Church of the Nativity

The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem is a working church located in the Palestinian Authority, built directly above the cave where Jesus was born. The building, erected nearly 1,500 years ago, has survived with only minor alterations.

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Video: Church of the Nativity

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History of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem

Time, nature and people have treated the Church of the Nativity with care, especially if we compare its history with the fates of other religious sites in the Middle East. The first version of the basilica was erected by the Byzantine emperor Constantine I at the request of his pious mother Helena in about 30th years of IV century. Many important facts for Christianity are connected with the name of these statesmen in general. Helena authorized excavations in Jerusalem, during which the Holy Sepulchre and the Life-Giving Cross, the main Christian shrines, were discovered.

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In 529 the building did burn, but it was the only serious fire for many centuries. After 2 years, by order of Emperor Justinian began restoration work, which resulted in the modern temple. In another 100 years aggressive Persians invaded the land of Bethlehem. The temple was saved by a mosaic depicting the Adoration of the Magi, Persian in origin. Struck by the realism of this work, the invaders did not touch the church. It was also spared by the Muslims who came to Palestine in the tenth century, because the birthplace of Jesus was significant for them. In the Middle Ages, the Church of the Nativity was constantly changing hands, and some of the decoration was irretrievably lost. The interior was further damaged once more in an earthquake in the 19th century, but Turkish authorities in Palestine allowed foreign benefactors to rebuild it.

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The significance of the temple to Christians

How faithfully Empress Helena chose the site for the basilica is not known even by Christian theologians who have studied the issue thoroughly. In religious texts of this period, other neighborhoods of Bethlehem, and even points in the city itself, are indicated as the birthplace of Christ. It is believed that Helen at first simply tried to save the cave for posterity, but quite quickly the basilica became a place of permanent worship for pilgrims. In general, the certainty of the choice of location is more a product of social convention than reliable facts, which does not prevent Christians of all denominations from waiting with bated breath for the coming of Christmas and solemn worship in Bethlehem.

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Branches of Christianity and the Temple

Back in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, the Christian churches divided the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem among themselves. The Orthodox got the main altar, the Catholics – a small chapel of the Aisle of the Nursery, built on the place where Jesus lay immediately after his birth. The church services were not interrupted, no matter who was in power in Palestine. The Armenians set up their altar at the north exit of the temple. The Armenian, Orthodox and Catholic churches together administer the temple and maintain their monastic communities in the annexes of the temple. The lamps around the Star of the Nativity also belong to different streams of Christianity.

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Main shrines

Inside the Church of the Nativity, there are several objects of ancient and recent origin that attract special attention of tourists.

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Star of the Nativity

In the cave where the marble steps lead to, the place where Mary gave birth to her son is marked by a 14-pointed silver star embedded in the marble floor. A symbol of the Christmas Star, it was installed as far back as the Byzantine Empress Helena. In the XIX century, the valuable sign was stolen, the representatives of the church had to urgently manufacture a replacement.

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Miraculous Icon of the Mother of God

The Orthodox icon, according to the ideas of pilgrims, helps to get rid of infertility, strengthen the marriage bond. It was donated to Bethlehem by the Russian imperial family. The work is unique in artistic terms: contrary to the canon, the Mother of God is depicted smiling. You can worship the shrine to the right of the descent into the cave.

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Christ’s manger

The authentic cattle feeder, or manger, in which the newborn baby was placed was taken to Rome. The outer part, which remained in Bethlehem, was covered with marble by Catholics and 5 lamps were lit. On December 25, when Christians of the Western rite celebrate Christmas, a solemn service is held in the church. The statue of the infant Christ is carried from the altar, where it usually stands next to the figure of the Virgin Mary, to the silver star of the Nativity, and then placed in a manger, where it remains until January 6. As the area of the temple cannot accommodate everyone, television broadcasts of the solemn event are organized each year.

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Architectural features of the temple

The building is significant not only as a sign of the outstanding skill of ancient architects and mosaicists, but also as a historical monument. More recently, in 2012, it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Externally, the Church of the Nativity is a severe building made of grayish rough blocks of natural stone. Only a modest white bell tower over the Armenian monastery and small crosses on the roof of the building testify to the confessional affiliation of the monument.

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The interior of the church

The building is over 50 meters long and about 25 meters wide. Rows of columns divide the Church of the Nativity up to the altar part into 5 aisles. Now the inner space of the church really resembles a giant cave because of the lack of natural light. Initially, the sun rays penetrated into the temple through dozens of now laid windows. The floors, on which visitors step, are the reconstructed remains of the very first, still Constantinian church. On the walls there are partially preserved later mosaics of the XII century. The interior is quite opulent, there is a lot of gold around the altar and chapels, but there are not so many really ancient things: the main details of the interior decoration came to the Church of the Nativity of Christ not earlier than the second half of the XIX century. To the right of the entrance to the temple is a baptistery, a bath in which infants are baptized.

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Tourist information

One can enter the Church of the Nativity through the western entrance, or Gate of Humility, below human height. As traces on the stonework show, the entrance was originally twice as high and much wider, but then it was partially bricked up. Tourists enter the temple between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. so as not to disturb the services.

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How to get there

Christian pilgrims often stay in monasteries adjacent to the temple. Tourists usually travel to Bethlehem from Israel. Directly from Jerusalem to Bethlehem is only 8 km, but because of the different statuses of the territories, the journey will be quite long. It is obligatory to have a passport with you, as the citizens of Israel in Palestine are not pitied. From the Damascus Gate of Jerusalem, built in the XVI century, the bus № 21, which goes to the final stop about 40 minutes. On the way there may be a delay at the checkpoint where locals have their passports checked. From the station, you should head towards Manger Square, near where the temple is located.

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Safety rules

According to travelers’ reviews, urban areas of Palestine are quite safe, regularly patrolled by the military and police. If you are traveling on your own, in clothing it is enough to adhere to the rules that are already followed by pilgrims: women should preferably cover their heads, do not expose their knees and shoulders, men should not walk in shorts. No one pays much attention to how members of organized tourist groups are dressed. It is better to eat in Israeli territory – sanitary norms in cafes and restaurants there are more carefully observed than in Palestine.

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