It was a chance viewing of a picture in London’s National Gallery that inspired a spiritual quest that took up three years of my life. The early-18th-century painting (left) by the French artist, François Lemoyne, depicts the dramatic encounter between the angel Gabriel and the Virgin Mary described in Luke’s Gospel (Luke 1:26-38), when Gabriel informs Mary that she will conceive a son and must name him Jesus.

From a Christian point of view, it is a pivotal moment. Yet for the vast majority of people in Britain today, the story of the Annunciation is little understood or even known about, and its status and significance has been almost lost. I became determined to find out why.