The Church of St. Joseph

Though some of the larger sites tend to be the focus of some tours to the Holy Land, it is also important to focus on sites that no longer exist such as Old Nazareth. Though Old Nazareth is now modern-day Nazareth, full of hustle and bustle, you can get an idea of what it was like through places like the Church of St. Joseph. The church was built over the location of an earlier church in 1914. Underneath the sanctuary is a network of caves, probably used in Jesus' day to store grain, oil and wine. This church commemorates the site of Joseph and Mary's home. Among its features is a beautiful baptistery that has a 7-step staircase with a mosaic on it that shows a ladder-like design. This may reference the symbolism of ascending out of the water. Christians on Christian tours to Israel are often struck with the thought that believers may have come to faith in that very spot long before a church stood on it.