Church of the Annunciation

The second stop on the drive to Jerusalem didn't quite live up to expectations either. Nazareth wasn't exactly the peaceful little town I imagined it being two thousand years ago. Today it's more crowded, dirty, frustrating...not my favorite spot in Israel.

One redeeming factor, though, is the Church of the Annunciation, which commemorates the place where the angel Gabriel visited Mary and revealed to her that she would bear the son of God.

The church is absolutely enormous.
Inside, there are two worship areas, one on the first floor and one on the second. On the second floor is a large, but typical, church worship space. The pictures are really dark, but the church was nice, very ornate and absolutely enormous.
The stairs down to the first floor were decorated with really interesting stained glass windows and Latin scriptures.
On the first floor of the church is an altar and worship area just outside the cave where Mary is said to have lived. The area is much less ornate, much more peaceful, much more holy than the second floor. I imagine it's an incredible place to worship.