Day 1: Church of the Annunciation...

In the late afternoon, we drove over an hour south to Nazareth, where Jesus grew up. Ironically, the largest church in the Middle East is in this city known as the “Arab Capital of Israel,” because it is the largest Arab city in this predominately Jewish nation. Approximately 60% of the inhabitants are Palestinian Arabs, who are Israeli citizens.

The Church of the Annunciation is a very unusual and interesting building. Built in 1969, the current two-story church is built over the remains of both a Byzantine (4th century) and a Crusader (12th century) church. At the bottom is this grotto, which is believed to be the childhood home of Mary and where the Angel Gabriel made the announcement that she would become the mother of the son of God.