“A shoot shall come forth from the stem of Jesse
, and a branch shall grow out of his roots” (Isaiah 11:1).
The town of Nazareth, situated in the region referred to in the New Testament as ‘Galilee of the Gentiles’, is today a town divided into two parts: the old town, inhabited by an Arab population of the Christian Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Muslim faiths, and the new town (Nazareth Ilit), inhabited by an Israeli population.
The old town of Nazareth can be explored on foot; it is an open-air museum, evoking its history from prehistoric times. The most vivid memory, however, the one that attracts crowds of visitors, is that of the Annunciation and of Jesus Christ’s childhood, spent here. At that time, Nazareth was a small village, nestled amongst the verdant and enchanting hills of the Holy Land. The root of the name Nazareth (netzer, ‘shoot’, ‘sprout’ – Aramaic) recalls the biblical verse: ‘A shoot shall spring from the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots’ (Old Testament, Isaiah 11:1).
The sun, the white light of day, embraces the hills surrounding the town of Nazareth. Cedars and cypresses cast solitary silhouettes against the blue sky, dotting the roads that wind up and down the slopes. The village of Nazareth 2,000 years ago covered a fairly small area, inhabited by just a few families, totalling, all together, about 150 people. Nazareth became famous through Jesus Christ and is known as the City of the Annunciation.
It was in Nazareth that the miracle of the Incarnation of the Son of God by the Holy Spirit, of the Virgin Mary, took place. God chose this village, Nazareth, to lay the foundation stone of His plan for the salvation of the whole human race. God chose the Virgin Mary from among the millions of virgins across the globe because of her humility.
The Spring of the Mother of God in Nazareth
The main road in Nazareth winds down from the hills, coming from Cana in Galilee, and on the right-hand side, in a small stone-paved square, lies the Spring of the Mother of God (Ma’ayan, in Aramaic). This spring was the scene of the apparition of the Archangel Gabriel. The Virgin Mary would come to this spring every day, from where she would draw water with a clay jug for daily use and for preparing food, just as all the women in the village did. On that day, the Feast of the Annunciation, an angelic voice spoke to the Virgin Mary: ‘Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women’ (Luke 1:28).
In those days, the Virgin Mary lived in Nazareth, weaving a purple cloth for the veil of the temple in Jerusalem, whilst the elderly Joseph was busy building houses in the area around the Sea of Galilee.
‘Mary was a pure virgin, serene in the stillness of her soul, which was so richly blessed. In fact, she loved to work, to fulfil her duties and to lift her thoughts towards faith and purity. She did not say that she did not like being seen with a man, but prayed to God that He might be her Judge. She did not like to leave her home or frequent public places, preferring to remain indoors, living a secluded life, like a bee in a hive. She generously gave whatever was needed and found in her home for the poor of the town. Her words were discreet and her voice measured; she was careful in her heart not to wrong anyone with a single wrong word, not even those eager to listen to gossip (…)” (Saint Athanasius 296–373)1. Other Holy Fathers of the Universal Church have written many more words about the spiritual and bodily purity of the Mother of God: “Mary, who conceived Christ, spurned marriage; not in order to be alone, but to receive Him, for she in whom He dwells must be a virgin, so that she might receive Him” (Saint Ephrem the Syrian, c. 306–373). ‘In any case, she guarded her virginity with great honour, as well as she could and as consistently as possible. She spoke very little – only what was necessary and good. Her words were sweet to the ear. She treated everyone with respect. With every person she conversed without raising her voice, without showing any agitation and, moreover, without getting angry” (Saint Epiphanius, Archbishop of Cyprus).
The Holy Fathers of the Universal Church explained in their writings the reasons behind the events that took place 2,000 years ago in Nazareth as follows: “The Holy Archangel Gabriel did not come to just any virgin, but to one who was betrothed to a man, in order to make it clear that, being betrothed to a man, Mary was truly a human being” (St Athanasius the Great)2.
Saint Ambrose described the life of the Virgin Mary in the home of her betrothed, the elderly Joseph, as follows: “The Virgin Mary knew no contact with any other body. She was a virgin not only in body but also in mind; she never defiled them, nor were there any inclinations to defile her virginity. She was always humble at heart, earnest in speech, attentive in mind, measured in her words, studious in her reading, placing her hope not in fleeting riches, but like a poor person devoted to work and modest in speech. She never sought to upset anyone, but showed kindness to all. She never put on airs before her superiors, let alone before her peers. She avoided boasting about herself, loved honour and followed justice. Never did a word pass her lips that was lacking in grace. She never harboured resentment towards her neighbours, nor did she break the law. She never shied away from helping her fellow human beings, let alone the poor. She never mocked anyone and showered everyone with her love”3.
