The Mount of Beatitudes overlooks the four mile long plain of Gennesaret from a hill located between Capernaum and Tabgha along the lake’s shore. The hilltop is famous for its magnificent view over the shimmering Sea of Galilee as it lies 175 meters above the lake, and yet still 35 meters below sea level.

The mountain is topped by a Catholic chapel which was built from 1936 to 1938 by the Franciscan Sisters with the help of Italian leader Mussolini and well-known church architect, Antonio Barluzzi. The gray-and-white stone sanctuary is built with octagonal walls which commemorate the eight beatitudes. Each wall has an inscription of the first words of one of the eight verses. Each sermon starts with “Blessed the…” or in Latin “Beati…” which gave the hill its actual name – beati-tudes.

The chapel is surrounded by serene gardens where many pilgrims and visitors contemplate some of the best-known Christian teachings. The site is said to be the place where Jesus delivered his well-known Sermon of the Mount which is recorded in the books of Matthew and Luke.