Francisco (Kiko) Arguello (born January 9, 1939) is, together with Carmen Hernandez and Fr. Mario, one of the initiators of the Neocatechumenal Way and promoters of the Domus Galilaeae project.
It is a "providential answer to the urgent need" of "rediscover(ing) the sacraments of christian initiation" "in a secularized society like ours, where religious indifference is spreading and many live as though God did not exist".
The International Center "Domus Galilaeae" is located near the summit of the mount of 'Beatitudes', which rises directly in front of Lake Tiberias, Capernaum and Tabgah, the place of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes.
The Center is found near the road heading towards the east, which in antiquity united Damascus with Galilee, passing through Korazim and then Capernaum: the so-called "Via Maris", one of the major routes of communication built by the Romans, which followed the coastline of the lake.
The center "Domus Galilaeae" is a place where Christians will be able to have a direct contact with the living tradition of Israel, like many Church- fathers who returned to their Hebrew roots to understand the meaning of prayer, of feasts, and Hebrew liturgies, which were the daily food of Jesus of Nazareth.
Kiko Arguello, a Spanish painter, helped by a group of international architects (Mattia del Prete, Antonio Avalos, Alberto Durante and Guillermo Soler) designed a complex with very modern lines, which at the same time blends harmoniously with the natural surroundings.
The construction has begun in January 1999 under the direction of a Hebrew architect, Dan Mochly from Haifa, in collaboration with an Argentinean architect, Rev. Daniel Cevilan.
