BURKIN (BURQIN) CHURCH

According to Christian tradition, Jesus passed through Burqin on his way from Nazareth to Jerusalem. He is said to have healed ten lepers living in isolation in a cave. The Orthodox church built here has become a place of pilgrimage for many Christians. Excavations show that the first church was built in Byzantine times in the cave where the miracle took place. It was gradually extended to the front of the grotto between the ^6th and ^9th centuries, and renovated during the ^12th century. The present church dates from the ^17th century.