When you descend into the grotto of the Church of St. Gabriel in Nazareth, give yourself over to the sound of rushing water, the cool stone walls, and a sense of the village where Jesus grew up. The well, its edges grooved by countless ropes bearing vessels to the water, and the steps to the spring, may be a 1,000 years old.

The Gospels don’t say where in Nazareth the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would give birth to Jesus (Luke 1:26-38), but it is easy to imagine, as ancient tradition says, that it took place here, at the spring, where Mary would have come daily with the other village girls to draw water.

This church, its walls colorfully painted with Gospel scenes, still serves Christians of this city.

www.nazarethinfo.org