The Basilica of the Annunciation is a church located in the center of the city of Nazareth. It was established over what Catholic tradition holds to be the site of the house of the Virgin Mary, and where the angel Gabriel appeared to her and announced that she would conceive and bear the Son of God, Jesus – an event known as the Annunciation. For this reason, the Church of the Annunciation, and even the city of Nazareth, are among the most sacred places in the Christian world.
Archaeological excavations at the site have uncovered the remains of three ancient churches, which stood on the site one after the other, and in fact, it appears the site served as a place of worship even before the time of Christ. The site was located in the south of the ancient village of Nazareth, and in addition to the houses of worship, the excavations also revealed the remains of residential buildings, wells, and barns.
The Church in Christian Tradition
The Gospel of Luke provides the most detailed account of the angel’s visit to Mary, announcing she will conceive Jesus:
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
(Luke 1:26-38)
The Catholic tradition concluded from the verse “The angel went to her” that the annunciation was done in the room of the virgin, and therefore placed the event in the residence of Mary and St. Joseph.
According to one of the popular Christian traditions, the building itself is no longer in place, but in the Italian city of Loreto in the province of Marche. According to this tradition, in 1291 when the Mamluks completed the conquest of the Land of Israel and the Kingdom of Jerusalem came to an end, the house was in danger. Therefore, on May 10, 1291, it was transferred by angels from Nazareth to the hill of Trust in Reika, Croatia, and remained there for three and a half years. On the night between 9 to 10 of December 1294, the house continued on its way to Loreto, where it now stands.
Another tradition, based on the apocryphal Protoevangelium of James, holds that this event commenced while Mary was drawing water from a local spring in Nazareth, called “Miriam spring” – (Hebrew for Mary’s spring).
And she took the pitcher, and went out to fill it with water. And, behold, a voice saying: Hail, you who hast received grace; the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!
(James 11)
The Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation was erected at that alternate site.
History of the Basilica of the Annunciation
Most of the archaeological research at the site was made possible when the previous church was demolished in 1954, to make way for the current structure. This study lasted from 1955 to 1968. However, the existence of the early structures at the site, as well as some of the finds, is known from excavations that took place already in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Some of the finds are on display in a museum which is located in the Franciscan monastery building in the compound, and the remains of the buildings themselves are located below the northern extension of the current building and can be viewed on site. In 2009, the remains of a residential building dating to the 1st or 2nd century were discovered near the compound.
Early History
Remains of an early Judeo-Christian worship structure were discovered at the site, including a primitive baptistery, a mosaic floor, and a staircase with seven steps, which led to a cave. Another cave, which also served as a place of worship, was exposed west of the remains of the building. The mosaic floor of this cave was engraved with the inscription “Deacon in Jerusalem”, and graffiti and four to six layers of decorated plaster were discovered on its walls. The lower layers of plaster date back to the middle of the 4th century, and they depict flowers and plants, which researchers believe served as an allegory for paradise.
An inscription was written on one of the walls in large letters in red, and the wording was:
“Lord, Jesus, help your servant Valeria … and give relief to the pain … Amen.”
A number of inscriptions discovered at the site showed a site of worship of St. Mary, at least in the early 4th century. At the base of a nearby pillar was discovered the Greek inscription “XE MAPIA” (meaning “Greetings Mary”). This inscription, which commemorates Gabriel’s blessing on the Virgin, dates back to the first ecumenical council of Ephesus (431), where Mary’s status as “Mother of God” was recognized.
Late Roman/Byzantine Shrine
During the Byzantine period, a church was built on the site, dating to 427. Christian tradition has held that a structure was commissioned by Emperor Constantine I, whose mother, Saint Helena, helped to found churches commemorating important events in Jesus Christ’s life. The Church of the Annunciation was founded around the same time as the Church of the Nativity (the birthplace) and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (the tomb).
The building had three naves and a single apse. The length of the central nave was 19.60 meters from east to west, and its width was eight meters. The Gospel Cave was located outside the church building on its northern side. Saint Jerome visited the church at the end of the 4th century and mentioned it in his writings, which indicates that the place was a target of pilgrimage already at this time.
