The Church of the Visitation celebrates the visit of Mary to Elizabeth when they were young mothers. At the time, Mary was pregnant with Jesus and Elizabeth was pregnant with John the Baptist. "When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit" (Luke 1:41). Mary then declares her beautiful and poetic Magnificat beginning with the line, "My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior." (Luke 1:46-55) A statue in the courtyard portrays Mary and Elizabeth meeting together. The church is located in Ein Karem, Jerusalem.
It was designed by Antonio Barluzzi, an Italian architect, who designed many churches in the Holy Land, all commemorating various sites related to Jesus' story. The association of this site with the biblical story from Luke dates back to the time of Helena, Constantine's mother.