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                    Heptapegon - The Miracle of the Multiplying of Loaves and Fishes 2- Basilica.
            
      
      Church Name, type, function
      Site Name:&nbsp;HeptapegonIdentification:&nbsp;Heptapegon (Gr.), Et-Tabgha (Arab.), 'En Shev'a (Heb.); all derive from the seven ‎springs in the area. Built at the traditional site of the miracle of the Multiplying of ‎Loaves and Fishes mentioned in the New Testament (Matt. 14: 15-20 and ‎parallels).‎ Church name:&nbsp;The Miracle of the Multiplying of Loaves and Fishes 2- Basilica.Functional Type:&nbsp;MemorialDedication:&nbsp;Miracle of the Multiplying of Loaves and FishesChurch type:&nbsp;Transept
      Location
      Coordinates, ITM system:&nbsp;
  
    251.72753.23  

Coordinates, ICS system:&nbsp;
  
    201.721,253.20  

Geographical region:&nbsp;Sea of GalileeDistance from nearest settlement:&nbsp;2 miles south-west of Capharnaum.Distance from Roman roads:&nbsp;The church was built next to the road (mentioned by Egeria apud Petrus Diaconus V, 3) leading to Capernaum, adjacent to the Kinnereth seashore. Provincial affiliation:&nbsp;Palaestina IIBishopric:&nbsp;Tiberias
      Source of knowledge
      Literary sources:&nbsp;HideLiterary sources
        
  
                    Heptapegon - The Miracle of the Multiplying of Loaves and Fishes,2- Basilica.
            
      
  Source:&nbsp;

 Adamn., LS 


Abbreviation for Journals and SeriesParagraph:&nbsp;II, 24, 1-3Translation:&nbsp;THE PLACE WHERE THE SAVIOUR BLESSED THE FIVE LOAVES AND TWO FISHES
(1) Our friend Arculf travelled as far as this place. It is a flat grassy field, and has never been ploughed up since the day when the Saviour fed the five thousand with the five loaves and two fishes. (2) There are no signs of buildings there, apart from a few stone columns lying at the edge of the small spring from which, it ts said, the people drank on the day when they were hungry, and the Lord refreshed them with that wonderful banquet. (3) This place is on the near side of the Sea of Galilee, and looks across to the city of Tiberias, which is on the shore to the south of it.
(transl. Wilkinson)
Bibliografical ref.:&nbsp;
 Bibliography 

 Wilkinson, J., 2002 


Summary:&nbsp;Mention of the basilica (?) ruins at the place of the Feeding of the five thousand, from an itinerary of ca. AD 681-684, composed ca. 698.
  
  
                    Heptapegon - The Miracle of the Multiplying of Loaves and Fishes,2- Basilica.
            
      
  Abbreviation for Journals and SeriesParagraph:&nbsp;NoteSummary:&nbsp;Theodosius (TS 2), Cyril of Scythopolis (Vita Sabae 24) and the Piacenza Pilgrim (AP 9), who visited and prayed at Heptapegon viz. the place of the Multiplication, make no mention of any church there, though archaeological evidence makes it clear that at least one church must surely had been there on the site of the present-day Church of the Multiplication.
  
  
Epigraphy:&nbsp;HideEpigraphy
        
  
            Text number          
                  
            Summary          
              
    
            1          
                  
            Fragmentary commemorative mosaic inscription of a donor, in the apsis in front of the altar.
          
              
            2          
                  
            Fragmentary commemorative mosaic inscription of Saouros, in the north transept.
          
              
      Archaeological remains
      Surveyed siteSurveyors:&nbsp;
 NameDate 

 Karge, Fr.1911 


Excavated siteExcavators:&nbsp;
 NameDate 

 Mader, A. E. and Schneider, A. M. 1932 
 Rosental, R. and Hershkovitz, M.1979-1980 


Bibliograpy:&nbsp;

 Mader, A. E. and Schneider, A. M., 1933 
 Mader, A. E., 1934 
 Schneider, A. M., 1934 
 Mader, A. E., 1934 
 Schneider, A. M., 1937 
 Crowfoot, J. W., 1941 
 Schapiro, M. and Avi-Yonah, M., 1960 
 Avi-Yonah, M., 1964 
 Loffreda, S., 1970 
 Ovadiah, A., 1970 
 Rosenthal, R. and Hershkovitz, M., 1980 
 Loffreda, S., 1981 
 Editor, 1982 
 Avi-Yonah, M. and Negev, A., 1993 
 Schick, R., 1995 
 Di Segni, L., 1997 
 Barkay, G. and Shiler, E., 1999 
 De Luca, S., 2012 


Abbreviation for Journals and Series
      General description
      State of preservation/which parts were uncovered:&nbsp;A transept type church with: an atrium with surrounding rooms, a narthex, a prayer hall, a transept and an inscribed apse with a corridor behind. The dimensions of the trapezoidal-shaped complex are: Length- 56 m. from west to east, width- 24.3 m. on the west and 33 m. on the east. The walls survived to an elevation of 1.45 m., except the south-east section, which did not survive.