This structure was maintained and renovated for at least two centuries, and the Piacenza Pilgrim (a sixth-century Christian pilgrim from Piacenza in northern Italy who traveled to the Holy Land at the height of Byzantine rule and wrote a narrative of his pilgrimage) visited it in 570. It seems that the structure was destroyed, at least in part, by the Arabs, after they conquered Israel in the early 7th century.
The Crusader Church
The second church was built over the ruins of the Byzantine era church during the Crusades, following the conquest of Nazareth by Tancred in 1102. The Crusader-era church was never fully completed. It was much larger than the building that preceded it and is even slightly larger than the current church. A Russian monk named Daniel, who made a pilgrimage to Nazareth in 1106–1107, described “a large and wide church, with three altars.” The length of the building reached about 50 meters and its width was 30 meters.
To the south, a monastery was erected, and to the west, an atrium led to it. The church was divided into three naves by two rows, each of which had six massive pillars. At the eastern end of the building were set three apices – the central one wide and long on both sides. The church is richly decorated.
Five Romanesque capitals carved by artists from northern France, and discovered during excavations in 1909, had not yet been installed in 1187 when news of Saladin’s victory in the Battle of Hittin reached the city, and indicate that the structure was never completed. Saladin granted permission to Franciscan priests to remain in Nazareth to oversee services at the church.
In 1260, Baybars and his Mamluk army destroyed the church during their attack on Nazareth. At some point after that, a small chapel was erected on the site to protect the cave that tradition holds to be the home of the Virgin Mary, and this situation remained the same for about 400 years. These events were the cause of the tradition of the miraculous salvation of the Holy House.
The Franciscan Church
In 1620, the Druze emir Fakher a-Din II granted permission to the Franciscans to re-establish the Church of the Annunciation and to build a residence for monks next to it. Following the approval, the Franciscans took possession of the remains of the ruined churches and became the owners of the rights to the holy place (which they hold to this day).
However, it was not until 1730 that the monks succeeded in establishing the church with the permission of Dahir al-Umar. The Firman (a royal mandate or decree issued by a sovereign in an Islamic state) allowed the Franciscans to start construction but limited it to only six months (the time required for a Muslim to make a pilgrimage to Mecca and return home). In the allotted time the Franciscans succeeded in building a modest church, which was renovated and enlarged in 1877.
The church was several times smaller than the Crusader church that preceded it, and turned north, not east. Two rows, each with four pillars, divided it lengthwise into three naves, and at the end, no apse was built. An altar was erected above the holy grotto that is venerated as the house of Mary, and the staircase that led to it first reached a corridor known as the “Angel Chapel.” Two altars were erected in the chapel – one was dedicated to the angel Gabriel, and the other to the parents of the Virgin – Saint Anne and Joachim.
This church did not have much value architecturally and aesthetically, and it was decided to demolish it completely and build a modern church to replace it. The church was demolished in 1954 to make way for archeological excavations, and then the current structure was built.
The Modern Basilica of the Annunciation
The old church was completely demolished in 1954 to allow for the construction of a new basilica. The new basilica was designed by the Italian architect Giovanni Muzio and built by the Israeli building firm Solel Boneh during the years 1960 to 1969. It is built in a style sometimes characterized as Italian Brutalism.
Pope Paul VI celebrated Mass in the new church during his trip to the Holy Land in 1964. The basilica was completed in 1969.
Used by the Latin parish, it remains under the control of the Franciscans. It is the largest Christian Church building or sanctuary in the Middle East under the supervision of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches.
Pope John Paul II made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land for the Great Jubilee of 2000 and celebrated Mass at the Basilica of the Annunciation on March 25, 2000.
The Basilica of the Annunciation
The Complex
The Basilica of the Annunciation complex is located on Al-Bishara Street (“Annunciation”), the main street of the Old City of Nazareth, which leads from the city square in the south to the spring square and the church square in the north. The length of the complex from north to south is 180 meters and its maximum width is 140 meters.
