Gallivanting Geismom: Exploring the Streets of Nazareth

Greetings from Nazareth! Today was a work day for Marty, which meant that I'd be exploring the city on my own.

With map in hand, I headed out the door, onto what I thought was Annunciation Avenue, only to find myself lost in one of the many alleyways of the city.

Does that surprise you? Of course it doesn't. You'd probably be surprised if I said that I managed to get around without any issues.

I would begin to worry about my orienteering skills, except that one of the tour books distinctly states that street signs are few and far between in Nazareth, and that it is quite easy to get lost amidst the maze of narrow streets and alleys.

So, why should I be someone special?

I could take the advice from the book, and use the Basilica steeple as a ground point, but it isn't always easy to see with the high walls on some of the narrow streets.

I was no worse for the wear, although I could have saved myself some step climbing had I stayed on track. It really amazes me that people have little shops set up on random corners of narrow little streets. I can't imagine they get much business, except, perhaps, from the random lost tourist. Not to worry, I wasn't the least bit interested in dealing with shop owners like these. Bargaining is not my forte.

I had planned my day to begin at the Mary of Nazareth International Center, once I found it.

This is an ecumenical project designed to raise awareness of Christianity while teaching about the Virgin Mary and her role in Salvation History. When I arrived at the doors, I could hear the voices of exuberant children from somewhere within. There were apparently over 200 children attending the program today, much to the excitement of the religious order who runs the place.

You would think with that many kids running around, I would have bumped into them at some point, but I only spotted two boys, near the bathrooms. They were trying to figure out which symbol stood for the women's room and which for the males. I will admit, the symbols were not all that clear. But the English words on the doors were certainly helpful!

This Mary of Nazareth center is certainly unique and fascinating. Upon entering the doors, I was viewing the preserved ruins from the year 1 A.D.

Jesus would have been walking these streets as he grew up in the city of Nazareth. The guide informed me that the area of the city would have covered about 300 square meters, this spot included.

Among the findings below the floor of this building was a wall which archeologists have dated back to the Iron Age.

I don't know why, but I would never have expected that type of rock wall from the Iron Age time period.

How fascinating was all of this?

And it would only get better as I decided to follow in the footsteps of Mary as part of a unique audio-visual program that the center offered.

I was asked to wait outside the doors as there was a group right before me, and the show had not yet completed.

I certainly did not mind, as the day was clearing up and I could admire the Basilica easily in the distance.

Plus, there was always Queen Saba

and her husband, King Solomon, to entertain me while I waited.

These statues are duplicates of originals that are held in a church somewhere in France.

Soon, it was time for the show to begin.

Suddenly, the two doors between Saba and Solomen slowly opened and a shiny blue light beckoned me to enter.

I liken the affect to the stories that you hear of people who have crossed over and have seen the light, only to come back to tell of it.

I felt drawn into the room, mesmerized by the melodic sound of a female voice singing some sort of Arabic chant in the background.

I found myself in a room that looked like the duplicate of a roman amphitheater. I was alone, and settled onto a front row stone to view the program.

The lights dimmed into darkness, and the 3D screen began to come to life. The story began with a little girl (Mary) standing next to her mother's lap, as her mother told her the story of Creation.

I was taken back in time, to Creation through the birth of Mary. The sight and sound effects were amazing.

Within 15 minutes, this part of the demonstration was complete, and I found myself, once again, following the beam of light that led through 2 doors to yet another room.

This time, I was sitting on a stone rock, in what appeared to be an ancient city. The story line began with Mary's engagement to Joseph, with flashbacks to the angel's appearance and the events that transpired soon after. I was taken through the birth of Jesus and the flight into Egypt.

Here you can see the opening of the film with the city of Nazareth in the background.

A hologram of the angel appearing to Mary with an Old Testament quote

and the story of Jesus' birth as foretold

Along with the impending Nativity.

Once again, a set of doors opened, and I found myself walking into yet another hall, similar to the first two, but slightly different as this time I was in the village where Jesus would have grown up, and there was the house of a carpenter on one side of the room.

I was immersed in the beauty of the music in the background as I watched Mary affectionately hugging her child as an infant, playing with him as a toddler, and laughing with her husband Joseph.

I watched as Jesus grew up under the direction of his mother, and the helping hand of Joseph, teaching the young boy his trade.

There was the frantic search of two parents who had seemingly lost their child, only to learn that he was preaching in the temple in Jerusalem.

Then, Joseph died and Jesus' ministry began, with his mother at his side at the wedding in Cana.

The scene ended with Jesus riding a donkey into Jerusalem.

I was denied the opportunity to view the final segment as the room was being used by the 200 children as part of their program.

But, I wasn't disappointed. I knew the outcome. And, to be perfectly honest, I am not sure that I would have wanted to walk in Mary's shoes any further.

Watching her relationship with her son from birth to adulthood only intensified my thoughts on what agony it must have been to watch her son tortured until his death on the cross. The program had been quite an emotional experience for me, and I was perfectly happy not to view the final part of the story.

Besides, I was short on tissues.

I assured the apologetic young man that I had seen sufficient and complimented him on the outstanding nature of the project. He was thrilled.

Moving on, I was able to tour the chapel,

with the lovely flowers in bloom

and the beautiful icons inside.

All of the mysteries of the rosary adorn the interior of the chapel, in iconic form.

and I enjoyed the rooftop panoramas.

Amazing, for sure. This had definitely been a terrific way to begin my tour of Nazareth.

Heading across the street, I entered the grounds for the Basilica of the Annunciation of Mary.

The building is huge, and the cupola can be seen from nearly anywhere in the city.

This is a Roman Catholic Basilica that contains the "house"where the Angel appeared to Mary.

You can see the "house"in the background of the photo, and there is actually an altar in that spot, where a priest was saying Mass, today, at noon.

Now, I cannot say that this is the official "Spot" where the angel appeared. Particularly since there is a Greek Orthodox Church that has a similar shrine down the street, as well as a Coptic Church. And, there is also Mary's well, where folklore makes claim that the angel appeared to Mary in that spot.

Within one block, there are four buildings that make claim to housing the spot of this announcement. I haven't checked out the other two churches yet, but I did pass the well.

Personally, the "exact" spot isn't that important in my eyes. But it certainly is heartwarming to realize that so many different faiths find this event important enough to commemorate personally.

The Basilica itself is more ornate than most of the churches that I've seen here in Israel. The interior, as well as the grounds, feature mosaics devoted to the Virgin Mary, from many different countries.

Each one was unique and different and offered an insight to the country that donated their particular icon.

Ireland

Italy

Japan

Queen of Guides and Scouts

Scotland

Slovakia

Thailand

the United States

and the Vatican. Each one beautiful in its own right.

Just adjacent to the Basilica is the Church of St. Joseph. Walking through the doors offered this view:

Here's a closeup of the Sanctuary

and a beautiful side altar.

A painting on the walls along the way to the basement shows a lovely depiction of the Holy Family.

The church is supposedly built over the spot where Joseph's carpentry shop would have stood back in the time of Jesus. There are some stone stairs and flooring that dates back to the time period.

In addition, there are some beautiful windows, like this one depicting the death of Joseph.