Basilica of the Annunciation
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). In the lower church of this basilica, before a small grotto that tradition holds was part of Mary’s home, an inscription reads Verbum caro hic factum est: “Here the Word was made flesh.”
Churches have stood over the grotto since the fourth century: a Byzantine church, then a Crusader cathedral, then a small Franciscan church of the eighteenth century. In 1960 it was replaced by the present basilica, designed by the Italian architect Giovanni Muzio and consecrated in 1969. It is the largest church in the Middle East. Its lantern dome, shaped like an upside-down lily, rises over the grotto. The upper church serves the local Arab Catholic parish.
Around the courtyard and inside the upper church hang images of the Madonna sent by Catholic communities from all over the world, each in its own national style. The Franciscans of the Custody of the Holy Land look after the basilica. Nearby are the Church of Saint Joseph and the ancient village remains excavated beneath.
- Built
- 1960–1969
- Style
- Modern
- Where
- Nazareth, Israel
- Map
- Find it on OpenStreetMap
- Read about
- The Blessed Virgin Mary