The Church of the Annunciation stands on the south side of the compound. To its north is a large plaza that stands on pillars and below it are the remains of the ancient village of Nazareth. In the plaza stands the Baptistery of the church, and next to it a waterfall garden.
On the eastern side of the compound stands the Franciscan monastery building, first erected in 1620. In 1930 the building was demolished and the present building was built in its place, one which also houses the religious tribunal of the Catholic community in the city, the Terra Santa School, and a small museum dedicated to the history of the church and ancient Nazareth. Near the entrance to the monastery stands a modern statue from 1990 depicting the angel Gabriel speaking to Mary. The statue is a contribution from Namibia, and on its base, a plea for reconciliation and harmony in South Africa is engraved.
North of the monastery is St. Joseph’s Church, which according to tradition was built on the site of Joseph’s workshop – a carpenter by profession. The present church building was built in 1914 on the location of a former Crusader church in a neo-Romanesque style. Next to it stands a square bell tower bearing a red roof.
Between the monastery and the church is a small garden with a Corinthian column in the center with the Greek inscription “XAIPE MAPIA” (Greetings Miriam) and Latin “IUBILAEUM ANNUS DOMINI MM” (Jubilee of the Millennium).
The Basilica
The building of the Basilica of the Annunciation is the most unique and prominent building in the city of Nazareth, and in its forty years of existence has become the most recognizable symbol of the city. The church is built on two large levels that are completely different from each other in character, quality of light, and atmosphere. The lower level, or crypt, preserves the Grotto of the Annunciation and the ancient remains found below the church, and the level above it is a modern church. The two levels are connected by a large opening in the ceiling, which is shaped like an octagon.
The opening is located under the dome of the building, and in fact, it is an open shaft that unites all parts of the church. The length of the church is 44.60 meters, and it is shorter on its western side by five meters compared to the historic Crusader church due to geographical constraints associated with the route of the nearby street. The width of the church is 27 meters, and the height inside the building, from the floor of the Grotto in the crypt to the highest point in the dome, is 49 meters.
The church is extraordinarily rich in images and symbolism, dedicated first and foremost to Mary and the Annunciation. These include various combinations of the letters “A” and “M”, the first two letters of the words “AVE MARIA”, and for this reason, most of the passages in the church are built in the shape of pointed arches. Other symbols are the number 8 which in Christianity symbolizes spirituality and life, as well as its multiplications.
The Western Facade
The western facade of the church is dedicated to the Annunciation, and it faces the entrance gate on Annunciation Street. The entrance doors to the crypt (the lower level of the church) are there. The facade is concave and on both sides are two octagonal towers topped with pointed gray domes. The upper part of the facade is built in the shape of a gable and carries a sloped stone railing.
Like the rest of the church, the facade is made of light stone and has stripes of pink stone across it. The pink stripes on the front have decorations representing the elements of creation – the land represented by flowers and birds, the sea represented by sea waves and fish, the fire represented by flames, and the sky represented by stars.
At the base of the facade are three doors, and to their right and left are two groups of 14 small windows, arranged in the shape of a pyramid, or the letter A, pointing upwards. Above the main door are 24 windows, also arranged in the shape of the letter A and pointing upwards. These stained glass windows are the main nave windows in the upper church. In two other windows above the two side doors, the emblem of the Franciscan order (bare hand and clothed hand) and the cross of Jerusalem can be seen.
