A journey back in time on our first special feature dedicated to the Virgin Mary in this month of May. We are deepening our knowledge of the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth
Though a Marian shrine, the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth indicates that Mary is the model, but Christ is at the centre. This is the place where the Word became incarnate. “Verbum caro hic factum est” is the inscription at the place of the Annunciation. This is where the Word was made flesh.
We take a step back in time with Brother Bruno Varriano, Rector of the Basilica to visit and discover this special place.
Br BRUNO VARRIANO, OFM
Rector of the Basilica of the Annunciation
“Welcome to the Marian shrine par excellence. This is where the Virgin Mary lived. This was where the Annunciation to the Most Holy Virgin took place. Mary was at her home, the home of her parents, when the Archangel Gabriel came to give her the message. This place, this home, has always been venerated.”
As Brother Bruno tells us, there has always been a liturgical connection amongst the various times of history, and archaeological finds prove this. The digs in the village the remains of which are still visible today in the archaeological area next to the Basilica sets out a system of natural and man-made caves which were an integral part of the dwellings.
Br BRUNO VARRIANO, OFM
Rector of the Basilica of the Annunciation
“The village of Nazareth has been in existence from the Old Testament, before Jesus. Archaeologists tell us that there was an agricultural village too and that amongst the houses there was one venerated and the home of Mary. We also have graffiti reading “Hairo Maria”, dating back to the first or second century, the oldest witness in the world. The relatives of Jesus and of Mary and Joseph who knew them in person already entertained this devotion and transformed this place into Domus ecclesiae.”
Domus ecclesiae – the Latin term means “house of the assembly” or “house of the church”. This was a private building adapted to the needs of worship where the early Christians would meet before the edict of Constantine in 313.
In the following centuries the place continued to be venerated and modified by the Byzantines and the Crusaders. The Franciscans arrived and received ownership of the grotto by the Druse Emir of Sidon.
Br BRUNO VARRIANO, OFM
Rector of the Basilica of the Annunciation
“The brothers arrived in 1620 and built a mall church which stood until 1955. At that point the need rightly emerged to erect a magnificent Basilica at the place of the Annunciation. Therefore the current Basilica was built according to plans drawn up by Giovanni Muzio. It is grand and the largest of the Middle East, containing the Marian devotions of the entire world.”
For centuries Nazareth has been the heart of pilgrims and travellers, the “Flower of Galilee”, and preserves the memory of the dialogue between Gabriel and Mary.