Final Day in Nazareth

This is my last day in Nazareth, and I thought that it would be a great opportunity to check out the other churches who make claim to the site of the Annunciation.

I had visited the Basilica of the Annunciation earlier in the week, and found what  Roman Catholics believe to be the house where the angel  appeared to Mary.  The church actually contains the house right in the middle of its structure.

Today I set out to find the Coptic Orthodox Church of the Annunciation to see what it had as "evidence" that its spot was "the one."

It wasn't too difficult to find, as it was just a short distance from our hotel, down a side street.

As you can see, the entranceway was locked, so there was no way that I would be able to go inside to see what treasures this church held regarding the monumental event.

I will say this much, it was a fairly large church from outside appearances.

Not feeling disheartened, I made my way over to the Greek Orthodox Annunciation Church, which is formally known as St. Gabriel Church.

It is located in a lovely plaza, and we actually had a beautiful view of it on St. Patrick's Day, if you looked past the people smoking the hookahs.

Walking through the entranceway, I found myself in a lovely plaza.

The gardens were beautiful, with a bells amidst palm trees, and a lovely mosaic of the annunciation on the wall.

Here's a closer view.

The church was built in 1767 and has some ornate carvings over the exterior door.

I walked through the doors into a main church, but saw this in the distance.   This church stands over  what was once a Crusader church, overtop a spring that would have been in existence when Mary was a young woman living in Nazareth.

This walkway leads to an altar which is just above the spring that actively flows.   I could look down and see the water coming through the wall.

The tiling along the tunnel was stunning.

Next to the altar was a beautiful icon representing the Annunciation.

The main church was adorned with frescoes that represented not only the annunciation

but also many of the events of Jesus' life.

It really was quite a magnificent church to visit, and I'm glad that I made the effort to seek it out. 

I learned that the Greek Catholics include a book entitled the Protoevangelium of James among their beliefs.  Here is a quote from the text:

 And she took the pitcher, and went out to fill it with water. And, behold, a voice saying: Hail, thou who hast received grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women! And she looked round, on the right hand and on the left, to see whence this voice came. And she went away, trembling, to her house, and put down the pitcher; 

Just down the road, a couple hundred of feet away, stands a structure that is called Mary's Well.

Some seem to think that Mary would have been drawing water from this well when the angel appeared, and she became frightened, and ran home.

All three of the churches signifying this event are within close walking distance of each other.  Personally, I don't think that the exact location is possible to determine.  

And, I find it interesting that three different denominations pay tribute to the angel's appearance to Mary, announcing the fore coming birth of Jesus. 

 If you can't agree…..then build your own shrine.  Why not?  It certainly keeps the pilgrims busy, trekking up and down the streets of Nazareth.

Now that I had seen just about every shrine in Nazareth, I set off once again, walking through the narrow streets to discover some interesting buildings that I had missed earlier in the week.

This building that you see was built in 1904 for the purpose of serving Russian pilgrims.  At one time it could house 1,000 people, and it included a dining room, hospital, pharmacy and a school.

It was originally named for Prince Sergei Alexandrovich, but the locals called it "the Moskubiyeh" , which comes from the word, Moscow.

Just a little further down the street stands a guest house with an art center attached.  I've walked by this place numerous times this week (during my lost escapades….which seemed to happen nearly every time I ventured in this direction),  but I had never noticed the door.

Do you see it?

That is an "Eye of the Needle" that I had seen for the first time yesterday.  Isn't this exciting?  I had kept asking Marty if he had ever seen one when we were in Jerusalem because I was curious as to what it actually looked like.  And, here, I'd seen two in two days!  

Walking along, I loved this orange cast building with the Jerusalem cross hanging above the entrance.

And I had missed that Cross with the figures above the building next to the Basilica the other day.

One of the spots of interest that I had thought about visiting is called the Chapel of Fear.  The Frommers book that I referenced on my trip made it sound as if one just turned left at the Galilee hotel, and headed towards a wooded hill for a short distance.

I think NOT!

Well, when I spotted this on the hill top, way out on that mountain, I knew THAT wasn't happening!

Unfortunately, my photo does not do it justice.  I had to manage to stand on my tip-toes, attempting to reach over a high fence, and zoom in, in order to capture the photo.

The chapel is actually a maintained ruin.  I don't imagine too many tourists are making it to that spot since it requires hiking up a narrow path to the top of the mountain.

Are you curious by the name?  Our Lady of the Fright or Mary's Fear.  Well, here's the explanation:     The shrine supposedly stands on the spot where Mary stood and watched as the crowd attempted to throw Jesus over a cliff. 

The reading from Luke states:

And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. But he passing through the midst of them went his way

I'll admit, that although this passage from the Bible is familiar to me, I really did not give much though to Mary viewing the event personally.  

It is the last stop in Nazareth along the Pilgrimage "In the Footsteps of the Virgin Mary", and quite fitting that it should be included in the many shrines that are sacred to the City of Nazareth.

On this last night here in Nazareth, let me finish with a beautiful, calm,  night view of St. Gabriel's Church of the Annunciation.

Shalom!