The lower part of the front is dedicated to the Annunciation and apostles. On the row of pink stones above the door a verse from John-1 14 is written:
“VERBUM CARO FACTUM EST ET HABITAVIT IN NOBIS”
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us
Above this inscription, on either side of the central window, are the Four Evangelists. On the left are Matthew and Mark and on the right Luke and John. The figures are hewn in stone and appear next to their familiar symbols – angel, lion, bull, and eagle respectively. There are also two verses from the Old Testament. To the left of the figure of Matthew appears the verse from Genesis, 3, 14-15:
“AIT DOMINUS AD SERPENTEM IPSA CONTERET … CAPUT TUUM ET TU INSIDIABERIS CALCANEO EIUS”
So the Lord God said to the serpent… he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel
This verse describes the punishment God imposed on the serpent, after the sin of the tree of knowledge, and according to the Christian interpretation, refers to Jesus, the seed of the woman, who will defeat the serpent, which represents Satan. To the right of John is written the verse from Isaiah 7:14. This link demonstrates the perception of Jesus as one who at birth atones for the sins of the first man:
“ECCE VIRGO CONCIPIET AND PARIET FILIUM ET VOCABITUR NOMEN EIUS EMMANUEL”
Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.
The upper part of the front is dedicated to the Annunciation. It reads “ANGELUS DOMINI NUNTIAVIT MARIAE” (“The Angel of God Announced Mary”), and above it is Gabriel (left), speaking to the Virgin (right). Above these two figures, in the center of the roof, stands a statue of Jesus that is more than three meters high. All the figures and artistic images that appear on the facade, from the foundations of creation, through the Gospels, are directed to this statue at the top of the pyramid.
The Front Door
On the western front are three openings leading to a foyer where the three doors to the crypt stand. Above the central door, the Chi-Rho symbol is carved and on both sides, an angel is seen holding scales and the virgin holding the cross. The ceiling of the foyer is covered with a colorful mosaic with geometric shapes and crosses. The doors themselves are made of copper and bronze. The central door is lined with a granite frame, and in the center of it is the symbol of the Holy Trinity – the Triangle of God, the dove that represents the Holy Spirit, and the crucifix. To the left is a verse from the Epistle to the Hebrews (chapter one, verse 1):
“MULTIFARIAM MUTISQUE MOIDIS OLIM DEUS LOQUENS PATRIBUS IN PROPHETIS”
In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways
On the right is a verse from Luke 6:13 –
“VOCAVIT DISCIPULOS SUOS ET ELEGIT DUODECIM EX IPSIS QUOS ET APOSTOLOS NOMINAVIT”
When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles
The idea expressed in the two verses, one refers to the events that preceded the appearance of Jesus and the other to his own actions, is also expressed in the frame of the door. The left side below the first verse is dedicated to the important figures in the Old Testament, who predicted, according to Christian tradition, the coming of Jesus – Adam, Abraham, Solomon, Isaac, Jacob, Noah, Elijah, Moses, Jeremiah, Samuel, David and John the Baptist, considered his forerunner Of Jesus. The right side is dedicated to the Twelve Apostles.
On the door itself appear six events from the life of Jesus, versus scenes related to it in the background – the birth of Jesus vs. the background of the Adoration of the Magi and the Adoration of the shepherds, the escape to Egypt, and The Massacre of the Innocents, Jesus in the company of St. Joseph vs. Christ among the Doctors, the baptism of Jesus vs. the resurrection of the son of the widow, the sermon on the mount and the background of a fishing boat, the crucifixion of Jesus alongside his resurrection.
The left door is dedicated to the covenant between man and God and depicts the sin of the tree of knowledge and the punishment of Adam and Eve, images that symbolize the seed of the woman that will crush the serpent’s head. Next is Noah’s ark and the salvation of Noah from the flood, as well as the covenant God made with him. There are also images of the Covenant of the pieces and the Binding of Isaac. Christianity sees the waters of the flood as a symbol of baptism, the ark of Noah is a parable of the Church of God and the binding of Isaac is a parable of the devotion of the Son of God and his death, for the redemption of man and the forgiveness of sins.
The right door refers to events from the Old Testament, which directly foretold the coming of Christ. Above are the Madonna and Child, and below them appear, among others, the prophet Jonah who stayed three days in the belly of the whale, a symbol of Jesus’ stay in the tomb for three days; Isaiah’s prophecy about the conception of the virgin; And the verse “A star shall shoot forth from Jacob” (Numbers 24:17) and next to it the Star of David, a symbol of the kingdom of Jesus who came out of the midst of Israel.
