Following the Footsteps of Our Lord: Tour of the Basilica of the Annunciation and the Church of Saint Joseph at Nazareth, Cana, and the ruins of Sepphoris - August 1, 2011

Today, we toured the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth. It is built over the ruins of a Byzantine Church that was built over the house of Saints Joachim and Anne, the parents of Mary, where the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary by the Archangel Gabriel that she would be the Mother of God occurred. Father Fabian Lopez celebrated mass for us at the Chapel of the Annunciation in the crypt of the Basilica, where we made a Holy Hour the night before. Luke 1:26-38 describes the Annunciation as follows:

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth

to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.And he came to her and said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!" But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end." And Mary said to the angel, "How shall this be, since I have no husband?" And the angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible." And Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

The Dome of the Basilica of the Annunciation shaped as a crown

Part of the Front of the Basilica

Second part of the Front entrance of the Basilica

The Altar that marks the spot where the Annunciation took place, the translation of the Latin inscription reads "Here the Word

Sean preparing to lector at mass

The Inscription reads: And He was made incarnate of the Holy Spirit

Father Fabian Lopez celebrating mass

The main altar of the Basilica

The Blessed Sacrament Chapel

Chapel with the Jerusalem Cross

We also toured the Church of Saint Joseph which is adjacent to the Basilica of the Annunciation. It is built over the ruins of a Byzantine Church that was built over the actual house where the Holy Family lived in Nazareth. Both the Basilica of the Annunciation and the Church of Saint Joseph are under the custody of the Franciscans of the Holy Land.

Entrance to the Church of Saint Joseph

The Main Altar in the Church

The Crypt Chapel

Some of the Ruins of the Byzantine Church

A Stained Glass window depicting the dream of Saint Joseph of an angel urging him to take the Virgin Mary as his wife and not divorce her since she is to be the Mother of the Son of God

A Stained Glass Window depicting the Death of Saint Joseph with Jesus and Mary at his side

Ruins under the Basilica of the Annunciation of the House of Saints Joachim and Anne, the parents of Mary, where the Annunciation occured

During our two night stay in Nazareth, we stayed at the pilgrimage house of the Rosary Sisters, who work in Education. They were very gracious and generous hosts to us and we were grateful for their hospitality. We were also kept awake at night and in the morning due to the Muslim calls to prayer echoing from the minarets in town that were marking the start to Ramadan.

The Salesian Church of the Adolescence of Our Lord

The Pilgrimage House of the Rosary Sisters of Nazareth

The Skyline of Nazareth

We also visited the Church of the Miracle of the Wedding of Cana, which is depicted in John 2 as where Jesus turned water into wine at the request of the Blessed Mother. This was the first miracle of Jesus' public ministry. This church is under the custody of the Franciscans of the Holy Land.

Main Altar of the Church of the Miracle of Cana

Painting of Jesus at the Wedding of Cana

Ruins of a Byzantine Church that the current Franciscan church is built over

Church of the Birthplace of Saint Nathaniel (Saint Bartholomew the Apostle)

We also went to the ruins of the city of Sepphoris which is located west of Nazareth in the central Galilee region of Northern Israel. It was an ancient city that was heavily influenced by Assyrian, Jewish, Greco-Roman, Byzantine, Crusader and Muslim Culture. It is believed that Saints Joachim and Anne were originally from this city. This city also played a major influence in shaping modern Jewish practices in the Mishnah after the fall of the Second Temple and this was largely due to the city siding with the forces of the Roman Emperor Vespasian.