Nazareth - Church of the Annunciation

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Monastery name, type, category

Site Name:

Nazareth

Identification:

The church of the Annunciation was constructed at a site that was regarded as the place where the angel of God delivered the message to the Virgin Mary that she would bear the son of God (Luke 1, 26-38). Before the construction of the church and monastery, the site was a shrine for the cult of the Virgin.

Monastery name:

Church of the Annunciation

Monastery type:

Cenobium

Monastery category:

Village

Pilgrims

Former ruin

Source of sacredness:

New Testament site

Sacred Objects

Location

Coordinates, ITM system:

228,252.00

734,240.00

Coordinates, ICS system:

178,248.00

234,240.00

Geographical region:

Lower Galilee

Provincial affiliation:

Palaestina II

Bishopric:

Gaba Hippeum

Topographical location:

The site is located on a moderate slope in the Nazareth hill range.

Soils:

Chalk

Distance from nearest bishop-seat:

ca. 22 km (Gaba Hippeum)

Distance from nearest settlement:

0 (Nazareth)

Distance from Roman roads:

ca. 10 km.

Source of knowledge

Literary sources

Epigraphy

Archaeological remains

Surveyed site

Surveyors:

Name	Date
Quaresmius	1617-26
Tobler	1868
Hardy/Goudard	1905
Chevalier	1906
Baldi	1935

Excavated site

Excavators:

Name	Date
Vlamink	1892
Viaud	1910
Bagatti	1955-1960

History:

The site marking the event of the Annunciation was already a shrine for the cult of the Virgin Mary in the late Roman and early Byzantine period. Remains of this shrine, including architectural elements, graffiti and painted plaster, were discovered beneath the monastery and church that were excavated by Bagatti. The shrine was dismantled and its fragments were used as fill for the foundations when the church and monastery were constructed, apparently in the early fifth century. The structure stood until the twelfth century when it was dismantled to make way for a large and elaborate Crusader church. The Crusader church was destroyed in the second half of the thirteenth century by the Malmeluk Sultan, Baybars. In the eighteenth century a Franciscan church and monastery were constructed on the site. A fourth church was constructed on the site, along with a Franciscan convent and seminary, in the twentieth century, after the eighteenth century structure was torn down.

Bibliograpy:

de Vogüé, M., 1860	348-50
Bagatti, B., 1955	28-37
Governanti, G. , 1962
Bagatti, B., 1969
Ovadiah, A., 1970	144-45
Ovadiah, A. and de Silva, C. G., 1982	159-60

Abbreviation for Journals and Series

Discussion:

The monastery of the Church of the Annunciation is similar to the monasteries attached to important churches in Jerusalem- the monasteries of the Spudaioi. The monks' function was probably to provide the necessary services for visiting pilgrims. Therefore, the church itself, a pilgrims' destination, cannot be regarded as a monastic church. This is the type of monastery identified by Hirschfeld as monasteries "attached to memorial churches" (Hirschfeld 1992: 55-56). Although his reference was to Judean Desert monasteries located on the pilgrimage routes and not to urban or village monasteries, we can regard the latter monasteries as belonging to this type including the one in Nazareth.

State of certainty:

Archaeologically and Literarily definitive

General description

State of preservation/which parts were uncovered:

The site was very poorly preserved under the medieval and later churches. The complex which consisted of a basilica with an atrium and a small monastery to its south was excavated, after which the mosaics of the church were preserved and the monastery was completely dismantled.

Illustrative material:

Illustrative_material

Photos

Nazareth- demolition of the monastery (Bagatti: 139, fig. 83)

Figures

Nazareth- plan of the church and monastery (Bagatti: 94, image 49)

General description

Enclosing walls:

The monastery formed an integral part of the church. The whole complex within the enclosing walls measured 48 x 27 m. (1296 m²).

Courtyards:

An atrium was located west of the church. It was suggested that the area marked f in the plan might had served as an elongated cloister of the small onastery.

Churche/s:

The church of the Annunciation was a basilica measuring 19.5 x 39.60 m, including the atrium. The church was paved in polychrome mosaics. The southern aisle was two steps lower than the nave and the northern aisle due to the slope on which the church had been built. The remains were in a very poor state of preservation and very little remained of the structure although segments of mosaic pavement were preserved.

Dwellings:

The monastery was located south of the church and consisted of several elongated halls. The individual functions of the halls was not ascertained. Remains of mosaic floors were preserved in halls h, i and j (mosaic nos. 8-10 on the plan).

Water installations:

Many cisterns were located and investigated in and around the church and monastery complex.

Small finds

Small finds:

Category	Description
Coins	Coins found beneath the mosaic pavement of the monastery were dated to the late Roman period.

Detailed description

Dimensions:

Total area (sqm)	Size class
1,296	Medium

Structure

Materials applied (walls):

Limestone

Components

Enclosing wall

Courtyard/s

Monastery church:

Church type	Diakonikon	Link to church section	Church location
basilical		Nazareth - Church of the Annunciation	Ground floor

Baptismal font

Number of stories:

Retaining walls

Water installations:

Cisterns

Inscribed crosses

Architectural evolution

Phase 1
Phase 2
Abandonment

General outline:

The church and its adjacent monastery were constructed in the early fifth century CE. The structure forms one integral unit. It was constructed over fill consisting of architectural members and other remains of the earlier structure named by Bagatti "pre-Byzantine" and dating to the fourth-early fifth century.

Dating material:

The paving in the monastery was dated by Bagatti to post 427 CE, based on the circles in the mosaic pavement which did not contain crosses in keeping with the imperial decree of 427 CE.

Phase date

Century:

5th c.

Within century:

First half

Iconoclastic evidence

Iconoclastic evidence:

General outline:

A small monastery apparently continued to exist at least up to the 9th century, attested in the Commemoratorium de Casis dei in 808 CE. It is not known if the monastery continued to function right up to the twelfth century when the church was rebuilt by the Crusaders.

Dating material:

Literary source.

Phase date

Century:

9th c.

General outline:

There is no evidence to its having been abandoned or otherwise. It is even possible that a small community of monks was still on the premises or nearby when the Crusaders overtook the region.

Phase date

Century:

Unknown

Post Arab conquest history:

Still in use