The Southern Facade
The southern facade of the church is dedicated to Mary. It faces the portico and in the center of it, there’s a gate that also leads to the crypt. Above the gate is a hexagonal niche fixed between two windows, in which stands a bronze statue of the Virgin. Above this statue is a balcony with a stylish metal railing, designed for official events, and accessed from the upper level of the church. On the rows of pink stones, on either side of the gate and the porch appears the full formula of the prayer “Salve Regina” (Hail Holy Queen).
The gate leads to a foyer decorated with colored mosaic. In the foyer, we see a violin and the inscription “King’s Violin” in Latin (on the left), and on the right a ship and below it the inscription “The ship of redemption”. These two are symbols attributed to the Virgin, as is the combination of the letters A and M, the Latin initials of the angel’s blessing for the virgin, which appears on the ceiling of the foyer.
The three doors in the foyer are made of bronze and were a gift from Christians from the United States. The reliefs on these doors are less extreme than those on the western front doors, and their lines are simpler. On the main door are twelve reliefs chronologically depicting events from the life of the Virgin, in this world and after she has won eternal life. The bottom row shows, from left to right, the sinless conception, the presentation of the Virgin in the Temple, the marriage of Mary, and the Annunciation. In the line above the visit, the birth of Jesus, the request of Mary to Jesus at the wedding at Cana, and the suffering of the Virgin at the time of the crucifixion. The top line describes the Pietà, the ascension of the virgin to heaven, her coronation in heaven, and Mary as the mother of the church (Mater Ecclesiae).
The Northen Facade
The northern facade is smaller in area than the other two facades, as it is parallel only to the upper level of the church. For this reason, the dome of the church, which is large in any case, looks even larger from this direction. Compared to the western and southern fronts, the northern front is simpler and is not so rich in religious and artistic images. In fact, it resembles a fortified structure and has a row of narrow, small windows, made of stained glass, and above them a row of small openings. The two doors on this front are relatively small and have no foyer, and are a great distance from each other. The light and pink stone stripe, which surrounds the church building on all sides, continues on its northern side as well, but the pink stripes are not decorated and do not carry an artistic or religious message. The main reason for the artistic paucity of this side of the building is that in front of it stands the Baptistery building of the church, housed in the heart of a decorated plaza. To these two – the house of baptism and the plaza – the attention is focused.
The two doors lead, as mentioned, to the upper level of the church. On each of them are a small roof and a gable above them. The left door is dedicated to a mission among the Jews (the “circumcised”). The gable above it, above the inscription “Mater Christi” (“Mother of Messiah”), describes the birth of Jesus, and on both sides the adoration of the three Magi and the worship of shepherds. The right door is dedicated to a mission among the Gentiles, and in the gable above it, above the inscription “Mater Ecclesiae” (“Mother of the Church”), a figure of a woman is seen surrounded by believers who worship her. On the doors themselves appears the verse from Luke 2:32:
“LUMEN AD REVELATIONEM GENTIUM, ET GLORIAM PLEBIS TUAE ISRAEL”
a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel
This verse is part of the Nunc dimittis prayer, known as “Song of Simeon”, said when the baby Jesus was brought to the temple. It embodies the idea of mission both among the Gentiles and among Israel, And each of its two parts appears on the appropriate door. The three large reliefs on the left door are dedicated to the revelation to the Jews – the revelation of the angels to the three shepherds, the Annunciation, and the election of the apostles, who were fishermen in the Sea of Galilee. To the left of these are small reliefs depicting the genealogy of Jesus. On the right door are three large reliefs depicting revelation to the Gentiles – the adoration of the Magi, the descent of the Holy Spirit in the form of a pentecostal dove, and St. Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles. The small reliefs on the door depict the story of the prophet Jonah and the fish.
The Crypt
The main entrance to the crypt is through the fixed doors on the west front of the church. Another front door is on the south front of the building, and it leads to its center. The lower level of the Church of the Annunciation is not an ordinary crypt. Although it is located below the upper church, like other crypts, it is not used for burial, its current appearance is a product of modern construction and design, and it overlaps the entire area of the church above it. Therefore the lower level can also be described as a separate church. Most of the crypt is located on the level of the Crusader church from the 12th century and is simply designed, with an emphasis on the archeological finds in its area.
