1956 EDUCATIONAL FILM

this is the sacred soil of Galilee the ancient Roman province in Palestine where Christ the Lord followed his glorious career almost 2,000 years ago the word Galilee means the circle and it is spoken of in two separable halves Upper Galilee a highland country of delightful climate and lower galilee a beautiful region of broad valleys and rich vegetation where the descent from the plateau begins the earth seems to open and they're shining below lies the Sea of Galilee through which flows the river Jordan this is the Mount of Beatitudes the traditional hill from which Jesus delivered his sermon of Christian beatitude the Western gateway to the sea is formed by the carmel mountain range mentioned in scriptures as Carmela's Morris at the northern end of his Killy country the Carmelite church rises on stella maris from this lofty position the church dominates a superb view with it includes the Mediterranean on the west and the Sea of Galilee on the east in the small garden facing the church a monument surmounted by an Iron Cross marks the common grave of those French soldiers of Bonaparte who died on the con el the church within is dominated by magnificent altar with a unique statue of Our Lady of the Virgin Mary holding her divine son in her arms to the right of the central nave stands a statue of the sacred heart while 10 feet farther west this excellent painting hangs above another precious marble altar a few steps beneath the main altar lies a small 15 by nine foot cave which according to tradition served as the dwelling place of the prophet Elijah the walls are charred by the heat of candles thousands of which have been burned here by visiting pilgrims a wooden statue the profit rests on the altar built at the inner end of the cave the small town where Jesus spent his youth is located in lower Galilee Nazareth was the home of Mary and Joseph and to it they returned after their flight to Egypt this colorful town has been attracting visitors from all over the world since the first Crusaders entered here centuries ago a host of traditions and legends have grown in connection with Nazareth the authenticity of some of its relics is certain however for example though rebuilt in 1862 the fountain of the Virgin Mary is still in regular use today receiving its water from the same Mountain sources that supplied it so many years ago when Mary and her divine son drew water from this well devout pilgrims come to worship before this high altar in the Church of the Annunciation erected in 1730 the church is considered almost modern as time is counted in ancient nazareth 1500 feet above the plane of esterline in Galilee Rises Mount Tabor believed to be the site of the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ standing on the summit of Mount Tabor among other religious buildings is the franciscan church of the transfiguration built along the ancient walls of a Benedictine fortress in front of this stately church are the eight hundred year old remains of that fortified Benedictine convent constructed over a fourth century Basilica one can clearly perceive among these ruins what is left of a chapel 18 feet long and 12 feet wide experts believe these remains show definite characteristics of fourth or fifth century church architecture beyond to the east lie the ruins of two other chapels and between them is a gate leading to the Basilica of Transfiguration which served as a cathedral in the 6th century you the bloody history lies behind mount Tabor's religious edifices around 1100 the group of Benedictine monks was entrusted with air custody but twice in the following century Marauders destroyed the contents of the peace-loving Benedictines the mountain slopes also were the site of heavy fighting between subsequent Crusaders and the Sultan of Damascus eventually well fortified by the monks of the order of st. John those buildings were nevertheless destroyed by Egyptian warriors in the middle of the 13th century from the top of one of the old fortifying walls one can see the church of st. Elijah rebuilt by the Greek Orthodox on the ancient ruins of a church destroyed by a Saladin in 1183 from the western wall of the fortress the eyes light upon the wall of Josephus built by the Israelites for their final and feudal stand against the Romans though on Mount Tabor time is likely to be measured by the century than by the hour the Franciscan brothers have contrived an accurate timepiece for themselves this sundial a small modest chapel stands in the center of the plateau atop Mount Tabor according to some authorities this is the place where Jesus after his Transfiguration asked Peter James and John not to mention to anyone that they had seen him on the mountain past the chapel one comes to the southern slopes of Mount Tabor and the village of de Borya ancient tradition claims that within the enclosure formed by the village walls Jesus left nine of his apostles then climbed up beyond to the site of his Transfiguration the village of Cana lies in hilly country a few miles north of Jesus boyhood home in Nazareth Jesus had so far lived in seclusion according to his earthly parents directions but in Cana he inaugurated his public life by assisting at a wedding together with his disciples by his presence there he sanctified the dignity of Christian marriage and the family it was in Cana to that Christ performed his first miracle the changing of the water into wine according to st. John Jesus often walked past the springs and through the pomegranate groves of Cana on his way to copernum because of these associations Pena's church is usually included on the itinerary of devout Christian pilgrims in Galilee all the hills of Upper Galilee command a view of the famous lake below the sea of galilee along the shore of which christ traveled almost 2,000 years ago spreading the word of truth to all who would listen the simple but all powerful sermon on the mount was delivered in sight of those same blue waters an unusually shaped church stands at the peak of that hill today called the Mount of Beatitudes at the foot of the mountain in the magnificent gardens of topeka stands another church this one erected to commemorate a miracle the multiplication of the loaves and fishes you in the same gardens right on the shore a humble Chapel serves as a place of worship for the thousands of pilgrims who pass this way looking out upon the sea they are reminded of yet another of Christ's miracles the calming of storm-tossed waters the murmur of these gentle waves continues down the centuries eternal symbol of the lonely Galilee whose message has survived the fall of Empires