Archaeologists believe they’ve found the biblical town of Bethsaida at El-Araj, discovering St Peter’s home and a lost church where Jesus performed miracles
The long-lost biblical village where Jesus is said to have performed some of his most incredible miracles has finally been unmasked, experts believe. After years of gruelling digging along the shores of the Sea of Galilee, archaeologists are “essentially confirming” that a site known as El-Araj in Israel is the legendary town of Bethsaida.
The bombshell discovery may have also revealed the actual physical home of St Peter, the leader of the Apostles. Researchers have spent years piecing together a puzzle that has baffled scholars for centuries.
The evidence found at the lakeside site includes a massive Byzantine-era basilica, thought to be The Church of the Apostles.
Weights used by local fishermen during the Roman period were also discovered, alongside a stunning inscription found in 2021 that name-checks St Peter as the “chief of the apostles and keeper of the keys of heaven.”
Excavation director Steven Notley revealed the massive update in Washington DC, claiming that the mountain of evidence has practically solved the mystery once and for all.
The most jaw-dropping find is a first-century structure tucked directly beneath the church’s apse, the domed area where the altar would have stood.
It aligns perfectly with 8th-century travel logs from a bishop named Willibald, who claimed a church was built right on top of the home of brothers Peter and Andrew.
Speaking to EWTN News, Notley said: “So, we have a first-century house wall under the apse. It doesn’t have a plaque on it that says ‘Peter slept here,’ but from a perspective of archaeology, it doesn’t get much better than that.”
Notley previously highlighted the significance of the find, saying: “This discovery is our strongest indicator that Peter had a special association with the basilica, and it was likely dedicated to him.
“Since Byzantine Christian tradition routinely identified Peter’s home in Bethsaida, and not in Capernaum as is often thought today, it seems likely that the basilica commemorates his house.”
Bethsaida has a strong presence in the New Testament. It is famously the location where Jesus restored sight to a blind man by leading him out of the village, fed the 5,000 with just a few loaves and fish (occurring in the nearby area) and recruited his inner circle, including Philip, Andrew, and Peter.
Despite being a hub for his ministry, Jesus famously cursed the town after its residents witnessed his powers but refused to change their ways.
The search for Bethsaida began in earnest in 2016, but Mother Nature lent a hand in the most dramatic way possible in 2025.
A fierce wildfire ripped through the region, scorching away dense underbrush that had hidden the ruins for over a millennium.
As the smoke cleared, it exposed Roman pottery, ancient walls and even a bathhouse, perfectly matching the descriptions written by first-century historian Flavius Josephus.
Experts believe the entire settlement was swallowed by the earth following a catastrophic earthquake in 749 AD, remaining lost until now.
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