The Virgin Mary travelled the roads of the Holy Land on several occasions. Coming from the City of Jerusalem, where she had been born and had lived in the Temple until the age of 15, when the Jewish high priests entrusted her to Joseph of Nazareth to look after her, the Virgin Mary settled in his home. Ecclesiastical writers have recounted this fact, stating that Joseph was a widower of a respectable age who lived in Nazareth, where he earned his living as a carpenter and woodcarver. Jesus Christ would also have learnt this trade during His childhood in Nazareth (Mark 6:3).
The Virgin Mary left Nazareth at several important moments in her life and that of Jesus, being absent for a few years whilst they fled to Egypt. They returned to Joseph’s home after Herod the Great had died and they were no longer in danger. Jesus spent his childhood years in this town, surrounded by his Mother’s love and the care of the elderly Joseph. Joseph died when Jesus was nearly 13 years old, the age at which boys in Jewish families are prepared to become bar mitzvah (a son under the Law), that is, the moment of transition from childhood to adulthood.
The city of Nazareth includes within its ecclesiastical heritage two churches that bear witness to the millennia-old history of the Annunciation: the Greek Orthodox and the Roman Catholic churches, situated a short distance from one another. The route between the two Christian basilicas passes through the old town centre. Pedestrian access is only possible via narrow, labyrinthine streets, flanked by old stone houses, silent witnesses to so many events that have taken place in this corner of the world. The Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Nazareth is also based in this area and has a church dedicated to ‘St M. Mc. George’.
The Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation
On the site where the Spring once stood, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem built, before the 1700s, a church dedicated to the Annunciation, named ‘Saint Archangel Gabriel’. This was built on the ruins of a Byzantine church, constructed by the Crusaders but destroyed by the wrath of the Mamluks led by the army commander Beybars in 1263. Descending the ancient stone steps, the interior of the church opens out from the nave onto further stone steps, where the Spring of the Mother of God can still be found today. A bridge across time. A bridge spanning over 2,000 years from the day of the Annunciation to the present day. And another bridge across time – from the Annunciation in Nazareth, a further 33 years, the earthly life of Jesus Christ, which culminated in Jerusalem, on Golgotha, where He revealed His love and humility: ‘But He emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness; and being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself, becoming obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross’ (Philippians 2:7–9).
The Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Annunciation
On the ruins of the house where Jesus Christ spent his early childhood and where he later worked alongside Joseph – in Joseph’s carpenter’s workshop – a Jew who had converted to Christianity, a certain Joseph of Tiberias, built a small chapel which served for Christian worship until the year 614, when the Persian armies, led by Khosrow, destroyed this church as well. After several further instances of destruction and reconstruction, the Franciscan monks built another church on top of the house in 1730, which was also demolished in 1955. Between 1960 and 1969, the present-day cathedral was built – an imposing structure rich in references to the life and work of Jesus Christ, depicted in mosaics of great artistic value.
The Cathedral of the Annunciation, belonging to the Latin Custody of the Holy Land (Knasiat Al-Bishra, in Arabic), was designed by the Italian architect Giovanni Muzio, in collaboration with the Israeli architect Itzhak Moshe Levkovicz.
In the inner courtyard, mosaic icons of the Mother of God are displayed on the walls. They were donated by several Christian countries around the world. These icons depict the Mother of God as Christians of various nationalities imagine her: Greece, Italy, the Philippines, Costa Rica, Vietnam, China, Korea, Romania, Russia, Georgia, Venezuela, and others. Over the centuries, since the beginning of the Christian era, Byzantine iconography has depicted the Virgin Mary in various ways, yet one particular quality stands out in all of them: ‘Her gaze may be simple, direct, serene, kind, loving and caring, yet at the same time full of compassion and goodwill. She is sometimes depicted with an innocent, critical, most modest, chaste or sisterly air; at other times, she is portrayed as serene, spiritual and meditative. Sometimes, her gaze inspires hope. At other times, her expression is searching and prayerful. Her appearance is at times dazzling to all those harbouring evil thoughts; she may also be depicted with a piercing, reproachful, unwavering gaze, yet at the same time patient and gentle. She may also be seen as maternal, distinguished, noble and discreet. Her nose is Jewish in appearance, long and narrow, with slender nostrils. She has a small mouth, with lips that are not particularly full. Her neat lips are always depicted as closed. Her cheeks are pale, with a slight flush on her cheekbones. Her delicate swan-like neck is always humbly bowed, meeting her chin in a slight shadow. Her entire demeanour is solemn and devout, bearing witness to the fact that she is the descendant of a very ancient race. Her hands are delicate and graceful, and her fingers are long, with narrow, short nails”4.
