Basilica of the Annunciation

The Anunciation Church is located in Nazareth, a city located in the Northern Israel, south of the Galilee región and in the southern foothills of Mount Lebanon. It is located 10km north of Mount Tabor and 23km west of Sea of ​​Galilee. This is the town where Jesús spent his adolescence. Nazareth entered history once recognized as the site of the Annunciation, where the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary to announce the arrival of Jesus. This turned it into a Christian pilgrimage center along with the cities of Jerusalem and Bethlehem. The new Basilica, which is the largest Christian sanctuary in the Middle East, was consecrated in 1964 by Pope Paul VI during his historic visit to the Holy Land and sanctified on 23rd March 1969.

This magnificent Basilica of Annunciation was completed in 1966 and is one of the most revered temples of the Christian faith. The Church is quite modern and built on the ruins of other Byzantine and Crusader churches, You can see the remains of some of these. This is the traditional site of the Annunciation. The building is imposing and consits of two floors. It has an ornate dome and coated copper pyramid. The first floor hold the Grotto of the Annunciation, flanked by two columns of red granite. The top floor, connected by a wide staircase, is a parish church used for public services. You can enter by the western porch or the open archway on the south side of the building.