Church of the Week: Church of the Beatitudes

This week's church is the Church of the Beatitudes, on the traditional spot where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount, not far from Capernaum and Bethsaida. The lovely Robin and I have visited this church three times, in 1987, 2001, and 2005, and we'll be here again sometime next week.

The Catholic church, designed by the architect A. Barluzzi, was built in 1938. Its octagonal shape represents the eight beatitudes. It has a marble veneer casing the lower walls and gold mosaic in the dome.

To the west of the church is a natural amphitheater created by the topography of the area, rolling down the hill to the shores of Galilee, where it is easy to picture crowds of people gathered to listen to Jesus at the summit, teaching in the seated fashion of the rabbis of his day.