Bethlehem -- the Church of the Nativity
Bethlehem has always been a stronghold of Christianity in the Holy Land. Until quite recently, Christians were the majority in the town. Today, they make up less than half of Bethlehem’s 60,000 residents. It was here that the heavenly host announcing the birth of the Savior (Luke 2) visited the Shepherds. In a nearby manger, Mary gave birth to the baby Jesus (Matthew 2). It was at this location that wise men from the east came to worship the Christ child and to give him gifts after following a bright star in the heavens (Matthew 2).
When Queen Helena, mother of the Christian emperor Constantine, came to the Holy Land in the first half of the 4th century she decided to build churches at the locations of Jesus’ birth and death. In Bethlehem she built the basilica of the Nativity.
The ancient structure was damaged in the early 6th century, and rebuilt in the middle of that century. This is the church that still stands in Bethlehem, jointly owned by the Greek Orthodox, Catholic and Armenian churches. Most of the original decorations are no longer intact, though the mosaic floor of Helena’s original basilica can still be seen.
This is one of the oldest still intact church in the world, and the oldest in the Holy Land.
In 614 A.D., Persians marauded through the Holy Land, destroying every church and convent. But when they entered the basilica of the Nativity they were greeted by a depiction of the magi wearing ancient Persian clothing. Out of respect, they spared the church.
In the grotto of the basilica, a silver star marks the spot of Jesus' birth. The famous Christmas Eve Mass is televised around the world from Bethlehem, and celebrated in the 19th century St. Catherine’s church -- which can be entered from a side door in the basilica. The tiny adjacent chapel marks the lodging of St Jerome, the man who translated the Bible into Latin in the 4th century.
The town has been a monastic center for centuries. In the 5th century A.D., St. Jerome built a monastery here and with the aid of local rabbis translated the Old Testament into Latin from the original Hebrew. This, together with the New Testament, which he had translated from the Greek before coming to Palestine, constitutes the Vulgate, the standard Latin translation of the Bible used by the Roman Catholic Church.
Learn more about the Church of the Nativity
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