Follow the accounts of the Bible in the Holy Land - a Pilgrimage of a lifetime.

Itineraries:

The Holy Land

The Holy Land Plus Other Areas

The term Holy Land is rooted in the renaming of the Land of Canaan as the Land of Israel (e.g. Genesis 15:18-21).

The concept of the land being holy is especially prominent in the Book of Numbers. The land is also considered holy in the Hebrew Bible because God's "holy people" settle there.

The Holy Land is significant in Christianity, mainly because it is the place of birth, ministry, Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, the Savior or Messiah to Christianity.

Holy cities for Christians of all denominations:

• Jerusalem is believed to be the site of some of Jesus' teaching, the Last Supper, the subsequent institution of the Holy Eucharist as well as his entombment; Many believe he was crucified on a nearby hill, Golgotha (sometimes called Calvary). Jerusalem contains the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Church of All Nations.

• Bethlehem is the birthplace of Jesus.

• Nazareth is Jesus' hometown and the site of many holy places, including the Church of the Basilica of the Annunciation and Mary's Well.

During the Crusades, Christian pilgrims often sought out the Holy Places, especially early in the 12th century immediately after Jerusalem was captured. The Holy Places included sites in Jerusalem and Bethlehem as well as:

• The River Jordan, site of Christ's baptism

• Cave dwelling of John the Baptist

• Sea of Galilee

• Mount Tabor, site of the Transfiguration of Jesus

• Jericho, along the road to which was the location of the Good Samaritan's charity.

Prominent Holy Land sites:

• Joppa (Jaffa) - The New Testament account of St. Peter's resurrection of the widow Tabitha, (Dorcas) (Acts, ix, 36-42) takes place in Jaffa.

• Caesarea - The port from which the Apostle Paul sailed to Rome and the site of ancient Roman structures.  More info

• Megiddo (Armageddon) - known for historical, geographical, and theological reasons. The Fields of Armageddon are located nearby.  More Info

• Mt. Carmel - In the Books of Kings, Elijah is described as challenging 450 prophets of Baal to a contest at the altar on Mount Carmel to determine whose deity was genuinely in control of the Kingdom of Israel.

• Deboriya (Daburiyya) / Mt. Tabor-  Mount Tabor is near the area where the prophetess Deborah judged.  More Info

• Capernaum - According to Matthew 11: 20-24, Jesus performed most of his miracles in Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum. Matthew tells us that "leaving Nazareth, He came and settled in Capernaum" (4:13) and later he singles out the village as "His own city" (Mt 9:1).  More Info

• Mt. of Beatitudes - Jesus of Nazareth gave His Sermon on the Mount (estimated around AD 30) on this mountainside to his disciples and a large crowd. The best-known written portions of the sermon comprise the Beatitudes, found at the beginning of the section.  More Info

• Tabgha - The chapel dedicated to the multiplication of the loaves and fishes is here.  More Info

• Caesarea Philippi - The site of Peter's confession (Matt. 16:16).

• Mt. Hermon - possible site of the Transfiguration, where Jesus took three of his disciples, Peter, James, and John, high up on the mountain for prayer. Before their eyes, Jesus was transfigured. He became radiantly white and conversed with Moses and Elijah, who had appeared beside him.

• Jordan River - Jesus came to be baptized by John the Baptist there (Matthew 3:13; Mark 1:9; Luke 3:21, 4:1). The Jordan is also where John the Baptist bore record of Jesus as the Son of God and Lamb of God (John 1:29-36).

• Nazareth - The Jezreel Plain is bounded on the north by a ridge. This has a dent in its top. In the bottom of the dent sat the tiny un-walled village where Jesus grew up.  The Chapel of the Annunciation is located there.  More Info

• Jericho - The Biblical account of the destruction of Jericho is found in the Book of Joshua.  More Info

• Jerusalem - Mt. Scopus, Mt. of Olives, Gethsemane, Chapel of the Ascension, Church of Pater Noster, Gethsemane, Church of All Nations, Eastern (Golden) Gate, Mt. Zion, church of St. Peter in Gallicantu, Room of the Last Supper, Tomb of King David, Western (Wailing) Wall, Dome of the Rock, Via Dolorosa, Ecce Homo Arch, Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Garden Tomb, Golgotha.  More Info

• Bethlehem - The birthplace of Jesus of Nazareth. The town is inhabited by one of the oldest Christian communities in the world, though the size of the community has shrunk in recent years due to emigration. The city is also believed to be the birthplace of David and the location where he was crowned as the king of Israel.  More Info

• Masada - After the First Jewish-Roman War (also known as the Great Jewish Revolt) a siege of the Masada fortress by troops of the Roman Empire led to the mass suicide of Jewish rebels, who preferred death to surrender.  More Info

All of our pilgrimages are fully flexible for group-specific interests. We look forward to hearing from you. Let us make your next tour "the trip of a lifetime"!

For historical and Biblical backgrounds on sites of the Holy Land, see

The Holy Land in Depth

The History of Jerusalem