Excursion «512. Christmas in Nazareth»

Nazareth, is the third most important city for Christians after Jerusalem and Bethlehem, here the childhood and youth of Jesus Christ passed. Nazareth got its name from the Hebrew word "netzer" - a branch, although in modern Hebrew this word is not used to denote a branch. Nazareth was first mentioned in the Gospel.
According to archaeological excavations, there used to be an agricultural settlement, where only a few families lived, including the holy family (the Blessed Virgin Mary, Joseph and Jesus Christ). The significant Christian shrine in Nazareth is undoubtedly the grotto of the Annunciation, over which the Temple of the Annunciation was erected. In the vicinity of the city there are: Sepphoris National Park - the parental home of Mary, the remains of the Crusader fortress and other archaeological sites.
It is because of this that Jesus is called “ha-Nozri,” which means Nazarene.

It is a small Arab settlement. Here happened a miracle known to us from the biblical story , created by Jesus - at the wedding, he turned water into wine, deciding to help the newlyweds at the request of the Mother. Now on this place is the Catholic Temple of the Lord’s wedding. It is believed that the marriages concluded in this Temple are the strongest and happiest. Also in Cana of Galilee you can see the Church of St. George the Victorious and the Church of the Holy Apostle Bartholomew.

Israel is a country where, at almost every step, you can see one or another attraction preserved from biblical times. Mount of Beatitudes is the place where Jesus once delivered his Sermon on the Mount, consisting of several parts. Each of them began with the word "blessed." From this came the name of the mountain. In the first half of the 20th century, according to the project of Antonio Barluzzi, the Church of the Sermon on the Mount was built there. It is notable for the fact that instead of stained glass windows from which you can see the places where Jesus once passed.

Thanks to the Roman emperor Constantine the Great and his mother Elena,  were built churches on the territory of the Holy Land celebrating the main gospel events: the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem and the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth.  According to the Christian tradition, Mary lived here exactly when the archangel Gabriel announced the good news about the birth of the messiah, thats why this place it seems to be unique.
The modern church was erected in 1969 and is the largest Catholic church in the entire Middle East. The church consists of two levels, the lower level is the grotto, where, upon giving, was Virgin Mary during the Annunciation. You should pay attention to the frescoes that have come down to us from the past and miraculously preserving their almost original appearance.
In the grotto there is a throne with a marble circle, where the message is written in Latin: "Verbum caro hic factum est" - "Here your word has become flesh."

As  known, Jesus was baptized in the waters of the Jordan River. That is why Christians from different parts of the world want to plunge into this river, and some want to perform the rite of baptism here. For this, the government of Israel was equipped with a special complex called Yardenit. The Yardenit complex is a calm backwater at the source of the sacred Jordan River. This place is equipped with everything necessary for the convenience of visitors. There are showers, locker rooms, and pedestrian walkways that make it convenient to approach the water. In addition, on the territory of the complex there are small shops where it is possible to purchase souvenirs or cosmetics from Israel, as well as special water containers for Jordan.

No one will remain hungry, because in the complex there is a restaurant with a large selection of dishes.

the Cathedral of the Twelve Apostles is the Greek Temple of  and the monastery of the Greek Orthodox Church. According to legend, the temple stands in place of the house where the Lord healed paralysis.

Capernaum

The New Testament calls Capernaum the birthplace of the four apostles of Christ: Andrew, Peter and the brothers John and James.

Capernaum was located near Tabgha (5 km), on the northwestern shore of Lake Kinneret, known in the Gospels as the Sea of ​​Galilee .

Jordan is a river in the Middle East, considered being one of the most sacred rivers in the world.

Jordan originates at the foot of the Mount Hermon, flows through the Sea of Galilee, and runs into the Dead Sea. In its downstream it represents a natural border between Israel and Jordan.

Jordan is frequently mentioned in the Bible. According to the Old Testament, the Jewish people with Joshua crossed Jordan on dry land while its waters parted by miracle, thus completing the forty-year-long wandering of the Jews in the desert. Later, according to the Gospel, Jesus Christ was baptized in the waters of this river.