Kursi Israel
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The archaeological site of Kursi is located in Isreal near the Sea of Galilee five kilometers north of Kibbutz Ein Gev. In antiquity, it was traditionally identified as the location of the healing of the demoniac identified in the biblical account in Mark 5.
The site of Kursi was lost for over a thousand years. After the Six-Day War, a road was being built through the Samakh canyon to better access the Golan Heights. It was at this time that Mendel Nun was observing the work being done in the road construction when he noticed the evidences of Byzentine pottery and what appeared to be monumental structures rising from the road construction. He notified the Department of Antiquities. Mendel Nun had rediscovered ancient Kursi.
From 1970 until 1974, the site was excavated under the direction of Dr. Vassilios Tzaferis on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority. During excavations, a well-preserved basilica was uncovered with a crypt, both constructed of roughly dressed basalt stones set in mortar. An incised cross is visible on a stone in the crypt. Additionally, a well-plastered cistern was excavated which served both the needs of the church and the residents that lived within the walled community. Historical records reveal that for Gentile pilgrims, Kursi was the second-most visited site in Israel after Jerusalem.
The unique characteristics of the excavations at Kursi included a diakonicon chapel alongside the basilica and a baptistery with an inscription. The inscription on the baptistery identified that the structural modification to include the baptistery was constructed at some time between 582-587 CE. There were several mosaics uncovered in the structures, one of the most significant being two birds facing a basket filled with bread. This mosaic had been perfectly preserved being covered by a blocked doorway. The rendering of this particular mosaic is similar to the one found at Tabgha relative to the Miracle of the Multiplication which may infer that Kursi was also the location of a similar miracle.
1 Gergesa (Kursi), Site of a Miracle, Church and Fishing Village, Mendel Nun, p.17, 1989, Kibbutz Ein Gev.
2 "Bathhouse Uncovered at Kursi, Early Pilgrimage Site Marks 'Swine Miracle'";Judith Sudilovsky, Biblical Archaeology Review, January/February 2003, page 18
3 Atiqot 16: The Excavations of Kursi-Gergesa, Vassilios Tzaferis; Israel Antiquities Authority, 1984
4 "A Pilgrimage to the Site of the Swine Miracle," Vassilios Tzaferis, Biblical Archaeology Review, March/April, 1989
