Basilica of the Annunciation

The Story

The Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth stands over the grotto that Christian tradition venerates as the home of the Virgin Mary, where the Archangel Gabriel announced that she would conceive and bear the Son of God (Luke 1:26-38). For Christians it marks the place where, in Mary's 'yes,' the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Veneration of the site reaches back to the early centuries of the Church. Archaeology beneath the basilica has revealed traces of early Christian devotion, followed by a Byzantine church and a great Crusader basilica, each built over the grotto in turn. After centuries of destruction and rebuilding, the Franciscans of the Custody of the Holy Land, guardians of the site since the seventeenth century, raised the present church. The modern basilica, designed by Giovanni Muzio and completed in 1969, is among the largest churches in the Middle East. Its lower level encloses the Grotto of the Annunciation, kept in quiet shadow for prayer, while the upper church serves the local Catholic community. Around the courtyard and inside the basilica, mosaics of the Madonna donated by Catholic communities from many nations proclaim the universality of devotion to the Mother of God. Pilgrims to the Holy Land regularly begin or crown their journey in Nazareth, praying the Angelus at the place where tradition holds it was first lived, especially on the Solemnity of the Annunciation, March 25.

Church Recognition

A minor basilica entrusted to the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land, built over a site venerated since the early Christian centuries as the place of the Annunciation.

Catholic Teaching

The Annunciation is the moment of the Incarnation, when by the power of the Holy Spirit the Son of God took flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary (CCC 484-486); Mary's free consent, her fiat, makes her the model of faith and obedience for the whole Church (CCC 494).

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Practical

1 Additional Information ▾

The modern basilica encloses the Grotto of the Annunciation, the reputed home of Mary.

Go Deeper

Read the Annunciation account in Luke 1:26-38, the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the Incarnation (CCC 456-486), and the pilgrimage resources of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land, which cares for the basilica.