Caesarea
The large port of Caeasarea was one of the King Herod’s most impressive building projects. In 22 A.D. he turned a small Hellenist port on a sea coast that had no bay or natural harbor into one of the largest ports in the Roman Empire, second in size only to Rome itself. He named it in honor of his patron, the Emperor Augustus. Caesarea served as a large port and administrative center for hundreds of years, from its establishment until the Byzantine period. It is mentioned as the town to which St. Paul was sent under heavy guard after his arrest in Jerusalem (Acts 23:23). Here St. Philip the deacon lived and preached (Acts 8:40). Caesarea flourished again during the time of the Crusaders, and the remains of their fortified buildings can be seen today.
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