The Church of the Annunciation - Nazareth, Israel

On our first full day of travel in Israel, my wife and I left our hotel in Tel Aviv en route to Tiberias. On our way to Tiberias, we stopped at Caesarea National Park, The Discalced Carmelite Monastery and The Church of the Annunciation. The Church of the Annunciation was our second to last tourist stop before arriving at our hotel in Tiberias.

The photo above depicts the front of the Church of the Annunciation, which was last built in 1969. It sits on the ruins of earlier churches, which sit on the ruins of Mary's home. It is believed to be here where Mary was visited by the angel Gabriel, and told that she was chosen to be the mother of the Son of God. Looking at the modern architecture of the church, you will see that the M motif is ubiquitous in the architecture. M representing Mary. The church is a tribute to Mary in many ways. In addition to the architecture, there are artistic renderings of Mary from the four corners of the earth that populate the chapel and grounds.

The church is surrounded by a courtyard with a wall along the adjacent street. The interior portion of the wall is covered. Beneath this sheltered area are a host of paintings donated to the church. There are inscriptions at each station that advise visitors about the artist and country that donated the artwork. The weather must remain mild in this part of Israel because it did not appear that this paintings are moved to a more sheltered area at night. Although that may be the case.

As I mentioned, the Church of the Annunciation is built on the site of earlier churches. The earliest was a Byzantine church which was built in the early 400s. The lower area of the church is a grotto with a small cave believed to be the spot where the angel Gabriel visited Mary. There is an altar inside a grated gate that is visible to visitors. The mosaic floor outside the cave has small crosses, indicating the age of the earlier church. Christians would not have put crosses where they walk if that symbol had been sacred at the time. But in the 400s, the fish was still the symbol of Christianity.

This photo shows the altar in the lower grotto. The inscription is Latin. It translates "here, the Word was made Flesh." We were not permitted to enter the cave or approach the altar. There is a stairway in the rear of the cave which I believe is used by the monks who care for the church. The early church was in an amazing condition. I was surprised that we were permitted to tread on the ancient floors. It felt as though we were transported back in time. Walking where the earliest of Christians once walked.

Standing on the mosaic tiles. Notice the Cross pattern

On the floor behind the protective grating is an inscription. I believe that it translates as "Gift of Conon. Deacon of Jerusalem." It is believed he may have commissioned the first church here.

Transition between Byzantine era church, Crusaders church and lower chapel.

Remains of a ritual bath below the mosaic floor level of the Byzantine church

Transition between Crusader era church and modern construction. Black lines in archaelogy are used to indicate the portions of a structure that are in situ and the transition to rebuilt areas. The Crusader Church existed in the 11th and 12th centuries.

The Upper Chapel. There are large works of art depicting Mary on both sides of the chapel

I liked this one, which I believe was from Japan

Statue in the rear courtyard

View of the Church of the Annunciation from Mount Precipice

It took us about two hours to visit the church. We first met in the courtyard, where we observed the outside paintings and our guide spoke about the architecture. I wish I had taken photos of the massive doors which also tell the story of the annunciation. As the photos indicate, we started with the grotto level of the church, visiting the Jesus-era cave and Byzantine church, moving through the Crusaders era remains and up to the modern chapel. We took time to reflect and enjoy the amazing artwork in the chapel before moving on to the other courtyard. After finishing our tour of the church, we walked back the our bus down a steep hill. We were given time to shop on the way down. The street outside the church is lined with vendors where you can purchase just about any tourist trinket you can imagine. These vendors are not affiliated with the church. If you are visiting, I would allot a bit of time to shop before you go. There is plenty to see in these shops. There was also a juice bar where I had my first experience with freshly squeezed pomegranate juice. A-maz-ing.

Additional information to assist with planning:

The Basilica of the Annunciation opening times:

Lower Basilica (Grotto): 5:45 am - 9:00 pm
Upper Basilica: 8:00 am - 6:00 pm

St. Joseph’s Church opening times: 7: 00 am - 6:00 pm

Archaeological Museum opening times:

Monday to Saturday: 8:00 am -12:00 am / 2:00 pm -6:00 pm (winter closing time 5:00 pm)

Convent Holy Masses:

Basilica of the Annunciation

Every Saturday in the Grotto: times 11.00 am.
Every Sunday in the Grotto: times 7:00 am (Arabic) - 5:00 pm (Arabic) - 6:00 pm (Arabic)
Every Sunday in the Upper Basilica: time 10:00 am (Arabic)
Every day in the Grotto: time 6: 30 am (Italian)

St. Joseph’s Church

Every Sunday: time 8:30 am (Arabic)
Every day: time 7:15 am (Arabic)

Photographs are all my own. They may be reproduced with permission.

A Christian Guide to Israel

Hotels
Cinema Hotel, Tel Aviv, Israel
Ron Beach Hotel, Tiberias, Israel
Prima Park Hotel, Jerusalem, Israel

Attractions
Caesarea National Park Caesarea, Israel
Mount Precipice Mount Kedimum, Israel
Sea of Galilee Boat Ride Tiberias, Israel
Yigal Alon Museum (Jesus Boat) Ginosar, Israel
Capernaum, Israel
St. Peter’s Restaurant
Caesarea Phillipi, Banias, Israel
Israeli 6-Day War Memorial
Jordan River Baptismal Site, Yardenit, Israel
Beit She’an National Park, Beit She’an, Israel
Mount of Olives, Jerusalem, Israel
Garden Tomb, Jerusalem, Israel
Western Wall, Jerusalem, Israel
Western Wall Tunnels, Jerusalem, Israel
Via Dolorosa, Jerusalem, Israel
Bethlehem New Store Gift Shop
Pool of Bethesda, Jerusalem, Israel
Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Israel
Yad Vashem, Jerusalem, Israel
House of Caiaphas the High Priest, Jerusalem, Israel
The Upper Room, Jerusalem, Israel
Tomb of King David, Jerusalem, Israel
Masada National Park, Masada, Israel
The Dead Sea, Masada, Israel

Churches
Discalced Carmelite Monastery Muhraqa, Israel
Basilica of the Annunciation Nazareth, Israel
St. Peter’s Church, Capernaum, Israel
Church of the Multiplication, Tabgha, Israel
Church of the Beatitudes, Tabgha, Israel
Church of All Nations, Jerusalem, Israel
Church of Saint Anne, Jerusalem, Israel
Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Jerusalem, Israel
Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem, Israel