Ein Karem, revered as the birthplace of Saint John the Baptist and the site of Mary's visitation to Elizabeth, blends deep religious heritage with the charm of a picturesque, pastoral village favored by visitors today. This second part continues through the valley on the western edge of Jerusalem, where the spring known to pilgrims as Mary's Spring gave the village its name. Its slopes carry an unusual concentration of Christian foundations, Franciscan, Greek Orthodox and Russian Orthodox alike, alongside stone houses, terraces and old orchards that have drawn artists and craftspeople to settle here. The result is a place where a working village and one of the principal pilgrimage sites of the Judean hills occupy the same few streets.