Coming from the main entrance gate leads to the western part of the crypt, which extends to over half of its total area. Near the entrance, marble slabs are fixed on the wall, paying respect to the contribution of those who did the construction of the structure and the archeological excavations. Another marble plaque in Latin and Arabic mentions the name of the Druze emir Fakhr al-Din II, ruler of the Galilee who allowed the Franciscans to re-establish the Church of the Annunciation in 1620. On the north side of the hall, along the outer wall of the building, are the remains of the northern wall of the Crusader church, which stands out from the western facade of the church. In the south wall of the hall are a number of stained glass windows, a gift from Austria, which together with two windows on either side of the western front door, let in a faint light. Despite its size, this space is almost completely empty, and in fact, only the massive reinforced concrete columns, which support a modern seven-meter-high concrete rib ceiling, stand in the empty space. The little light, together with the emptiness, creates a sense of mystery. The crypt floor is made of a combination of black and white stones, laid diagonally and creating the illusion of descending stairs, towards the cave further down the space.
In about half the hall, the atmosphere completely changes. The low ceiling gives way to the octagonal opening, through which one can see the upper church and the dome. Through this opening, light radiates into the space from above, as an image of the Holy Spirit who descended and rested on the Virgin. Stairs lead to a large depression in the floor, which descends two more meters to a plaza on the level of the Grotto of the Annunciation and the Byzantine Church. Here, the ceiling height around the opening is nine meters, and the total height up to the end of the dome is 49 meters. The feeling of space is intensified by the fact that there are no pillars supporting the ceiling in this area, and it rests on huge pillars that stand around it.
The chapel is surrounded by low walls, the height of which rises in several stages up to the level of the other parts of the crypt. These walls are covered with stone, and some of them overlap the walls of the ancient Byzantine church. The floor is made of marble and in the center is an altar that stands on a small stage. In various places in and around the plaza, mosaic surfaces and other ancient remains are incorporated. The center of the plaza is the Grotto, so therefore the chapel there faces north, and not east as is customary.
The Grotto is located inside a complex of structures and niches from different periods, located behind a stylish iron fence. In front are four Byzantine granite pillars bearing lamps, and above it hangs a large wooden canopy on which are gilded reliefs. In the cave itself stands another altar with a gold inscription saying:
“VERBUM CARO HIC FACTUM EST”
Here the Word became flesh
The addition “here” (HIC) is unique and does not appear anywhere else in the world, not even on the western front of the Church of the Annunciation itself. At the eastern end of the crypt, again on the level of the Crusader church, are three apses, each with an altar made of archeological remains found at the site. The northern (left) apse preserves the Crusader structure in the best way and has a typical Crusader window. Above the middle apse hangs a large canopy covered with copper, and from it hangs a crucifix. An organ of the lower church was also installed here. In the right (southern) apse is an altar on a crusader pillar.
The Stairs
The main entrance to the upper church is through the two fixed doors in the northern facade of the building and leading to it from the northern plaza, however, three staircases link directly between the two levels of the church. One is located next to the south wall of the building, and the other two are in the two towers on the west wall, to the right and left of the main entrance to the crypt. In these towers, two spiral staircases made of light marble meander. The walls are covered with light stone, and the space is well lit by light penetrating through a row of stained glass windows, which climb along the walls of the space parallel to the stairs. Next to each window is a brown graffiti that quotes from the words of the Church Fathers and explains what is seen in the window. The windows show Christian symbols such as the image of the Church Mother and a cross, alongside Jewish symbols such as the Star of David and the Menorah.
The Upper Church
The upper church overlaps the route of the crypt below it, and therefore, also the route of the Crusader church from the 12th century. It is made of one space without a transept, and the two rows of concrete pillars, which support the roof of the building in the western part of the hall, do not divide it into three really separate naves. The eastern part of the church, which lies under the dome, is free of columns, and it forms a large square space, the length of each of which is 25 meters long. At the eastern end of the hall are three apses, which also stands above the apse of the crypt.
