Christian tradition places the birth of John the Baptist - who announced the coming of Jesus Christ, his cousin — in the picturesque village of Ein Karem 7.5km south-west of Jerusalem. Lk 1:5-24, 39-66.
The Virgin Mary’s visit to Elizabeth — depicted in mosaic on the façade — is commemorated in a two tiered church, on a slope of the hill south of Ein Karem. Lk 1:39-45 South-west of Ein Karem, a Greek Melkite monastery and a Franciscan convent mark the Desert of St John, a site where John the Baptist is believed to have lived in seclusion. Lk 1:46-55 **please click the video below
