Climbing the Hills of Nazareth

I'll admit, that title does sound a bit dramatic.  But if you were in Nazareth, you'd agree with my choice of words.

High atop a hill, overlooking the Old City of Nazareth, is the Basilica of Jesus the Adolescent.

Can you see the tallest building,  at the top of the hill, nearly at the center of the photo with the roof looking as if it is nearly touching the clouds?

When we arrived on Monday,  we decided that it was worth at least trying to hike up the hill to check out this basilica together.  Not being the least bit familiar with the city, this type of adventure was way out of this gallivanting gal's league.

So, we grabbed the map of Nazareth that the hotel receptionist had given us, walked down to Paulus VI Street, and attempted to figure out the best route to the top of the hill.

The map featured a blue dotted line that zig and zagged its way back and forth, starting near where we were standing, and ending near our destination.  It was marked on the map as the Pilgrim Route. 

Well, that seemed like a plan!  You could consider us Pilgrims……right?

So, we began walking up hill through the maze of narrow streets lined with high stone walls on either side, confident in our direction as we passed one landmark after another that was printed on the map.

Then we came to a spot where we just weren't certain which way to go.  We noticed that one set of steps featured a hand rail with a distinctive blue pattern along the walls.  

Since the route on the map was blue, it certainly made sense to us to follow this path and hope that it led us to our destination.

After several sets of stairs, each getting subsequently steeper, it was obvious that this hike was not going to be easy as the map implied.  Even Marty made the comment that the trail looked great on paper….that was FLAT!

I had to stop and catch my breath at several stops along the way.  Just when I was sure that we were near our destination……there would be another set of steps, leading left or leading right.

We were nearly at the top when I spotted this unusual plant on a porch along the pilgrim route. I used the excuse of taking a photo to catch my breath for a few minutes.

Isn't that unique?  I'd never seen anything quite like it, and I found it interesting that the bloom would be so large in comparison to the small pot.

We were finally at the top of the Pilgrim Route, but we still had  a bit of a climb to the entrance of the Basilica grounds. 

Passing through the gate, we found ourselves in front of a school dedicated to Don Bosco, the founder of the Salesian order who built the church.  The school was once an orphanage, built in 1902.    Several  years later, a Frenchman by the name of Caron donated a large sum of money for the construction of a church next to the orphanage, thereby establishing the Basilica.

It was even more impressive up close than from a distance!

We headed up the stairs to the entrance way only to find the doors locked!

Really?  I had just huffed and puffed my way up a ridiculous zig-zagging trail, and the doors were locked?

You can be darn certain that I was NOT happy!   Particularly since I had made certain of the visiting hours, and we were well within the time period when it should have been open.  

But what were we to do?

Might as well take some photos of the exterior

And the view over the city from the top of the stairs.

Is that amazing or what?  You are gazing upon the hills of Nazareth.  The view in itself was worth the effort.

While I was still grumbling about our luck, Marty spotted a workman on the grounds and asked him if it was possible to go into the church to pray.  He directed us around the back of the building, and said something about walking through a long hall in order to get in the back entrance.

We were finally able to figure out that the man had directed us to walk through the school, and down a hall to the side entrance of the church. School was not in session, so there was no problem with us entering the building and making our way down the very long hall to the open door leading to the church.

I walked through the door, looked up, and was immediately awed by what I saw.

You need to see it closer to really appreciate it.

Actually, I think that you had to be there to really appreciate it, but let's face it, this will have to suffice for now.

On the opposite wall, above the doors, beautiful glass windows gleamed in the sunlight.

leaving the church, I spotted this lovely window above the side door.

We headed back out of the building the way that we had entered.

We certainly could not pass on the opportunity of taking a photo together overlooking the hills of Nazareth.

And, of course, we needed one with the Basilica behind us to prove that we actually made the hike.

Walking back down the blue Pilgrim trail offered views that I missed while panting on the way up.

And I noticed that the alleyways on the way back down looked far more enchanting than on the climb up to the top!

We had managed to make the hike, no worse for the wear.

By now, it was nearly time for dinner, so we set out to find a place to eat.

That was when we discovered that even in Israel, some restaurants celebrate St. Patrick's Day.  I honestly don't think that the people have a clue regarding the story of St. Patrick.

But, really, why should we care?  It was certainly an interesting experience, and if you read my earlier blog about the festivities,  you must agree that the evening was extremely entertaining!

St. Peter in Gallicantu

As Marty and I were making our way to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem,  I spotted the sign for St. Peter in Gallicantu along the way, and was curious as to what it could be.  Since it was Sunday, the church was closed, but we decided that we would head out to see it early on Monday, prior to departing from Jerusalem.

The church is actually located on Mt. Zion, across from the Dormition Monastery, outside the Old City Walls of Jerusalem.

Are you curious about the name, St. Peter-in-Gallicantu?

According to tradition, this church sits on what was once the palace of the high priest, Caiaphas,  where Jesus was brought to jail right after his arrest.

The name Gallilcantu translates "cocks crow" and the church is named after the event where Peter denied knowing Jesus three times, before the cock crowed twice. 

Verily I say unto thee, That this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice.

There certainly is no denying the symbolism related to the name of this church: The cupola is adorned with a gold rooster

Upon entering the grounds, the direction of the entrance is portrayed by a rooster

and there is a statue in the plaza that depicts the scene involving Peter.

The inscription reads a part from Luke 22: 57: "But he denied him, saying: Woman, I know him not".

The lower crypt is built into the rock where the palace would have stood, and beneath it are caves, one of which is believed to have been the prison where Jesus was held after his arrest.   We were able to walk down into this area to view the site personally, but there was a tour in front of us, and another behind us, so time was limited.

The lower church, surrounded on three sides by the original rock, features icons representing the denial by Peter.

Here you see Jesus arrested, the denying Peter and the cock in the background.

Peter weeping after he realizes what he has done

And, finally, this icon represents Jesus asking Peter if he loves Him.  John 21:17.

As simple as the lower crypt was, the upper church was quite the opposite, covered with mosaics from top to bottom.

The cupola ceiling featured an awesome stained glass cross 

I zoomed in on the middle circle since it doesn't photograph well from a distance.

The sanctuary features the arrest of Jesus at the palace.

 Here is a closer shot at the detail

and take note of the top of this mosaic

You see the cross, held up by angels, with a haloed figure, holding his head in sadness.

 A mosaic on a side altar shows Jesus being presented to Caiaphas.

Even the exterior of the building featured mosaics that represented that fateful day.

I found it quite interesting that this church separated the two events, with Peter's denial being recognized in the crypt church, and the presentation of Jesus at Caiaphas' Palace in the main church.

Separate, but the same.  Quite telling, for sure. 

Now, there is an interesting aspect about this visit that cannot be ignored.

Would you believe, that as we were walking past this church on Sunday,  a rooster was crowing?  

I kid you not.

That was what caught my attention to begin with.  I heard the sound, turned my head, and spotted the church. At the time, I had no idea what Peter in Galliantu meant.  I had presumed that it meant Peter in Chains, pertaining to his arrest. 

So, no one was more surprised that I to find out the real meaning behind the word.

And then, as we approached the church on Monday, we heard the cock's crow, loud and clear, as we walked down the pathway.  We actually thought it was pretty funny that, somewhere nearby, lives a rooster that brings to life the whole event that happened over 2000 years ago. 

Now, some may scoff at this, or call it coincidence, but I can assure you that at no other time during our visit to Jerusalem did we encounter a rooster.  It certainly makes the entire experience that much more interesting, don't you think?

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!