Kursi

The largest Byzantine monastic complex in Galilee is located 5 km north of En Gev. It has been a place of pilgrimage since the C5 AD, presumably because of Jesus’ dramatic exorcism where swine cast themselves into the lake. According to the gospels this took place ‘in the land of the Gerasenes/Gadarenes/ Gergesenes’ (Mark 5:1), ‘which opposite Galilee’ (Luke 8:26).

The church, which has been greatly restored, is a classical late C5 AD type. Mosaics cover the entire floor area. Most are simple geometric designs, but the medallions of the lateral aisles contain representations of the flora and fauna of the area; with a few rare exceptions all the living things have been systematically destroyed. Presumably this was done by Muslims in order to adapt the church to their prayer requirements. One small room was turned into a baptistery in the C6; an inscription at the entrance dates the pavement to 585. The function of the rooms along the north side is not clear, one contained an olive press. A grille at the entrance to an external chapel on the south side is the entrance to a crypt which was the burial place of the monastery. There was a cistern beneath the courtyard. The living quarters of the monks were in the area north of the church.

From the church a small ruined structure is visible on the hill to the south. A retaining wall, possibly the base of a tower, enshrines a huge boulder. To the east are a mosaic floor and an apse. The Byzantine date of the material suggests that this was identified as the precise site of the gospel miracle.

Source: The Holy Land by Jerome Murphy- O’Connor