Church of the Visitation

The Church of the Visitation honors the visit paid by Mary, Jesus' mother, to Elizabeth, John the Baptist's mother. This is the site where tradition tells us that Mary recited her song of praise, the Magnificat, one of the most ancient hymns to Mary. The church is beautifully adorned with tiled representations of that canticle in many of the worlds languages. The present structure is the older of two churches located at Ein Karem, in present day Israel. Tradition attributes its construction to Empress Helena of Constantinople, Constantine I's mother, who identified the site as the home of Zechariah and the place where he and Elizabeth hid from Herod's soldiers.