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 Caesarea Philipi
(Banias) Nature Reserve
"And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
Matt. 16:19
Near the Banias spring, one of the sources of the Jordan River, a hellenistic city known as Paneas once stood, with a shrine dedicated to the shepherd-god Pan (hence the city's name, later transformed into Banias). Herod the Great built a temple here in honor of Emperor Augustus, renaming the city Caesarea. It was near this spot that Jesus called Peter "the rock" on which the Church would stand. Extensive remains of the past are nestled in a unique natural setting: the wonderful Banias Nature Reserve straddling the swift-flowing Banias River with its mighty waterfall.
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