The 2,000-year-old city of Nazareth, with its 30 churches and monasteries, is a highlight of Christian trips to Israel. This city nine miles west of Mount Tabor is where Jesus most probably was raised, since the phrase “Jesus of Nazareth” appears 17 times in Christian Scriptures.

The official symbol of Nazareth is Mary’s Well. Tradition has it that Mary used to bathe young Jesus here, and both Moslems and Christians consider the well and its water to have unusual healing properties. Above the spring that feeds the well is St. Gabriel Church of the Annunciation. Greek Orthodox tradition maintains that this is where the angel Gabriel revealed to Mary that she would give birth to Jesus. The nearby Basilica of the Annunciation sits above the grotto where Roman Catholics believe Joseph and Mary lived.

At the entrance to Nazareth is the Mount of the Precipice, traditionally where the local citizenry escorted Jesus after he declared himself the messiah.