Mount of Transfiguration – Mount Tabor

Mount of Transfiguration, located in today’s Mount Tabor, is the site of the transfiguration of Jesus.
Here you will find everything you need to know before visiting this holy site!

• Why is Mount of Transfiguration important?
• Where is Mount of Transfiguration located?
• What are the main Christian attractions in Mount of Transfiguration?
• What should I know before visiting Mount of Transfiguration?
• Are there any fun facts about Mount of Transfiguration?

                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Why is Mount of Transfiguration important?

Mount of Transfiguration is the site of the transfiguration of Jesus, according to Christian tradition. It is here where Jesus transfigured before Peter, James, and John, the place where he became radiant in divine glory.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Where is Mount of Transfiguration located?

It is located in today’s Mount Tabor. That means it is located in Lower Galilee, in northern Israel, at the eastern end of the Jezreel Valley – about 18 kilometers (11 mi.) west of the Sea of Galilee and 12 km. (7.5 mi.) east of Nazareth.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

What are the main Christian attractions in Mount of Transfiguration?

The main Christian attractions in Mount of Transfiguration include:

• The Church of the Transfiguration – a Franciscan church that was completed in 1924.
  It was built on the ruins of an ancient (4th–6th-century) Byzantine church as well as a 12th-century church of the Crusader Kingdom period.

  

• Northeast of the Church of the Transfiguration is the Church of the Prophet Elijah.
• Greek Orthodox church – located on the northeast side of Mount Tabor, dedicated to commemorate the transfiguration of Jesus.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

What should I know before visiting Mount of Transfiguration?

Each year in April, the regional council of Lower Galilee holds a 12-kilometre race around Mount Tabor in memory of Yitzhak Sadeh, the first commander of the underground movement Palmach and one of the founders of the Israel Defense Forces at the time of the establishment of the State of Israel.

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Are there any fun facts about Mount of Transfiguration?

Of course!

• Mount Tabor is shaped almost like half a sphere, and reaches a height of 575 meters (1,886 feet).
• The mountain is mentioned for the first time in the Hebrew Bible for its strategic control of the junction of the Galilee’s north-south route with the east-west highway of the Jezreel Valley.
• In the days of the Second Temple (c. 516 BCE – 70 CE), Mount Tabor was one of the mountain peaks on which it was the custom to light beacons in order to inform the northern villages of Jewish holy days and of the beginning of new months.