Interior of the dome of the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth, Israel – The concrete dome is 55 meters high and its shape is based on the Madonna lily, a symbol of the Virgin Mary. The current church is a two-story building constructed in 1969 over the site of an earlier Byzantine-era and then Crusader-era church. The lower level contains the Grotto of the Annunciation, believed by many Christians to be the remains of the original childhood home of Mary. The new basilica was designed by the Italian architect Giovanni Muzio, and built by the Israeli building firm Solel Boneh during the years 1960-69. It is the largest Christian sanctuary in the Middle East, and it was dedicated in 1964 by Pope Paul VI.
