Domus Galilaeae or House of Galilee , located on the peak of Mount of Beatitudes

Mount of Beatitudes

The Mount of Beatitudes refers to the hill in northern Israel where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount.- Location :The traditional location for the Mount of Beatitudes is on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee, between Capernaum and Gennesaret...

, above and north of Capernaum

Capernaum

Capernaum was a fishing village in the time of the Hasmoneans. Located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. It had a population of about 1,500. Archaeological excavations have revealed two ancient synagogues built one over the other...

 and the Sea of Galilee

Sea of Galilee

The Sea of Galilee, also Kinneret, Lake of Gennesaret, or Lake Tiberias , is the largest freshwater lake in Israel, and it is approximately in circumference, about long, and wide. The lake has a total area of , and a maximum depth of approximately 43 m...

, is a modern Christian

Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...

 meeting place, primarily used for Christian seminars and conventions.

Run by the Catholic organisation Neocatechumenal Way

Neocatechumenal Way

The Neocatechumenal Way, also known as the Neocatechumenate, NC Way or, colloquially, The Way or The Neocats is an itinerary within the Catholic Church dedicated to the Christian formation of adults...

, Domus Galilaeae employs about 150 persons full time, including laborers, technicians, and volunteers. There are 37 Arab Christian workers, 32 Arab Muslim

Muslim

A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...

s, 20 Druzes, 10 Maronites

Maronites

Maronites , is an ethnoreligious group in the Middle East that have been historically tied with Lebanon. They derive their name from the Syriac saint Mar Maron whose followers moved to Mount Lebanon from northern Syria establishing the Maronite Church....

, and 21 Hebrew technicians.

It has a number of meeting rooms, prayer halls, gardens and a library. Its architectural design, its arts, and the spirit of the place makes it a unique site and a recommended stop for travelers in the area.

History

The building was constructed in a short period of time with the first stone being laid in January 1999 and the opening of the site taking place in 2000. It was inaugurated by the Pope John Paul II

Pope John Paul II

Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...

 in his Millennium visit to the Holy Land

Holy Land

The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...

. The library was constructed in 2005.

Inter-faith significance

The center is said to be a place where Christians will be able to have a direct contact with the living tradition of Israel, following the footsteps of early christian saints "who returned to their Hebrew roots to understand the meaning of prayer, of feasts, and Hebrew liturgies". John Paul II, who exemplified a new era of affinity between Catholics and Jews, emphasized the need to appreciate Jewish roots in order to live-out authentic Christianity; he explicitly endorsed the continuing life and vitality of the Jewish faith and prayed for Jewish continuance.