Nazareth, town in northern Israel, in lower Galilee, near Haifa. It is on a hill overlooking the Plain of Esdraelon. According to the New Testament, Nazareth was the home of Mary and her husband, Joseph, and the childhood home of Jesus Christ. Christ was later rejected by the town's inhabitants and made Capernaum his headquarters. Contemporary Nazareth, a place of pilgrimage, contains many shrines commemorating its biblical associations, some of them having been rebuilt after destruction by the Muslims during the Middle Ages. Prominent among them are the Church of the Annunciation, the Church of Saint Joseph, and Saint Mary's Well. Population (1998 estimate) 55,494.Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
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