No matter from which direction visitors enter the lovely valley where Nazareth lays, their eyes are immediately drawn to a single monument which is outstanding for its size and unusual architecture. The Church of the Annunciation towers not only over the maze of private homes around it, but also over the large Franciscan monastery that stretches alongside of it. The massive, square base brings to mind the walls of a fortress, but the elegant octagonal drum, topped by the truncatedconical cupola with open lantern lead to thoughts and aspirations of the supernatural world. As Eutychius of Alexandria (IX cent.) wrote in the first part of his Kittib alburhiin or The Book of Proof.
"Christ also bequeathed us his relics and the places that witnessed his holiness on earth, and as a pledge of the kingdom of heaven and the delights of the future life that he promised us ... In this way, the church of Nazareth which is in the Galilee in the region of the Jordan River, bears witness to the annunciation to Mary by the Archangel Gabriel that she would conceive the Christ". The basilica as it stands today was built for the Custody of the Holy Land by the Italian architect, Professor Giovanni Muzio of Milan. The work itself was done by the skilled Christian and Moslem masons and carvers of Nazareth under the direction of the Franciscan architect, Father Benedetto Antonucci. Actual construction was begun on 30 September 1960 when the contract was signed, and the basilica was consecrated by Gabriel Cardinal Garrone on 23 March 1969. Sixtyfive meters long, twentyseven wide and fiftyfive high, it is the biggest building of its kind in the Middle East. On his pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Pope Paul VI visited the work site and celebrated Mass in the Holy Grotto on 5 January 1964. In memory of the pope's visit, the city of Nazareth renamed its main street that runs along the base of the hill where the complex stands, for Paul VI.

The Grotto of the Annunciation
The lower basilica encloses, and provides access insofar as possible, to the site of the Annunciation and archeological finds that bear witness to the long history of  our Christianity. Something from each of the buildings that preceded the current structure has been kept visible. From the Franciscan church of 1730 there is the altar of the Holy Grotto; from the crusader church (XII cent.) there are the smaller granite columns that mark off the "Angel's Chapel", and the other larger columns that support the pillars of the nave, and the northern wall of the church which is the back of the grotto.
The column bases which now support the main altar and some of the  mosaics probably date from the Byzantine church (V cent.) of which the apse is still visible on the eastern side. The wall facing the grotto, the mosaics of "the crown" and "of Conon" as well as the floral paintings and ancient inscriptions in the little grotto along the southern wall of the Grotto of the Annunciation date from the pre-Byzantine structure (III-IV cent.)

The Upper Basilica
It is obvious that the builder wanted to distinguish the upper part of the basilica from the simplicity of the crypt. Large windows fill the big room with light, and the visitors' eyes are practically overwhelmed by artworks. The "unfinished" bare cement does not actually diminish the magnificence of this church. The big central "oculus" gives the building a sense of unity, by creating a physical link between the oldest relics in the crypt and airy height of the dome, covered with prefabricated panelling. Major international celebrations are held here, as is daily worship for the local, Roman catholic population. The church fills up completely on some of the most solemn occasions such as the Good Friday procession which is an important religious event for the local Arab Christian community.
The inlays on the central marble pavement, by the Italian artist Adriano Alessandrini of Rome, depict Mary's prerogatives as recognized by the Ecumenical Councils starting with the Council of Ephesus (431 A.D.) and papal decrees. Along the walls, going clockwise, after the panel dedicated to Marian sanctuaries entrusted to the Sons of St. Francis, are paintings from Cameroon, Hungary, Taiwan, Venezuela, Brazil, Poland, the United States of America, Portugal, Spain, France, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Australia, Lebanon, England and Italy.
The back walls of the choir are decorated with a majestic mosaic by the painter Salvatore Fiume of Canzo, Italy. In the center, Christ spreads his arms towards all humanity that is going to him. At his side, stands Peter who has received the keys to the kingdom of heaven. In the lower right portion of the mosaic are the popes who governed the Church from 1917 to 1968: Benedict XV, Pius XI, Pius XII, John XXIII and Paul V1.
The chapel on the left is dedicated to St. Francis (the graffito with the scene of the saint receiving the stigmata was done by the Italian painter, Glauco Baruzzi of Milan) and the Franciscan order to which the Holy See assigned custodianship of the holy places in 1342, thus confirming what the sovereigns of Naples, Charles of Anjou and his wife, Sancia of Majorca had managed to obtain from the Sultan through extensive diplomatic negotiations and enormous outlays. of money.
The chapel on the right, where the Holy Sacrament is kept, is dedicated to all the saints, and in particular those of Palestine. The paintings, by the Spanish artist Rafael Ubeda of Pontevedra develop the theme of universal reconciliation as the final phase in the struggle between good and evil that embraces all humanity in its difficult journey on this earth. An expression of this effort at reconciliation is the scene of the historic embrace between Pope Paul VI and Athenagoras 1, patriarch of Constantinople during the pope's pilgramage to the Holy Land in 1964.