Evidence suggests that Cana was a Jewish settlement at the time of Jesus. Jesus attended a wedding feast here with his mother Mary and his disciples. During the celebration, the hosts ran out of wine. Mary informed her son about the problem and Jesus instructed servants to fill six stone jars with water. Miraculously, this water became wine. This was Jesus’ first public miracle and the beginning of his public ministry. It is described in the Gospel of John:

 

“On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine failed, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, ‘Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.’ So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, ‘Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.’ Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him” (John 2:1–11).

​

Byzantine Christians built churches in Cana commemorating the miracle and archaeological excavations beneath the present church have uncovered ancient mosaics, inscriptions, and earlier worship structures. The Franciscans began acquiring land in Cana in 1641 in order to preserve Christian holy places in the Galilee.

​

Important exterior features of the church include two bell towers symbolizing bride and groom, a broad stone façade, arched entranceways, and Christian symbols associated with marriage and miracles. At the top of the church is a statue of Mary rather than Jesus, since she was the one who told Jesus what to do.

​

Inside the church is a spacious nave, decorative stained-glass windows, biblical scenes of the wedding at Cana, an elevated altar, and a prayer area for married couples. There is also a display of ancient-style stone jars similar to those associated with the Cana miracle. The Gospel of John specifically mentions six stone jars.