Luke places Elizabeth’s home in an unnamed town in the hill country of Judea. Christian tradition associates Mary’s visit with Ein Karem, about five miles (8 kilometers) from Jerusalem’s Old City. The marker locates the Church of the Visitation, which commemorates the meeting. It does not establish the exact location of Elizabeth’s house.
The story and the site
Mary traveled to the hill country, entered Elizabeth’s home, and greeted her. Luke describes their meeting but gives no street address or travel route (Luke 1:39–56). The shrine in Ein Karem preserves a later Christian tradition about that meeting.
Modern context
Ein Karem lies west of the Old City within modern Jerusalem. The distance is approximate orientation, not a measured ancient journey or a driving instruction. The church and streets shown here are later than Elizabeth’s lifetime. The map helps locate the tradition while leaving the biblical town’s identification uncertain.
Sources: Custody of the Holy Land: Ain Karem, the Visitation; Custody: geographic context; Church of the Visitation coordinates; Luke 1, NIV. Location notes checked September 15, 2026.