The Church of the Annunciation dominates the skyline of Nazareth, which is still a predominantly Christian town. Built over the remains of what from earliest days was venerated as Mary's house and Joseph's workshop, it is a massive modernist Roman Catholic church. It is a little too imposing for my own spirituality but there is no doubting the holiness of the place, particularly when you join those who sit silently in front of the first century remains.

During our visit a group was celebrating mass and it was hard not to be caught up with beauty of the voice of the soprano cantor.

Beautiful also are the many mosaics that decorate the church and colonnade, given by countries across the world, many honouring their own shrines to Mary.

Smaller, more highly decorated and somehow more lovely is the Greek Orthodox church of Mary's Well a little walk up the hill. It stands on the site of the town's well which will have been a meeting place for so many years.

Alongside and behind glass are the first century steps. It is easy to imagine a young Mary walking down those same steps to collect water, a pregnant Mary and Mary clutching the hand of a young Jesus. A haunting spot. We have seen many wells over the last week and each are guarantors of historicity and aids to the imagination as each will have been the sole well of that place stretching back into biblical times.

In the morning as we celebrate the Eucharist at the Christian guest house we hear the bells of the town summon the people to Sunday morning services. It is an evocative sound and wonderful to think that church bells have been annunciating the presence of a saviour for almost two thousand years here.