But we do know what average village dwellings were like in first-century Palestine, particularly in Nazareth. The basic floor layout had a central courtyard with rooms radiating from it. These were modest rooms by our standards, with few windows. There was no plumbing and people took their water from a common well or stream outside the village. The main building of the village was the church, which was usually built around an open area called a "courtyard." This space was used for many purposes: as a place to grow vegetables or flowers; for playing games or exercising horses. It could even be used as a shelter for animals during bad weather! But most important, it served as a gathering place for community events. The church was the center of activity in Nazareth; everything happened there including weddings, baptisms, and funerals. In addition to the church, other large buildings in Nazareth included government offices, shops, and schools. Most villages in the Holy Land had similar neighborhoods. They were usually composed of several streets with simple one-room houses that belonged to one of the three major social classes: priests, soldiers, and farmers. Priests lived in luxurious homes made of stone or wood. They owned land and often ran small businesses such as taverns or food stores.