Jordan River, Town of Kana, City of Nazareth

 September 27, 2023

The Jordan River

After our lunch in the town of Magdala, we bused to the head waters of the Jordan River.  Here the Bible speaks of Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist.  This is a favorite spot for new Christians to make their baptism and for tourists to at least stick their toe into the Jordan River.

And the heavens opened and the Spirit descended upon Him.

The Place of Baptism

Town of Kana

Next we stop in the Town of Kana  (Cana) where Jesus performed his first miracle at a wedding feast.  He turned jars of water into wine at the request of his mother Mary.  The church here is known at the Wedding Church.  Many tourists make it a point to celebrate their own marriage vows while visiting.

Sylvia and I did just that in a smaller side chapel along with five other couples of our touring group.

The Wedding Church in Kana

   

Side Chapel for Wedding Vows

Main altar of Wedding Church

Wedding Church in Kana

Of course we needed to sample some of the locally made wine

while in Kana.  It was a very sweet tasing red wine.

City of Nazareth

Here in Nazareth there is a Church of St Joseph that is built over a site of his carpenter shop.  It was erected in 1914 over the ancient ruins of the Church of the Franks.   It is very close to the Church of the Annunciation.  

Church of St Joseph

Jesus learns at St Joseph's knee

The Basilica of the Annunciation took 10 years to build.

It is built over the cave that is believed to be the home 

of the Holy Family.  The outside of the Basilica has

bronze metal doors that show scenes from the Bible.

The main church has an opening in its floor to look

 down into the crypt below.                                                

Tower of Annunciation Church

Front of the Annunciation Church

Bronze Doors of Annunciation Church

The lower crypt has a gated area that is believed to be home of the Holy Family.

Crypt of the Annunciation Church

Home of the Holy Family

After this visit to Nazareth, we returned to our hotel in Tiberius.  After we returned we had supper and packed for our early departure the next morning.  We had to leave at two in the morning to catch our seven AM flight from Tel Aviv to Athens.

This ended our Visit to the Holy Land.

The End of the Holy Land Visit.