Church of the Nativity- Bethlehem

 September 24, 2023

Now we move from the Sheperd's Field to the Church of the Nativity.  This is the oldest church in the Holy Land.  It was built by the mother of Constantine, the Emperor, St Helen.  It was subsequently destroyed and rebuilt several times.  First by Emperor Justinian, later in the Middle Ages by the Crusaders.  It was left standing by the Persians because they recognized in the mosaics the Three Kings or Magi from the East.  Today the Church of the Nativity is share by the Orthodox, the Armenians, and the Roman Catholics.  

Below you see the Smiling Madonna of Bethlehem.   The nave of the main Church, and to the right of the main altar the Grotto below the main altar that has a 14 pointed star marked by the Crusaders as the believed birth place of the Messiah Jesus.

We entered the birth grotto just below the icon doorway in the above photo (shining light).   There we reverenced the star marker of Christ's birth.  Next we walked next door to this church to visit the Roman Catholic annex to the grotto of Birth.

This is another Barluzzi designed church (1947).  It is dedicated to St Catherine.  The statue on the pilar is St Jerome.  It is believed that he first translated the Greek Bible into Latin in this location. (382 AD)

Next we went to the center of Bethlehem for some lunch.  It was a buffet style meal.  The manager of the restaurant had some fun with one of our children (Claire who had received her First Communion this morning at the Sheperd's Field).  She was decked out in a red fez and led in a dance with a local little girl on stage while we clapped to the mid eastern music.  The picture of the Bedhelm town square is below.