Ancient Zippori - also known by its Greek name Sepphoris - is first mentioned in Josephus Flavius' description of the reign of Hasmonean king Alexander Jannaeus. A few decades hence, Zippori had become the most important city in the Galilee. In 37 B.C.E., Herod took Zippori without a battle during a rare snowstorm in the area. After Herod's death in 4 C.E., the citizens began a mutiny (known as the Varus War); eventually the soldiers under Roman governor Varus captured Zippori and destroyed the city. Some historians maintain that the residents of Zippori learned their lesson from this experience, which is why they later refused to take sides in the Jewish War against the Romans. Zippori was rebuilt soon after the end of the Varus War. Herod Antipas did such a fine job of restoring and beautifying the city that Josephus dubbed it the "glory of the entire Galilee." When the renowned Rabbi Judah Hanasi moved to Zippori from Beit She'an, he brought with him the Sanhedrin (the assembly of 71 ordained scholars, which served both as legislature and as supreme court). Rabbi Judah Hanasi put the final touches on the Mishna in Zippori (220 C.E.). The scholars living in Zippori also participated in the writing of the Jerusalem Talmud, completed in the fourth century C.E.
alking among the ruins of this once effervescent city, whose trademark is the tall fortress that Herod built in its center, one can easily sense the pulse of life that once existed here. Among the ruins are public buildings, a paved cardo, shops and elegant houses decorated with artistic mosaic floors, all testifying to the rich fabric of life that existed here for centuries.
ccording to tradition, this is where Mary, Joachim and Anne's daughter and mother of Jesus, came from. Many churches and monasteries were built on the site where her parents’ house stood.
The Monastery of the Sisters of St. Anne ocated on the northwestern slope of Zippori Hill is the Monastery of the Sisters of St. Anne, which is under the direct jurisdiction of the Vatican. In the court of the monastery is a beautiful garden with a statue of Mary holding the infant Jesus in her hands. The monastery was built upon the site which, according to tradition, was the house of Mary’s parents, Joachim and Anne. Near the monastery are ruins of a Crusader Church that has been partially restored.
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alking among the ruins of this once effervescent city, whose trademark is the tall fortress that Herod built in its center, one can easily sense the pulse of life that once existed here. Among the ruins are public buildings, a paved cardo, shops and elegant houses decorated with artistic mosaic floors, all testifying to the rich fabric of life that existed here for centuries.
ccording to tradition, this is where Mary, Joachim and Anne's daughter and mother of Jesus, came from. Many churches and monasteries were built on the site where her parents’ house stood.
ocated on the northwestern slope of Zippori Hill is the Monastery of the Sisters of St. Anne, which is under the direct jurisdiction of the Vatican. In the court of the monastery is a beautiful garden with a statue of Mary holding the infant Jesus in her hands. The monastery was built upon the site which, according to tradition, was the house of Mary’s parents, Joachim and Anne. Near the monastery are ruins of a Crusader Church that has been partially restored.
