the Greek-orthodox Church holds the tradition that their church of the annunciation is situated on the traditional site of archangel gabriel’s visit to Mary.

the importance of a sanctified site depends mainly on its accepted authenticity. It is there-fore of great importance that the factors that convinced the original builders of the church as to the authenticity of this site be explained here in full:

firstly, as to the basic fact that the Mother of Jesus was visited by the archangel gabriel whilst drawing water, can best be attested to by reference to the apocryphal Gospel known as "Protovangelion Jacobi" attributed to St. James. Here is quoted the following testimony:

"One day while the Virgin Mary was found as usual at the fountain to draw water, an angel appeared and saluted her. she was afraid and fled to her house, where she started to spin, when suddanly the angel appeared again, to announce to her the divine message",

This occurrence is also referred to by St. Jerome in his writing to Eustochium in 400 C.E.

the Second apocryphal Gospel that records the appearance of the angel to Mary is known as Pseudo Matthew. It states in Chapter LX, verses 1 and 2 that the archangel gabriel first appeared to Mary whilst she was alone at the fountain drawing water. It further states, in Chapter XXII, that later on, the boy Jesus used to accompany his mother to the fountain to carry water with her.

Hence we move to the accepted authenticity of the site of the well. for here the only perennial In 1103, Saewulf, an anglo Saxon pilgrim, visited Nazareth and found the church over the fountain in ruins with marble columns and broken flocks left there.

the second church was built by the local Greek-orthodox Community as their own place of worship, between 1109-1113. It was circular in form and was first mentioned by Daniel, the Russian Hygomene, who visited Nazareth in 1113-1115, and stated that he visited the fountain with its cold clear water by going down steps to it and that over the fountain the Church of St. gabriel was built. at that fountain the archangel first appeared and announced the birth of Jesus.

Peter, the Deacon librarian of the abbey of Mount Cassen in Italy, wrote in 1137 (mainly out of his library records and from information given to him by others) that:

"the Grotto in which Christ lived was large and well lighted. there is an altar placed there. In the same Grotto is the place out of which they draw water."

the Greek monk John Phocas of Crete and a monk of the Island of Pathinos visited Nazareth between 1177 and 1181. they came from acre by way of Sophoris. they stated: "Soon after entering the village of Nazareth from its North East side from Sophoris road, we come to the church of the archangel gabriel and in a small cave underneath it at the right of the altar, there flows a spring of clear water. the Virgin Mary came to this spring every day to draw water. One day she came as usual to draw water and found no one at the spring. While she was drawing water, she was saluted by the archangel gabriel, announcing to her the birth of Christ."