Nazareth - Church of the Annunciation

Archeological investigation has shown that the veneration of the Grotto of the Annunciation dates back to the third century, when Jewish Christians built a first modest church (the Synagogue Church) modeled on the synagogues of the day.

The second church, a small building with a circular apse and an atrium at the west end, was built in the fourth century for the Empress Helen, Constantine the Great's mother, by a converted Jew called Joseph of Tiberias. An inscription records that this church was enlarged at some time before 427 by Conon of Jerusalem. On the south side of the church was a small monastery, which was destroyed by the Persians in 614. The third church was built in the early 12th century by Tancred, Prince of Galilee, and was on a considerably larger scale than its predecessors. It was a three-aisled basilica 75m/246ft long by 30m/98ft wide. This church stood until 1263, when it was destroyed by Baibars, who spared only the grotto. Thereafter there was no church on the site until the Franciscans gained permission to build a new church in 1730. In contrast to the earlier churches, this was not oriented east-west but north- south, so that the choir stood directly over the grotto. The facade was added only in 1877. In 1955 the Franciscan church was pulled down to make way for the fifth church on the site. This church, consecrated in 1969, is the most important modern church in Israel and the largest built in recent years.

The design by the Italian architect Giovanni Muzio was based on two principles. He wanted to present in visual form the history of the place from its earliest days and to depict the catholic nature of the Roman church; and, using modern means, he succeeded most convincingly in realizing this concept. The lower church, offering a view of the lower and older levels of the structure, illustrates the historical continuity of the site, while the upper church shows the universality of the church in its decoration, which was the work of artists from many different countries.

The plan was based on the Crusader church. The side walls were built on top of the surviving courses of the older walls, and the apses at the east end of the Crusader church were incorporated in the new building. Only at the west end is the modern church shorter than its predecessor. Like the older church, the new one is a three-aisled basilica, but its distinctive characteristic is that it combines the basilican plan with a centralized structure. In the floor of the church is a large octagonal opening through which there is a view of the lower level and the older structures below - the Grotto of the Annunciation and the remains of the earliest churches on the site. Over this area, which can also be seen from the upper church, is the dome.