Visitation (Christianity)

In Christianity, the Visitation, also known as the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, refers to the visit of Mary, who was pregnant with Jesus, to Elizabeth, who was pregnant with John the Baptist, in the Gospel of Luke, Luke 1:39–56. The episode is one of the standard scenes shown in cycles of the Life of the Virgin in art, and sometimes in larger cycles of the Life of Christ in art.

It is also the name of a Christian feast day commemorating this visit, traditionally celebrated on July 2 in Western Christianity and March 30 in Eastern Christianity. In the revised calendars of some churches in the West, it is now often celebrated on May 31 instead.