Faces of Mary
/The Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth, Israel is a beautiful church – regardless of the fortitude or flavor of your faith. The spot is serene; an atmosphere that could stem from the fact that Mary seems to be rather uncontroversially loved by all. (A nice goal, I suppose.) The church was built on top of what is considered the original home of Joseph and Mary, and excavated areas show the original village of Nazareth, including the room in which Mary was visited by the Archangel Gabriel. It’s gone through rounds of rebuilds – originally established in Byzantine times, overseen (into disrepair) by Muslims, reconstructed by Crusaders, and again by the Franciscans. The church today was built in the late 60s and is currently one of the largest in the Middle East.
But I am neither a history nor religion buff (really, ask anyone), so these details only half interest me. Where I spent most of my time in the Basilica of the Annunciation was the upper part of the church and in the courtyard. Here you can find paintings and mosaics dedicated from all around the world that depict Mary and the nationalism of the donating country. Guess what? Mary is not always an elegant white woman.
The American work is – can you guess – rather large and predominantly placed in the upper part of the church. And Spain, for whatever reason, has three mosaics in the courtyard:
Nazareth is considered the Arab capital of Israel – of the 65k population, roughly 40k are Muslim. So, the hometown of Mary – and the spot where Jesus may have played street games with childhood friends – is not without religious tension. For example, this billboard in the center of the city:
