The city of Nazareth, as Arculf who lodged in it tells, is situated on a
mountain, and, like Capharnaum, has no surrounding walls. It has,
however, large stone buildings, and there are two very large churches,
one in the centre of the city raised on two piles, where once upon a time
was the house in which the Lord, our saviour, was brought up. This
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church then, as has been said above, is supported upon two mounds with
arches between, and there is a very clear fountain underneath, between
the mounds. The whole community of citizens come to draw water
from it, and from the same source vessels of water are raised up to the
church above by means of pulleys. The second church is constructed on
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the site of the house, in which Gabriel the archangel, going in to the
holy Mary, talked to her alone as he found her there in that hour. We
got this information concerning Nazareth from the holy Arculf, who
lodged there for two nights and two days, and was unable to tarry there
longer because a soldier of Christ, Peter by name, a native of Burgundy,