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Church of the Annunciation

Nazareth, HaTzafon, Israel

The Church of the Annunciation is supposedly where the archangel Gabriel told Mary that she would have a child. The church is located in Nazareth, Israel. Nazareth is an Arab city, so the service we attended on Easter Sunday was in Arabic. That was a bit of a surprise!

The area immediately surrounding the church is a large open square. There were quite a few tourists when we visited on Easter Sunday.

The church itself and the surrounding square area has a very modern feel. It is a sharp contrast to the area outside of the church, which is a little bit run down. We had a difficult time finding the church, and parked a 15-minute walk away. Although it was never scary walking around trying to find the church, there are definitely nicer areas in Israel.

The interior of the church looks like any modern church. There were a couple modern art pieces and mosaics around the walls. We didn't have much time to look around, because soon after we arrived, a service started. We only stayed for approximately 5 minutes, but we were able to hear quite a nice song. The service was in Arabic, so we couldn't understand what was being said.

Cost

There is no entrance fee to go inside the church.

Dress

Before I had entered the church, someone outside in the square told me I wouldn't be permitted to enter with shorts. Nobody stopped me, and I did see other people wearing shorts, so it couldn't have been that big of a problem. I don't see how anyone could be wearing pants when it was probably 35 degrees that day.

Estimated Visiting Time

Inside the Church of the Annunciation

We spent about 10 minutes looking around the church, and then stayed for the first part of the service. I would estimate 15-25 minutes should be sufficient for most people to walk around the church and see what's there.

While in the area, you should also stop by the Church of St. Joseph - it's directly across the square from the Church of the Annunciation.