Basilica of the Annunciation

“A small house touched by an angel's greeting, a roof of lilies blooming above”

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Photo: Magalhães · Public domain

Scenes

The grotto of Mary's home and votive candles in the basilica's lower church — Red votive candles lighting the grotto sanctuary of the lower churchyoung shanahan · CC BY 2.0

The grotto altar of the Annunciation, inscribed 'Here the Word was made flesh' — 'Here the Word was made flesh' — pilgrims before the grotto altaradriatikus · CC BY-SA 3.0

Meaning

You descend below the nave and the grotto remembered as Mary's home opens quietly before you, light settling down through the lily-shaped dome.

Tradition holds this as the site of the house where the angel Gabriel announced the conception to Mary; churches have risen here since Byzantine times, culminating in the modern basilica completed in 1969. One of the largest Christian churches in the Middle East, it stands at the heart of Nazareth, the hill town of Galilee where Jesus spent his childhood.

Field notes

Location: Nazareth · Galilee · N32.7° · E35.3°
Best time: Late afternoon, when light slants down beneath the dome.
Getting there: In the heart of Nazareth's old town, a short walk through the market lanes.
Etiquette: Cover shoulders and knees, and keep a quiet stillness before the lower grotto.

Sources

· Encyclopaedia Britannica
· Custodia Terrae Sanctae

Official site Wikipedia

Photographs are freely licensed works from Wikimedia Commons and similar sources; the author and license appear beneath each image.