Gan Le’ummi ‘En Kerem

En Kerem is the village where Zechariah and Elizabeth lived. Elizabeth was Mary's cousin and mother of John the Baptist. This is where Mary went to visit her cousin. The church is built on the traditional site of Zechariah's summer home, likely where the cousins met.
The 1st picture is the front of the church with the mosaic of Mary riding a donkey to see her cousin. The 2nd picture is the outside wall which is covered with the Magnificat in many languages. Tradition holds that this is where Mary offered this prayer.
The 3rd and 4th picture are in the basement of the building. This is a vaulted chapel. In the 3rd picture are some of the mosaics of scenes related to the visit including Zechariah in the temple, the visit and Elizabeth and John hiding in the well.
In the 4th picture is the altar and, to the right, is the well where Elizabeth and John are said to drink and to hide.
The 5th picture is upstairs in the main church with its frescoes showing the council of Ephesus where Mary was declared Theotokos, the wedding at Cana and more.
The last picture is of one of several garden around the site.Read more