The Church of the Multiplication of Fish and Loaves is In Tabgha of Galilee in Israel.The place of the miracle where Jesus fed 5000 people. The first church was built in 350 AD the second one with the beautiful famous mosaics was built by Martyrious in 480 AD. Martyrious built the church while serving as Patriarch of Jerusalem in the years 478-486 AD. Martyrious was born in Cappadocia (eastern Turkey today) and after a while went to Egypt which was then the important center of monasticism. His monastery named Nitria (Monasticism began in Egypt between 250 and 300 AD and from there moved to Sinai and finally arrived to the Judean desert) .This explains why the mosaic church is adorned with plants, animals and the measuring of the water level in the Nile which is unique to Egypt.
In 457 AD he and his friend Elias were forced to leave Egypt and arrived at the Laura of St Etimious (you can also write Abtimious) in the Judean Desert. The Patriarch of Alexandria forced them to leave because they were supporting the decisions of the ecumenical meeting of 451 in Chaldea which was against the idea of the Monofisis Christianity (Christianity in Egypt was Monofisis)
Martyrious became a disciple of the famous monk St Etimious ( 377-473 AD) .The fifth century Etimious Monastery (in Arabic Khan Al Ahmar) located in the industrial area of ​​the city of Ma’aleh Adumim Israel.
The Etimious monastery was start in 428 AD as a Laura (solitary individuals, and meetings on weekends for prayer and meals shared) only after the death of St Etimious when Martyrious become the Patriarch of Jerusalem the Laura changed by him to a Coenobium (monastery cooperative).Along with Martyrious learned St Sabas (monastery of Mar Saba) and St Gerasimos (monastery St Gerasimos near Jericho)
After a few years in the Etimious Laura Martyrious left and moved three miles east to the exposed hill and stayed in a cave (now part of the monastery Martyrious in the city of Ma’aleh Adumim). In 478 he started to serve as a priest in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and later appointed Patriarch of Jerusalem till his death on 13 April 486 AD.
As a patriarch he was involved in building a number of famous sites. The Church of the Multiplication of and Loaves in 480 .The monastery Etimious in 482 and the largest monastery of the Judean Desert in the fifth century monastery called Martyrious . Most of our knowledge about Martyrious by Krilious of Scythopolis (Beit She’an Israel today).In his biography about the life of St Etimious He also wrote about the life of Mrtyrious. (Krilious himself lived ten years 525-535 in the Etimious monastery)
Martyrious monastry within the city of Ma’aleh Adumim is one of the biggest monasteries and very impressive and worth a visiting .The monastery about 10 acres which exposed (excavations in the 80`s by Yitzhak Magen Israel Antiquities Authority), a large dining room decorated with a large spectacular mosaic, Church, stables, bath house, hostel for pilgrims Chapel,Martyrious cave and water system. (See photos attached)
The monastery was destroyed during the Persian invasion in 614, and only in the early Muslim period was rebuilt as a farm .The earthquake of the eighth century destroyed it completely.
Photos from the site (photo Micah Elimelech)