Capernaum is associated with several events in the life of Jesus. It is referred to as "Jesus' own city" (Mathew 9:1; Mark 2:1) and a place where "he lived" (Mathew 1:13). "Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim" (Mathew 4:12-13). "And (Jesus) came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days" (Luke 4:31).
Capernaum has been the venue of many miracles performed by Jesus. It is written that “all the city was gathered together at the door” to get healed (Mark 1:33). In Capernaum, Jesus
healed a man who had the spirit of an unclean devil (Mark 1:21-22)
cured Simon Peter's mother-in-law from fever (Mark 1:29-31).
healed a Roman Centurion's servant (Matthew 8:5-13).
healed the paralytic lowered through the roof of the house (Mark 2:1-12).
healed many other people and cast out demons (Mathew 8:16-17).
healed the son of a nobleman in Herod Antipas' court (John 4:46-54)
raised the dead daughter of Jairus (Mark 5:22; Luke 8:41).
caused four of disciples to catch fish in a miraculous way (Luke 5:1-11)
supplied tax money needed by Peter through a fish (Matthew 17:24-27).
Capernaum is where Jesus first began to preach after the Temptation in the wilderness (Mathew 1:12-17) and called Levi (later Mathew) from his tax-collector's booth (Mark 2:13-17). In the synagogue of Capernaum, Jesus gave sermon on the bread of life (John 6:35-59). The Roman official whose servant was healed (Matthew 8:5-13) is credited with building the synagogue in which Jesus taught (Luke 7:3). And it was Capernaum that Jesus had set out from when he calmed a storm on the Sea of Galilee (Mathew 8:23-27). Jesus however rebukes the city for its disbelief; "And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day "(Mathew 11:23).
At the time of Jesus, Capernaum was a fishing village. Today an archaeological and nature park and two churches exist at Capernaum. The area developed by the Israeli Nature and Parks Authority near the archeological site includes a 3.5-kilometer walkway. The Franciscan church is in charge of the area of the archeological excavation site. Capernaum (Kfar Nahum) was inhabited from 150 BC to about AD 750. Archeological evidence indicates that the town was established at the beginning of the Hasmonean dynasty (the earliest coins found at the site date from the 2nd century BC. In 1838, the American explorer; Edward Robinson re-discovered the ruins of the ancient Capernaum. Later excavations resulted in the discovery of a house claimed to be that of Saint Peter's (1st Century AD), a synagogue (4th Century AD) and an octagonal church (5th Century AD). The city evolved in two phases. The biblical Capernaum is in the western side where you have the Synagogue, St. Peter's House and modern Franciscan Octagonal Church. The eastern side of Capernaum developed after 8th Cent AD, and today one can see a Greek Orthodox Church upon the ruins. Both the church and synagogue were destroyed prior to the Islamic conquest in 638. After the conquest, the village shifted east. The town was badly affected by an earthquake in 746 and thereafter it never recovered to its previous glory.
See More
http://198.62.75.1/www1/ofm/sites/TScpmenu.html
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/israel/capernaum.htm
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