The cathedral’s façade is equally striking and monumental, featuring scenes from the life and miracles of Jesus, which are depicted on the central doors, carved in bronze: The Nativity, The Baptism, The Miraculous Catch of Fish, the Calming of the Storm at Sea and others.
The interior of the basilica appears austere, owing to the grey-toned finishes of the walls, yet the light filtering through the dome’s windows falls gently upon the marble floor and rises upwards, enveloping the space in a spirit of humble reverence and warm gratitude for the life and messianic ministry of Jesus Christ in these places.
Inside the cathedral there are two churches, one above the other:
– in the basement lie the ruins of the House of the Mother of God and the Roman Catholic altar, dedicated to the Annunciation;
– the church on the upper floor is adorned with other images of the Mother of God, crafted in mosaic from precious materials, such as the one donated by Japan: an oversized icon in which the Mother of God’s robes are embroidered with genuine pearls. In the central nave there is a beautiful mosaic depicting Jesus handing the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven to Saint Peter.
It is said that from the synagogue which stood at that time not far from this spot, Jesus Christ, aged 30, began his ministry of preaching the Gospel at the beginning of September: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour’ (Luke 4:18–19). For this reason, in the Orthodox Church, the ecclesiastical new year begins on 1 September.
The Mount of the Abyss or the Brow of the Mountain
The place from which Jesus left Nazareth, driven out by His own people, is called the Mount of the Abyss (Jabal al-Qafzeh, in Arabic).
Jesus Christ, having begun His messianic ministry in Galilee, came to Nazareth and spoke to the local Jews in the synagogue: ‘And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up, and, as was His custom, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And, opening the scroll, He found the passage where it is written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor; He has sent me to heal the broken-hearted; to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind; to set at liberty those who are oppressed; and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord’. And, closing the scroll and handing it back to the attendant, He sat down, whilst the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed upon Him. And He began to say to them, ‘Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’ And they all marvelled at the words of grace that came from His mouth, and said, ‘Is not this the son of Joseph?’ And He said to them, ‘Surely you will bring this proverb against Me: “Teacher, heal yourself! Do here in your own town the things we have heard were done in Capernaum!’ And He said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in his own town. And truly I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut for three years and six months, so that there was a great famine throughout the land, and to none of them was Elijah sent, except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon, to a widow. And there were many lepers in Israel in the days of the prophet Elisha, yet none of them was spared, except Naaman the Syrian.’ And all those in the synagogue, hearing this, were filled with rage. And, rising up, they drove Him out of the town and led Him to the edge of the cliff on which their town was built, so that they might throw Him over the precipice’ (Luke 4:16–29).
All that remains of the Jewish city on the Mount of the Precipice is a rocky area, situated on heights that are difficult to access, but which offers a panoramic view of the Jezreel Valley and Mount Tabor. Jesus Christ then left Nazareth: “And He, passing through their midst, went on His way. And He went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and taught them on the Sabbath” (Luke 4:30). In 2009, on the occasion of Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to the Holy Land, a small stone altar was erected on that spot to mark the moment described in Holy Scripture.
The town of Nazareth, that small village nestled amongst the biblical hills of the Holy Land, has, over the centuries, alongside the event of the Annunciation, become the most visited place in Galilee. The salvation of the human race began in Nazareth, by a stream, through the purest and most humble of human beings, the Virgin Mary. The town always has a spring-like atmosphere, peaceful and full of the joy of every new beginning.
‘Rejoice, thou who art clothed with the Sun, who shedst grace and glory upon all creation!’ (Akathist Hymn to the Dormition of the Mother of God)