      Description
      Illustrative material:&nbsp;

      
                    Illustrative_material
            
      
  Figures

  
Atrium:&nbsp;Slightly trapezoidal in shape, 13X23 m. in dimension. A Cantharus, 5 m. in diameter, is set in the center, above the cistern. Rooms on the west and south, continuing east along the basilica till the transept, are interpreted as hostelry for pilgrims. An external entrance to the complex was found on the western wall, at the second north chamber. Access from the rooms to the atrium seems to have been from the west, though no entrance survived. In a later period a pit, possible silo that can be seen in Schneider's plan, was dug and plastered near the east wall.
Narthex:&nbsp;3.3 m. wide.The entrance did not survive.
Façade and entries:&nbsp;Only the entrance leading to the northern aisle, 1.85 m. wide, was entirely preserved. There are two door posts and several bolt-holes, indicating that there were two wings. The width of the opening to the nave was about 3.2 m.
Lateral walls:&nbsp;The northern boundary wall of the complex, is is offset 7 degrees south relative to the main axis of the basilica, delineating the road to Capernaum which runs against it. The walls survived to an elevation of 1.45 m., except the south-east section, which did not survive.
Nave:&nbsp;7.9 m. wide, delineated by 5 columns on each side.
Aisles:&nbsp;3.58 m. wide.
Transept Aisles:&nbsp;Transept aislesTransept Ends:&nbsp;Flat.
Bema, chancel screen and apse:&nbsp;The Bema is U shaped and raised above the nave. It was first surrounded by a T-shaped chancel screen, which also separates the lateral rooms from the transept, and later by a U-shaped chancel, which only enclosed the bema. A line of stones, running south to north, can be seen cutting the bema: Schneider mentions that the altar is separated from the chancel by a rail, of which only the southern half of the stylobate survives, built across the bema; Rosental refers to a step cutting through the bema, which she believes to have been a mistake in the reconstruction of the mosaics two years after Schneider's excavation. The apse is inscribed, with a narrow corridor to its east, connecting the two lateral rooms. In the apse there are remains of a Synthronon, 1.10 m. wide.
Lateral spaces:&nbsp;Two lockable rooms, connected by the corridor which runs beyond the apse. They were separated by a grill of four wooden posts from the transept, which were removed in a later phase.

      Small finds
      Small finds:&nbsp;
 CategoryDescription 

 PotteryFragment of a pithus; Fragment of a red clay dish that is possibly dated to the fourth century and many fragments of domestic pottery dating from the fourth to sixth century, such as pans and pear-shaped amphoras. 
 OtherSeveral basalt artifacts were found: the lower stone of an olive press and a press was found in the northern lateral room; a part of a wall pilaster and a block with a stopper were found embodied, possible secondary use, in the stone wall of the entrance to the west of the atrium. 
 GlassFragments of glass were found: bases, rims and a white glass handle. A piece of a lamp was found in the space behind the apse. 
Cubes of glass mosaic were found in the area of the presbytery.  
 CoinsBronze: one dated to 565/66 CE; the other to 574/75 CE 
 Oil lampsFound near the apse dated to the late 6th or beginning of the 7th century. 
 Inscription - see under epigraphyA Jewish burial stele made of basalt, with an inscription mentioning the name Joseph was incorporated in the pavement of the western entrance to the atrium. 


Small finds illustrative material:&nbsp;

  
    Di Segni, L. and Tsafrir, Y., The Onomasticon of Iudaea, Palaestina and Arabia in the Greek and Latin Sources. Vol. II: A, Jerusalem, 2018.  


Comments, discussion and summary:&nbsp;All the small finds described were found in Schneider's excavation, besides the inscription which was found by Karge.

      Detailed description
      
      Structure
      Orientation:&nbsp;Facing eastMaterials applied (walls):&nbsp;LimestoneBasaltMaterials applied (roofing):&nbsp;tilestimberAtrium:&nbsp;YesWater cistern:&nbsp;NoNarthex:&nbsp;YesAisles:&nbsp;2Colonnades / Arcades:&nbsp;ColonnadeNumber of nave columns in a row:&nbsp;
 Total  

