The earliest building at Tabgha
was a small chapel built in the 4th century A.D. This was probably the shrine
described by the pilgrim Egeria at the end of the 4th century: "In the
same place (not far from Capernaum) facing the Sea of Galilee is a well watered
land in which lush grasses grow, with numerous trees and palms. Nearby are
seven springs which provide abundant water. In this fruitful garden Jesus fed
five thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fish." The mosaic
of the fish and loaves is laid next to a large rock, which has caused some New
Testament scholars to speculate that the builders of the original church
believed that Jesus stood on this rock when he blessed the fish and loaves just
before the feeding of the crowd who had come to hear him ■
