The Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth commemorates the place where the angel Gabriel visited Mary and delivered the invitation for her to bear God’s Son.

The Gospels of Matthew and Luke both describe the birth of Jesus, but they disagree as to where Joseph and Mary lived before Jesus’ birth. Luke has them living in Nazareth, and records show early pilgrims traveling here to venerate this area as the place of the Annunciation.

The Church is the largest in the Middle East—its giant cupola dominates the whole city. (See it on a map here.) It was constructed over the course of a decade in the 1950s and 60s and was finished after Vatican II concluded. The architectural style is called “Italian brutalist” and uses exposed, unfinished concrete to highlight naked natural elements.

An older church from 1730 was cleared for this new building, and Pope St. John XXIII decided to explore the archeology when they opened the site. No previous historical study had been done there before, though records indicate that pilgrims visited the place as early as the fourth century.

Archeologists found a grotto there surrounded by a fourth century church. Inside the grotto they found a foundation of stone from even earlier (possibly third century) with the words of Gabriels’ greeting, “Hail Mary,” inscribed on it. Because of the significance of the historical connection to the place, they built the new church around this grotto, leaving it exposed in the bottom level.

Above the door of the church is inscribed the Latin phrase, Verbum caro factum est et habitavit in nobis, which means, “The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” A similar phrase is inscribed below the altar inside the grotto that was excavated in the bottom of the church—the place that is believed to be Mary’s home where the angel Gabriel visited her. The phrase in that inner room states, Verbum caro HIC factum est—“the Word was made flesh HERE.”

The architecture of the church emphasizes vertical spaces and calls to mind the way God descended to take on human form as Mary’s Son. And the further one descends, the closer one gets to the actual space where this event took place—visitors have the feeling that they are peeling back layers of history. The white cupola reminds visitors of the petals of a lily—a traditional symbol of purity associated with Mary.

The staff at the church also make a point of offering generous hospitality. When a Notre Dame group of pilgrims visited the church for Mass, a Holy Cross priest noted that a Franciscan brother in the sacristy helped him fit his arms and head into his vestments. It is a fitting gesture—hospitality—because it commemorates a great act of hospitality in Mary’s accommodation of Jesus in her womb.

In this first video, viewers can see the interior of the church, from cupola to grotto, as Notre Dame pilgrims sing a hymn to close the Mass they celebrated in this church.

This second video presents a moving moment these pilgrims shared in the church when Ghada Boulos, a Holy Land guide who grew up in Nazareth, sings an ancient hymn to Mary in Arabic. Some of the phrases from her song are translated to mean, “You are greater than the sun and more beautiful than all the stars. Come to my assistance. When my soul is weak, you fill my heart with hope.”

Scripture Passages Associated with this Site

Lk 1:26-38 — The angel Gabriel visits Mary.