Basilica of the Annunciation Church

Address: Basilica of the Annunciation, 1 Mary’s Well St, Nazareth, Israel

Website: http://www.basilica-annunciation.com/

Hours: Daily 8:00am-7:00pm (hours may vary seasonally and on liturgical days)

Admission: Entrance to the Basilica is free; some museums and guided tours in Nazareth may charge modest fees

The Basilica of the Annunciation is a modern Catholic basilica in Nazareth built over the site traditionally identified as the home of the Virgin Mary. The current structure dates from the 1960s and 1970s and combines a large upper church with a lower level around the Annunciation grotto.

The upper basilica provides a large worship space decorated with mosaics and artworks donated by Catholic communities worldwide, while the lower church preserves the Grotto of the Annunciation, a focal point for pilgrims and devotional practice. The complex also incorporates archaeological displays that present remains of earlier churches and domestic structures on the site.

Previous churches occupied this location in late antiquity and the medieval period; the modern basilica was commissioned and built in the mid-20th century to accommodate large numbers of pilgrims and to unify several older structures. The site continues to be an important pilgrimage destination for Christians.

The basilica sits in Nazareth in northern Israel, within the town’s Christian quarter; it is a short walk from other pilgrimage sites and is approximately 25 km west of the Sea of Galilee and about 30 km east of Haifa by road.

• Grotto location: The basilica stands over the traditional Grotto of the Annunciation, which has been a pilgrimage site for centuries and is preserved beneath the upper church.
• Mosaic programme: Mosaics on the basilica’s exterior were donated by Catholic communities from many different countries and depict Mary in a range of cultural styles.

What to See#

• Upper Basilica: Upper Basilica - a large modern church with a vaulted nave and international mosaics that decorate the exterior and interior facades.
• Lower Church / Grotto: Lower Church and Grotto - the site traditionally associated with the Annunciation, located beneath the modern basilica and preserved as a devotional grotto.
• Archaeological displays: Archaeological rooms and museum displays - nearby spaces showing excavated remains of earlier churches and domestic structures from Nazareth.

The Basilica is in central Nazareth, about 30-40 minutes by bus from Haifa and roughly 1 hour by car from Tel Aviv. Local buses and shared taxis serve Nazareth; the basilica is within easy walking distance of the city center.

• Arrive early in the morning to see the basilica before tour groups arrive and to catch softer light on the mosaics.
• Respect liturgical schedules - the basilica is an active church and mass times are posted at the site.
• Visit the adjacent lower church and archaeological spaces for older Roman and Byzantine layers under the modern basilica.