This course is dedicated to the Catholic church of Annunciation in Nazareth on the occasion of its 50th anniversary. The official inauguration ceremony took place on 25th of March 1969, since then, the modern Annunciation cathedral of Nazareth has been considered one of the largest, most prominent and modernistic churches of the Holy Land or even of the whole Middle East. In this course I would like to unveil the complicated history of this church, built upon the archaeological layers from the Early Christian, Crusader and Ottoman times. The planning and the construction of the modern church reflects the changes the Catholic church went through during the 20th century which are more prominent than any other building in Israel underwent. The contemporary Nazareth basilica  is a bright example of the dramatic changes the Catholic church went through following the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). Giovanni Muzio, the architect of the church, was forced to change his original plans to meet the new liturgical and esthetical ecclesiastical guidelines accepted by the Council. The course will also examine the church as an active pilgrimage site and devotion to the Virgin Mary. The prominent gallery of Marian images, that come to Nazareth from all over the Catholic world, has been constantly growing for the last 50 years. The cult of Mary should be considered as an inseparable part of the architectonic frame inside which it takes place. The course includes a tour of the Annunciation church in Nazareth.