Places of Interest - Israël

Basilica of the Annunciation:

The Basilica of the Annunciation (also Basilica of the Annunciation) is a Roman Catholic, 20th-century basilica in Nazareth, Israel. The basilica is the largest Christian church in the Middle East and one of the holiest in the world. In the middle of the 4th century a shrine was built around the place where, according to Roman Catholic tradition, the archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary. Here he would have said that she was pregnant with Jesus, son of God. In the year of 383, Lady Egeria, a Spanish pilgrim, was shown a cave in which Mary would have lived. An altar was placed. This was probably the largest cave of a complex that became known in later centuries as the Cave of the Annunciation. On the ruins of the church the crusaders built a grand cathedral. After this the Franciscans partially rebuilt it, because it was destroyed by the earthquake. The newly built church was replaced by a new one in 1955. In 1964, the basilica was consecrated by Pope Paul VI to the Virgin Mary.

Other sights in Nazareth:

Slightly north of the basilica is the St. Joseph church built in 1914. Here, the former carpets shop of the Biblical figure “Joseph” should have stood. This church is built on the remnants of a Crusader church. Located in the Arabic "souq" is the Greek Catholic Synagogue church that dates from the Crusader era. It would be built on the place where the young Jesus would regularly pray and later preach. In the small Franciscan church just west of the actual center you can see a large piece of rock that Jesus and his disciples used toe at on after the resurrection. According to Greek Orthodox doctrine, Archangel Gabriel would not come to Mary's house but while she was getting water. The "Gabriel church" has appeared because of this reason on this spot. The source that is meant for the above alleged place is now called the source of Mary. The water would contain healing powers. You can also take a look at the "Salesian" church of Jesus the adolescent and the Chapel of Fear.

The Crusaders made Nazareth their capital of Galilee. When they left the Middle East it lasted until the 17th century that Franciscans bought back the ruins of the basilica of the annunciation and made it Christian soil again. Nazareth was also the headquarters of Galilee during the British mandate period. The city would come to lie in Arab territory concerning the UN distribution plan if it was not conquered by the Israeli army in 1948. When the Israeli bombardment started with mortar grenades and the population feared expulsion, it decided to leave on its own initiative. Arab governments tried to prevent this (in connection with the large numbers of refugees who were already there) and David Ben-Gurion, who was aware of the importance of the city for the international Christian community, did not want ethnic cleansing here. So he allowed the local Israeli commander's order to go into depopulation to withdraw. Nazareth is therefore the largest Arab-Palestinian city in Israel. 

In 1997, the Christian and Muslim populations were in conflict over the construction of a central mosque next to the central church building, the Basilica of the Annunciation; under massive pressure from the international Christian community, including the Vatican and the then president of the U.S. George W. Bush finally stopped the construction of the mosque in 2002. With this name the Palestinian Israelis refer to the protests and acts of violence that - with the beginning Second Intifada in the Palestinian Territories - occurred in the state of Israel between Jewish and Palestinian Israelis. 13 Palestinian Israelis were killed. Started on 1 October and ending on 10 October 2000, Nazareth was mainly on 8 and 9 October a scene of riots between residents of the higher Jewish Nazareth Illit and Palestinian inhabitants of Nazareth.