Photos

Nazareth and Basilica of The Annunciation.
No ancient sites in The Holy Land are so certain as the Christian sources of Christianity and Nazareth,the site of the first Christian event,where it all began.
Nestled in the embrance of protective hills,the once-insignificant village is today home to some 60.000 inhabitants-the largest Arab city in Israel-and 30 churches,convents and monasteries preserving and testyfing to the ancient sites.
Today,the place where Jesus spend most of His life-from childhood to adulthood-and commenced His ministry is the natural starting point for a Holy Land pilgrimage.
As befits the ancient message of peace for all humankind,the city is a study in religious coexistence,since some 60 percent of Nazareth's populance is Muslim.Thus,both the minarets of mosques and church spires play along the Nazareth skyline,against the pastoral,rolling hills.
Modern-area structures enclose and protect holy grottoes,anciend Crusader and Byzantine churches and the very stream from which Mary drew water.A visit to each is a homage to the sources of faith.