The character of the upper church is quite different from that of the crypt. First, it is well lit by the light penetrating from above through the central dome and the secondary dome behind it. Second, it looks larger, since, although its area is identical to that of the crypt below it, the upper church is taller, and its ceiling rises to a height of 12 meters. In addition, the opening in the ceiling of the upper church, above which the dome rests, is larger than the octagonal opening fixed in the ceiling of the crypt (and in the floor of the church itself). Third, compared to the mysterious emptiness of the crypt, the upper church is filled with many artistic elements, seen densely on all sides. A large part of these works was donated by different nations, so there is no similar style between them. The floor is also made of pieces of colored marble, joining the symbols, inscriptions, figures, and other objects. Above all this, a “forest” of pillars and reinforced concrete beams rises, which while in the crypt it is hidden from view, in the upper church its presence cannot be ignored.
Along the long walls of the church, works of art donated by various nations are displayed, all of which deal with the Virgin. Like the works on the porch of the churchyard, the works in the upper church also reflect the artistic and religious traditions of the various countries.
In the center of the western wall are 24 stained glass windows arranged in the shape of the letter A. These windows are the windows visible in the western facade, above the entrance door to the crypt. The windows show the event of Annunciation combined with white roses, symbolizing Mary’s virginity. On either side of the windows are fixed openings to the spiral staircases leading to the lower level. Above them are four pictures made of marble, two on each side. In the leftmost picture, Jesus is giving a key to Peter, a symbol of the keys to the kingdom of heaven and forgiveness of sins. To its right is the sinful son received by his father with open arms. The rightmost picture depicts the Good Shepherd, and to its left is Mary Magdalene washing the feet of Jesus. The four scenes represent forgiveness.
The central apse is well lit by light penetrating from the secondary dome above it. On the apse wall is a large mosaic with an area of 140 square meters, dedicated to the church. At the top of the mosaic is the inscription: “UNAM SANCTAM CATHOLICAM APOSTOLICAM” which is a description of the church in the credo prayer, along with symbols of God the Father (a triangle with an eye in its center) and a dove representing the Holy Spirit. The image itself depicts a multi-figure scene, but the two most prominent figures are at the top – these are the figures of Jesus standing with open hands, and Peter standing to his right and looking at him. The virgin sits in the left background behind Jesus, dressed in blue and crowned with a royal crown. The rest of the figures are arranged in two lines on either side of the event. To the right and left of the central scene are some of the holy places of Christianity in the Holy Land.
The walls of the left (northern) apse combine frescoes and graffiti. In the center of the apse wall is a red Jerusalem cross on a brown background. On both sides are depicted the actions of the Franciscan monks among the community, and four statues of Franciscan saints are fixed on the wall. The ceiling on the right depicts the crucifixion of Jesus and on the left is the patriarch, Francis of Assisi, who watches over him as the stigmata appear on his limbs and chest.
The right (southern) apse depicts the struggle between good and evil. On the right ceiling is a dark figure raising its right hand as a threat, alongside the horrors of war. Opposite these, in the left ceiling, stand God, represented by an eye within a triangle, and the New Jerusalem houses on which the light of God radiates.
The Dome and Roof
The Basilica of the Annunciation is made of reinforced concrete, and its parts were brought to the site when they were ready. Since the church is located in the center of Nazareth, an area located in the valley, the architect created a large dome, almost disproportionate to the structure on which it stands, all to emphasize its presence in the urban landscape. To raise the dome even higher, he built it in the shape of a steep cone and topped it with a large lamp made of stone that resembles a lighthouse – a symbol of the divine light radiating from the place. The dome is 16 ribs, resembling a white lily, a symbol of Mary’s virginity. It sits on a stylish loggia made of stone, which also has 16 sides, each side with three openings. There are 16 windows fixed in the octagon, two on each side – in 12 of them the apostles are seen, in one Mary’s parents are seen, and in one Mary in her infancy. The remaining two windows are dedicated to Ephrem the Syrian and Saint Bernard, representing the Eastern and Western ecclesiastical teaching respectively. The total height of the church from the ground to the end of the lamp is 66 meters.
