrine and a nice place to stay and visit. The Tiberias Lake occupies the south side of Galilee. It is a small inland sea, with brackish water, which was formed at the end of the tertiary period, after a flood, that resulted in sedimentation in a part of the Jordan valley. The lake’s area is 200 square kilometers and its depth is between 70-80 feet.

It is 212 meters below sea level. Here the Jordan River flows, which comes from Mount Hermon and after the lake, it crosses Palestine and flows into the Dead Sea. At its coast, during Our Lord’s era, thriving cities existed, such as Capernaum, Bethsaida and Magdala.

The name of the lake in Hebrew and in the Old Testament is “Kineret” and derives from the word “Kinor” which means “violin” and this is because the shape of the lake from some height looks like this musical instrument. In the Holy Bible it is called “Lake of Gennesaret”. During the Byzantine period as today, in every place around the lake, which is mentioned in the New Testament, temples and monasteries have been built.  A pilgrim can also see everywhere around the lake not only the identified places of the miracles of Christ and of Gospel events, but also many ruins of early Christian monuments.