Jesus' Synagogue Church in Nazareth, Israel

Jesus grew up in Nazareth. He studied and prayed in a synagogue, the ruins of which are believed to lie beneath a church built by the Crusaders in the 12th Century and that is known as The Synagogue Church.

Before the Christians were freer to observe their religion in the 18th Century, the building was neglected and in ruins. The Franciscans began to renovate the site and it was completed in 1887 by the Greek Orthodox Church, that also built a new chapel next to it. The entrance to the two are through the same small courtyard.

Let us proceed from the Basilica of the Annunciation to the market as the Synagogue Church can be found there.

My wanderings around Nazareth on several occasions, with Christian friends and without, have led me to the market where I can enjoy bargaining for fresh fruits and vegetables and perhaps even a baklava. Given the incredibly high calorie count of this Middle-Eastern specialty sweet, I have not tasted one in years. I merely allow my eyes to feast on them now.

Then, to my surprise, I noticed the sign to the Synagogue Church one day for the very first time. Had I known it was there, I certainly would have taken my friends to see it. Now, I went in alone. The first thing to strike me was the small, very aesthetic and clean entrance way; too small to be called a courtyard, really. What a contrast to the noisy and cluttered market I just left!