The Church of the Visitation (formerly
Abbey Church of St John in the Woods) is a Catholic church in Ein
Karem, Jerusalem, and honors the visit paid by the Virgin Mary, the mother of
Jesus, to Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. (Luke 1:39–56).
This is the site where tradition tells us that Mary recited her song of
praise, the Magnificat, one of the most ancient Marian hymns.
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Ein Karem.
Ein Karem (lit. "Spring of the Vineyard") is an ancient village
southwest of historical Jerusalem, and now a neighbourhood of the modern
city, within Jerusalem District, Israel.
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Christian tradition holds that Saint John the Baptist was born in Ein
Karem, this leading to the establishment of many churches and
monasteries in the area.
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See more at
Ein Karem - Wikipedia.
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Mary's Spring.
According to a Christian tradition which started in the 14th century,
the Virgin Mary drank water from this village spring, and here is also
the place where Mary and Elizabeth met. Therefore, since the 14th
century the spring is known as the Fountain of the Virgin.
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The spring waters are considered holy by some Catholic and Orthodox
Christian pilgrims who visit the site and fill their bottles.
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What looks like a spring is actually the end of an ancient aqueduct.
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The former Arab inhabitants built a mosque and school on the site, of
which a Maqam (shrine) and minaret still remain. An inscribed panel to
the courtyard of the mosque dates it to 1828-1829 CE (1244 H.)
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Staircase that goes up to the Church of the Visitation.
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Church of the Visitation.
The Church of the Visitation, or Abbey Church of St John in the Woods,
is located across the village to the southwest from St. John's.
- The ancient sanctuary there was built against a rock declivity.
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It is venerated as the pietra del nascondimento, the "stone in
which John was concealed," in reference to the Protevangelium of
James.
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The site is also attributed to John the Baptist's parental summer
house, where Mary visited them.
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The modern church was built in 1955, also on top of ancient church
remnants. It was designed by Antonio Barluzzi, an Italian architect,
who designed many other churches in the Holy Land during the 20th
century.
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Facade of the upper church.
On the facade of the upper church is a striking mosaic commemorating the
Visitation.
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Entering the lower church.
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Italianate frescoes in the lower church.
The interior of the lower church holds Italianate frescoes depicting
Zachary at the altar of the Lord, the Visitation, and Elizabeth hiding
her son during the Massacre of the Innocents.
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Rock with a cleft in the lower church.
The rock with a cleft next to the entrance of the medieval crypt is said
to mark the site where the mountain opened up to hide Elizabeth and the
infant John from Herod's soldiers – this is the "Rock of Concealment".
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This tradition is based on the 2nd-century apocryphal Protoevangelium
of James 22:3.
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Well-head in the lower church.
The lower church contains a narrow medieval barrel-vaulted crypt ending
with a well-head from which, according to tradition, Elizabeth and her
infant drank.
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The well is connected to a Roman or Byzantine overflow pipe running
under the medieval floor.
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Mosaics in the lower church.
Also preserved are remains of the ancient church and beautiful mosaic
floors.
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Forty-two ceramic tablets bearing the verses of the Magnificat.
The courtyard contains a statue of Mary and Elizabeth, and on the wall
opposite the entrance to the lower church are forty-two ceramic tablets
bearing the verses of the Magnificat in as many different languages.
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The Magnificat (Latin for "[My soul] magnifies [the Lord]") is a
canticle, also known as the Song of Mary, the Canticle of Mary and, in
the Byzantine tradition, the Ode of the Theotokos.
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It is traditionally incorporated into the liturgical services of the
Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, Lutheran Churches and
the Anglican Communion.
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See more at
Magnificat - Wikipedia.
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Leaving the Church of the Visitation.
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See also
Source
Location
