79 The Church of the Visitation
A tour in English of the Catholic Church of the Visitation, located in the picturesque and beautiful village of Ein Kerem. The church commemorates the visit paid by Mary, Jesus’s mother, to her relative Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, while both women were pregnant. According to Christian tradition, the church was built on the spot where John the Baptist’s parents had their summer home. The site, which used to be a Byzantine church, was purchased by Franciscans in the 17th century. But only in the middle of the 19th century were they able to secure funding and a permit to build the church.
The hourlong tour will be led by the tour guide and diplomat, Sharon Regev, who for many years was the director of the Religions Division at Israel’s Foreign Ministry and is an expert on faith communities.
Entry to the church is contingent on wearing modest clothing (that covers knees and shoulders).
