The Church of the Visitation

The Church of the Visitation in the Ein Kerem neighborhood of Jerusalem is a Catholic church that is located up a mountain. It is named in honor of the visit paid by Mary, Jesus' mother, to the house of her relative Elizabeth, John the Baptist's mother. According to Christian tradition this is the site of the home of Zechariah and Elizabeth, John the Baptist's parents. Here can be found the remains of a Byzantine church and a Crusaders church, and on top of them there is a magnificent modern 20th century church (that was inaugurated in 1955), which was built by the famous Italian architect Antonio Barluzzi, who is responsible for many impressive churches around Israel in general and Jerusalem in particular. From the ancient Byzantine church a cave survived, in which, according to Christian tradition, Elizabeth hid her son, John the Baptist, during King Herod's Massacre of the Innocents in which Herod had all of Bethlehem’s children of two years of age and younger killed. The church is designed as a summer house, with a mat floor and vine ceiling. These floral designs are made of mosaics. From the Crusaders church a few walls have survived which were integrated into the modern church. Its fa?ade faces the courtyard and features a large mosaic which depicts the Visitation. The modern church includes a bell tower and it is decorated with huge murals which describe various scenes from the New Testament. In the courtyard there are ceramic tiles bearing verses from Mary’s Magnificat in 47 different languages.