In Luke 1, the pregnant Mary visited her pregnant cousin Elizabeth and stayed for three months (Lk 1:56). Upon Mary's arrival, the unborn John the Baptist recognized the unborn Jesus and "leaped with joy" in Elizabeth's womb (Lk 1:44).

Elizabeth exclaimed, "Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!" and Mary sang a hymn of thanksgiving known as the Magnificat:

"My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me - holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.

He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers." (Luke 1:46-55)

This event is the "Visitation" commemorated by the present church, which is believed to stand over the site where the event took place.

The present Church of the Visitation incorporates a natural grotto that once contained a small spring. The grotto became a place of worship in the Byzantine period, and the Crusaders built a large, two-storey church over it. The church collapsed after the Crusaders left.

In 1679, the site was bought by the Franciscans. After two centuries, they finally managed to get permission from the Ottoman authorities to restore the church. The Lower Church was restored in 1862 and the Upper Church was completed in 1955.

Ein Kerem is a quiet village 7km southwest of the Old City. Formerly Palestinian, the village's stone houses are now filled primarily with Jewish artists and sculptors. The area has several galleries and a number of good restaurants.

The Church of the Visitation is reached by steps up from the main road through the village. In the church courtyard, one wall is covered with ceramic tiles bearing the words of the Magnificat in 42 languages.

Designed by Antonio Barluzzi, the upper church has a Tuscan-style painted ceiling and large murals depicting the titles with which Mary has been endowed — Mother of God, Refuge of Sinners, Dispenser of All Grace, Help of Christians — and the Immaculate Conception. The lower church is decorated with large frescoes of other Hebrew women of the Bible known for their "hymns and canticles."

Down the hill from church, a small mosque marks the site of the Spring of the Virgin, for which Ein Kerem ("spring of the vineyard") is named. Nowadays, the spring is used to irrigate crops.