Tabgha
Tabgha, an Arabic corruption of the Greek name Heptapegon (Seven Springs), is the traditional site of the Miracle of the Multiplication of the Loaves and the Fishes. (Matt. 14: 13-21) Tabgha is situated on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. The earliest building at Tabgha was a small chapel built in the 4th century CE. This was probably the shrine described by the pilgrim Egeria at the end of the 4th century: "In the same place (not far from Capernaum) facing the Sea of Galilee is a well watered land in which lush grasses grow, with numerous trees and palms. Nearby are seven springs which provide abundant water. In this fruitful garden Jesus fed five thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fish." The large monastery and a church were built in the fifth century and destroyed in the 7th century, probably during the Arab conquest of the country. In the 1980s, after excavation, the church was restored to its Byzantine form, incorporating portions of the original mosaics.
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