Capernaum - House of Peter

House of Peter

One block of homes, called by the Franciscan excavators the sacra insula or "holy insula" ("insula" refers to a block of homes around a courtyard) was found to have a complex history. Located between the synagogue and the lakeshore, it was found near the front of a labyrinth of houses from many different periods. Three principal layers have been identified:

1. A group of private houses built around the 1st century BC which remained in use until the early 4th century.
2. The great transformation of one of the homes in the 4th century.
3. The octagonal church in the middle of the 5th century.

The excavators concluded that one house in the village was venerated as the house of Peter the fisherman as early as the mid-1st century, with two churches having been constructed over it (Lofreda, 1984).