Mary’s Well
Also referred to as Fountain of Mary
Mary’s Well is a modern public fountain in Nazareth built over a well that has been in public use since ancient times. It is fed by Mary’s Spring, which runs under the altar of the nearby Orthodox Church of St. Gabriel. Although not recorded in the Bible, the tradition of Mary receiving the Annunciation while fetching water is ancient. It is written down in the 2nd-century Christian text known as the Protevangelium of James (or Proto-Gospel of James), which fills out the biblical story of Mary and the birth of Jesus with more details.
The biblical account in Luke 1:26-38 only says that “God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth” and that “the angel went to her.” It does not record the place of the Annunciation or what Mary was doing at the time. Even for those who do not accept the tradition of the Annunciation at the well, Mary’s Well is significant as the likely spot at which Mary would have fetched water on a regular basis. When Jesus was a boy, she would have brought him along with her.
