TheSynagogue Church is a small Christian church in the heart ofNazareth known by this name due to a tradition claiming that it is the location where the village synagogue stood in Jesus' time. Above its doorway is an embedded sign in Arabic and English: "Synagogue". The tradition is doubted by archaeologists.[citation needed]
The structure is administered by theMelkite Greek Catholic Church.[citation needed]
In 570, anItalian visitor described Nazareth's synagogue, and reported that the original Bible was still there, including the bench where Jesus used to sit.[1]
The floor of the Synagogue Church is sunken about 1.5 meters underground, possibly built atop a Crusader church dating from the 12th century.[citation needed]
The church was under the control of theFranciscans until the 18th century, when the rulerZahir al-Umar passed it to the Greek Catholics.[citation needed] In 1887, theMelkite Greek Catholic parish church of the Annunciation was built adjacent to the Synagogue Church.[citation needed]
According to Christian tradition, the church is built on the ruins of the ancient Nazarethsynagogue whereJesus studied and prayed. However, the current building is medieval and there is no evidence that any Roman-period public building was on the site.[2]
32°42′12″N35°17′48″E / 32.70333°N 35.29667°E /32.70333; 35.29667
