Capernaum synagogue, Ancient synagogue ruins in Capernaum, Israel

The Capernaum synagogue is an ancient ruin built from white limestone with carved stone blocks arranged around a central courtyard with columns. The structure includes stone benches along the interior walls and retains original flooring from when it was actively used.

The white limestone synagogue was built in the 4th century CE over the remains of an earlier basalt structure dated to the 1st century. Franciscan archaeologists Virgilio Corbo and Stanislao Loffreda, excavating in the 1970s, identified that lower level as the synagogue mentioned in the New Testament, built by a Roman centurion. The synagogue and the nearby Basilica of Saint Peter were destroyed in the early 7th century, shortly before the Arab conquest of 636.

Inscriptions on the walls display Greek and Aramaic, showing how different language communities coexisted in this ancient fishing village. The mix of scripts tells you about the daily life of people who traded and worshiped together here.

The site is easy to walk through since the original stone flooring and reconstructed sections remain in good condition. Wear comfortable shoes and allow yourself time to examine the carved details and architectural elements throughout the area.

A relief on the façade shows a carriage carrying a temple-like structure, which some scholars read as the Ark of the Covenant borne from the battlefield against the Philistines. Other carvings include seahorses, eagles and a seven-branched menorah. The name of the Franciscan Gaudenzio Orfali, who began restoration in 1921, is inscribed on one of the columns.