 5 


Capital types:&nbsp;CorinthianTransept Nave:&nbsp;The transept was projecting 1.75m to either side. Its nave was flanked by an aisle of 2x2 columns only on the west. The central ones, which retained a triumphal arch, are set in line with the nave colonnades. A pilaster is attached to the northern wall. After the triumphal arch had collapsed (or just about to collapse), seemingly as a result of an earthquake, two columns of smaller diameters were added between the central pair of the columns of the Transept nave, supporting horizontal wooden beems, thus masking the view of the presbytery.
Transept Aisles:&nbsp;Only one on the west. At the northern part of the aisle two square stones with cavities were set in the floor, presumably holding two small columns that served as legs of a secondary offering tables.
Transept Ends:&nbsp;Flat.East end:&nbsp;Internal apseChurch Head/Chevet:&nbsp;monoapsidal with lockable pastophoria (mon-aps II)Central Apse Category:&nbsp;apsidalBema type:&nbsp;T shaped with three openingsBema type text:&nbsp;See General Description for discussion regarding the chancel and the line of stones build north to south across the bema.Elevation of Bema above nave:&nbsp;1 step upAltar remains:&nbsp;imprintsAltar type:&nbsp;Marble, table likeAltar location:&nbsp;On the apse cordSecondary tables:&nbsp;A possible offering table might of been placed in the northern part of the transept aisle. Ambo:&nbsp;NoSynthronon:&nbsp;YesSynthronon remains:&nbsp;gradesSynthronon location:&nbsp;Against the apseSynthronon description:&nbsp;Remains of a 1.1 m. wide, graded bench attached to the apse wall.
      Pastophoria
      Pastophoria loci:&nbsp;N &amp; SDescription and function of northern:&nbsp;A lockable room that extend east beyond the apse and is connected to the southern room by a corridor.Description and function of southern:&nbsp;Resembles the northern one; its southern part was not preserved.
      Cult of relics
      Cult of relics loci:&nbsp;under altarReliquiaries: shapes and contents:&nbsp;A block of undressed limestone is found between the imprints of the altar legs. The stone was not part of the bedrock. A cavity with iron remains indicated that a metal cross was once fixed into it and it bears traces of being deliberately chipped. It appears to be the sacred stone mentioned by Egeria apud Petrus Diaconus - the mensa domini on which, according to tradition, Christ placed the loaves and fishes. It seems that the stone was originally placed in the primitive chapel that preceded the basilica, and only part of it was placed in the basilica, under its altar.
      Burial loci
      Burials loci:&nbsp;A cist tomb was found below the mosaic floor next to the altar. Its legs oriented east. It seems to be a late intrusion.
      Architectural Evolution
      
 General outlineDating materialPhase no.CenturyWithin century 

 The mosaic paved basilica was built in the 5th c. on top of the primitive chapel.Schneider dates its erection by the style of the mosaics, to the last decades of the fourth century or the beginning of the fifth century. Ovadiah and Avi Yonah prefer (on similar grounds- resemblance to the mosaics of the Great Palace of Constantinople), a date in the middle of the fifth century. Likewise Talgam. Pottery found sealed under the atrium floor in the 1979-80 excavation confirmed the dating. 
Phase 15th c.Mid 
 Repairs were made to the mosaic of the transept and nave; the stones containing the cavities of the rails west of the lateral spaces were filled in and covered with coarse mosaic tesserae. The triumphal arch of the transept was supported by two middle columns, adorned with capitals which carried horizontal wooden beams.
In the narthex- two square stones in the west of its north wing set on top of the mosaic suggest secondary tables. 
Near the east wall of the atrium a pit (silo?) has been dug and roughly plastered (but this may be a post-church structure).Dated by the mosaic inscription in the bema, next to the altar, to the second half of the 6th century (Di Segni, 1997). Another inscription of a similar date was found in the transept, near the railings of the lateral rooms.
Phase 26th c.Second half 
 Only the hostelry rooms, in which an oil press was installed and the northern section of the narthex were still in use at the early days of the Arab period, but not for long. According to Arculf 24, 1-3, visiting there in 670, &quot;There are no signs of buildings there, apart from a few stone columns lying at the edge of the small spring from which, it is said, the people drank on the day when they were hungry, and the Lord refreshed them with that wonderful banquet (tr. Wilkinson, p. 108). The Comm. de Casis Dei of 808 (ed. McCormick 2011, 38-39), mentions a monastery with 10 monks at the site of the Miracle of the Multiplication. It is also addressed by Epiph. mon., Enarr. Syr. 32. But given the fact that at Arculf&#039;s time the basilica was already in ruins, and no remains of a later monastery was uncovered at the site, it seems that only a small monastery around the atrium survived, or that the tradition had moved somewhat north, to the adjacent monastery at the foot of the hill on which the concentric church of the Beatitude / Sermon on the Mount is built today. For the Early Christian monastery see in the monasteries section of the Corpus. According to the finds it appears that the church was abandoned or destroyed prior to the Arab period, possibly in the Persian or Islamic conquests (Schenider, 1934; Avi Yonah, 1993). Schick maintains that there is no evidence for assigning a specific date or cause for the destruction indicated by Arculf (Schick, 1995).
Abandonment7th c.First half 


Post Arab conquest history:&nbsp;Abandoned
  
  
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