On its inner side, the dome stands above the octagonal opening that connects the two levels of the church, and therefore it is visible from both. Although its outer shell is made of 16 ribs, on its inner side 32 ribs, resemble a huge flower that covers the holy place. The octagonal structure on which the dome rests and its 16 windows are also clearly visible from inside the church space.
Above the middle apse of the upper church, another dome in the shape of a pyramid with four sides is placed. This pyramid is too flat to be seen from the church’s outer complex, and the huge dome that rests on the building west of it completely obscures it. However, it can be spotted from the nearby streets. The roof of the pyramid is gray like the dome of the church, and it rests on a loggia that lets in sunlight, radiating to the central apse. At the top of the pyramid, there is a statue of the crucifixion, with a crucifix and the figures of John the Baptist and the Virgin on either side.
The portico
Along the outer wall of the compound, lies a portico that surrounds the church to the west and south. It is 105 meters long and four meters wide. It carries a sloped concrete roof and is supported by stone pillars between which are beams in the shape of the letters A and M. In the center of the porch, a taller structure was built on two arches. The building – which breaks for several meters the continuous line of the portico and the compound wall – is an observation deck to the south in the direction of Paul VI Street and towards the houses of the city of Nazareth. On the four pillars of the structure are portraits of Pope John XXIII, Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II, and Pope Benedict XVI. Under the name of Pope John XXIII is written in Italian and Arabic: “gave his approval for the Basilica of the Annunciation project, 1959,” while under the names of the other three popes is written the date of their visit to the site.
Along the wall are dozens of works of art donated by various countries around the world. The works are made of different materials, such as mosaic or porcelain tiles, and each of them expresses the artistic and religious tradition of the country that donated it. All the works present the virgin in the usual ways – the Madonna and Child, the Pieta, after her coronation in heaven, etc. – but beyond the unique styles, some of the works incorporate clear national motifs, such as the colors of the national flag, a caption in the national language or a depiction of the Virgin in her image as a local patron saint.
At the eastern end of the porch stands a statue depicting the ecumenical encounter between Pope Paul VI and Athenagoras I, the Patriarch of Constantinople between 1948 and 1972, which took place in Jerusalem during the Pope’s brief visit to Israel in 1964. The inscription at the foot of the statue is in English, Arabic, and Italian.
The Garden
In the northwest corner of the complex is a terraced garden with grass and palm trees. The garden floors are bounded by a light stone wall, and a small water canal made of marble crosses it. Along the canal are four waterfalls that are formed as a result of the height difference between the large plaza north of the church, and the entrance plaza to the compound, opposite the western facade. The lower waterfall is the highest of the four and is made of pieces of dark marble. At its center is a marble circle surrounded by a rhombus, in which appears a symbol of Chi Rho along with the symbol of alpha and omega in red, and on either side is the inscription in Greek and Latin “In her was life”.
In front of the waterfall is a podium with a white statue of Mary, standing in the center of an octagon paved with rough stones in black and white (an identical statue was placed over the tomb of Marie-Alphonse Ratisbonne in the Les Soeurs de Notre-Dame de Sion Monastery in Jerusalem). The white color of the statue stands out against the background of the black marble waterfall that serves as its background.
The Baptistery
The Baptistery stands in the center of the plaza north of the church, at the entrance level to the upper church, and is the gift of believers from Germany. As usual, its shape is an octagonal shape, with a gray roof that matches the dome of the church. Most of it is made of light-colored stones, but its five ribs are made of a combination of clear and stained glass, which abstractly depicts grape clusters and vine leaves. In the building itself is a baptismal font and a statue of the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. On the wall is an abstract mosaic of the Jordan River, and on the floor is a mosaic that simulates water waves. Above appears in Arabic and Latin the verse from Matthew 28:19:
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”
(Matthew 28:19)
