<P> The Visitation is the visit of Mary to Elizabeth as recorded in the Gospel of Luke, Luke 1: 39--56 . It is also the name of a Christian feast day commemorating this visit, celebrated on 31 May in the West (2 July in calendars of the 1263--1969 period, and in the modern regional calendar of some countries whose bishops' conferences wanted to retain the original date, notably Germany and Slovakia) and 30 March among Eastern Christians . </P> <P> Mary visits her relative Elizabeth; they are both pregnant: Mary with Jesus, and Elizabeth with John the Baptist . Mary left Nazareth immediately after the Annunciation and went "into the hill country...into a city of Judah" (Luke 1: 39) to attend to her cousin (Luke 1: 36) Elizabeth . There are several possibilities as to exactly which city this was, including Hebron, south of Jerusalem, and Ein Karem . The journey from Nazareth to Hebron is about 130 kilometres (81 mi) in a direct line, probably up to half as far again by road, depending on the route taken . Elizabeth was in the sixth month before Mary came (Luke 1: 36). Mary stayed three months, and most scholars hold she stayed for the birth of John . Given the prevailing cultural traditions and needs for security etc., it is probable that Joseph accompanied Mary to Judah then returned to Nazareth, and came again after three months to take his wife home . The apparition of the angel, mentioned in Matthew 1: 19--25, may have taken place then to end the tormenting doubts of Joseph regarding Mary's maternity . </P> <P> In the Gospel of Luke, the author's accounts of the Annunciation and Visitation are constructed using eight points of literary parallelism to compare Mary to the Ark of the Covenant . </P>

Feast of visitation of the blessed virgin mary