Caesarea, Israel
Caesarea Maritima
A harbour city built by King Herod. Here Peter baptised a Roman officer, and Paul was kept in prison before sailing to Rome.
Biblical significance
Caesarea Maritima was Herod the Great's statement in stone: a deep-water harbour built out into an open coast, a theatre facing the Mediterranean, an aqueduct running north along the dunes. For centuries it served as the Roman administrative capital of Judea, and it is the stage for some of the most consequential scenes in Acts.
Here Peter entered the house of the centurion Cornelius and the gospel crossed openly into the Gentile world. Here Paul defended himself before Felix, Festus and Agrippa, and from this harbour he was shipped to Rome. The Pilate inscription found in the theatre is the only stone yet found bearing the prefect's name.
Scripture
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Open in YouVersion →Excerpts from the World English Bible. Full text opens in the YouVersion Bible app.
Best time to go
March to May and October to November — sea breeze, mild sun, thin crowds.
Visitor notes
National park with the theatre, harbour, hippodrome and Crusader town. Allow three hours; the aqueduct beach is a short drive north.
Coordinates
32.5019, 34.8917
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Caesarea Maritima on film
This chapter of the documentary begins at Caesarea Maritima.
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Caesarea Maritima on the map
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