St Anne Church is one of the largest standing crusader structures in Israel. The church was built over the traditional site of the house of Anne (Hannah), mother of Virgin Mary. The Church was built between 1131 and 1138 to replace a previous Byzantine church (5th Cent). According to traditions, parents of Virgin Mary viz. Hannah and Joachim lived here; and the site where their daughter was born is a cave, currently located under the basilica.
In 1192, Saladin turned the church into a Muslim theological school. You can still observe an Arabic inscription infront of the church entrance, dated to 1192, about how Saladin converted the church to a Muslim school. Later, under Ottomans the church was abandoned and they finally donated it to French in 1856. It was subsequently restored, and today, most of the remains what you see are the original 12th Cent Crusader structures. The huge columns inside the church are from Byzantine period (5th Cent).
The acoustics of the church is so perfect that it is considered virtually as a musical instrument to be played by the human voice! In addition, the church is right next to the Bethesda Pool, where Jesus healed a paralytic (John 5:1-15).
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