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<!DOCTYPE html>     <html class="no-js">  <head> <meta charset="utf-8"> <meta http-equiv="X-UA-Compatible" content="IE=edge"> <title>Church of the Nativity - Bethlehem, State of Palestine</title> <meta name="description" content="{"site_id":"319316","source_id":"0","user_id":"0","partner_id":"0","is_snippet":"0","created_at":"0000-00-00","updated_at":"0000-00-00 00:00:00","content":"One of the oldest surviving Christian churches, commissioned by Emperor Constantine in 339 CE, the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem marks the traditional place of Jesus Christ's birth."}"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"> <link href="/css/bootstrap.min.css" rel="stylesheet"> <link href="//netdna.bootstrapcdn.com/font-awesome/4.0.3/css/font-awesome.css" rel="stylesheet"> <link href="/css/main.css" rel="stylesheet"> <script src="/js/vendor/modernizr-2.6.2.min.js"></script>  <script type="text/javascript"> window._mNHandle = window._mNHandle || {}; window._mNHandle.queue = window._mNHandle.queue || []; medianet_versionId = "121199"; (function() { var sct = document.createElement("script"), sctHl = document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0], isSSL = 'https:' == document.location.protocol; sct.type = "text/javascript"; sct.src = (isSSL ? 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</div> </aside>  <article class="col-md-9 col-md-9-custom" id="main">  <header class="pagehead"> <div class="ad" id="ad-leader-top"> <script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>  <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:100%;height:90px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3007722683096311" data-ad-slot="3878306983"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> </div> <ol class="breadcrumb"> <li><a href="/">Sacred Destinations</a></li> <li><a href="/destinations">Destinations</a></li> <li><a href="/israel">Israel</a></li> <li><a href="/bethlehem">Bethlehem</a></li> <li class="active">Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem</li> </ol> <h1>Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem</h1> <div class="share">  <a class="fb" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.sacred-destinations.com%2Fisrael%2Fbethlehem-church-of-the-nativity" title="share on Facebook"><i class="fa fa-facebook"></i></a> <a 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class="row"> <div class="col-md-8"> <small>share full URL</small> <input class="full" type="text" value="http://www.sacred-destinations.com/israel/bethlehem-church-of-the-nativity"> </div> <div class="col-md-4"> <small>share short URL</small> <input class="short" type="text" value=" http://sdest.co/319316"> </div> </div> <div class="row"> <div class="col-md-12"> <small>embed link code</small> <input class="embed" type="text" value="<a href="http://www.sacred-destinations.com/israel/bethlehem-church-of-the-nativity">Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem</a> - Sacred Destinations"> </div> </div> </div> </div> </header>   <div class="row"> <div class="col-sm-6 col-md-7" id="essay">  <p class="lead">The <b>Church of the Nativity</b> in <a href="bethlehem">Bethlehem</a> is a major Christian holy site, as it marks the traditional place of Christ's birth. It is also one of the oldest surviving Christian churches.</p>  <div class="ad ad-rect-top"><div class="ad" id="ad-rect-top"> <script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script><script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script>  <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:100%;height:280px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3007722683096311" data-ad-slot="6831773382"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <small>advertisement</small> </div> </div>  <h2>In the Bible</h2> <p>The birth of Jesus is narrated in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. <b>Matthew</b> gives the impression that Mary and Joseph were from Bethlehem and later moved to <a href="nazareth.htm">Nazareth</a> because of Herod's decree, while <b>Luke</b> indicates that Mary and Joseph were from Nazareth, and Jesus was born in Bethlehem while they were in town for a special census. Scholars tend to see these two stories as irreconcilable and believe Matthew to be more reliable because of historical problems with Luke's version.</p> <p>But both accounts agree that Jesus was born in Bethlehem and raised in Nazareth. According to Luke 2:7 (in the traditional translation), Mary "laid him in a <b>manger</b> because there was no room for them in the inn." But the Greek can also be rendered, "she laid him in a manger because they had no space in the room" — we should perhaps imagine Jesus being born in a quiet back room of an overflowing one-room house.</p> <p>The gospel accounts don't mention a <b>cave</b>, but less than a century later, both Justin Martyr and the <em>Protoevangelium of James</em> say Jesus was born in a cave. This is reasonable, as many houses in the area are still built in front of a cave. The cave part would have been used for stabling and storage - thus the manger.</p> <h2>History of the Church of the Nativity</h2> <p>The first evidence of a cave in Bethlehem being venerated as Christ's birthplace is in the writings of <b>Justin Martyr</b> around 160 AD. The tradition is also attested by Origen and Eusebius in the 3rd century.</p> <p>In 326, Constantine and his mother <b>St. Helena</b> commisioned a <b>church</b> to be built over the cave. This first church, dedicated on May 31, 339, had an octagonal floor plan and was placed directly above the cave. In the center, a 4-meter-wide hole surrounded by a railing provided a view of the cave. Portions of the <b>floor mosaic</b> survive from this period. <b>St. Jerome</b> lived and worked in Bethlehem from 384 AD, and he was buried in a cave beneath the Church of the Nativity.</p> <p>The Constantinian church was destroyed by <b>Justinian</b> in <b>530 AD</b>, who built the much larger church that remains today. The <b>Persians</b> spared it during their invasion in 614 AD because, according to legend, they were impressed by a representation of the Magi — fellow Persians — that decorated the building. This was quoted at a 9th-century synod in Jerusalem to show the utility of religious images.</p> <p><b>Muslims</b> prevented the application of Hakim's decree (1009) ordering the destruction of Christian monuments because, since the time of Omar (639), they had been permitted to use the south transept for worship.</p> <p>The <b>Crusaders</b> took Jerusalem on 6 June 1009. Baldwin I and II were crowned there, and in an impressive display of tolerance the Franks and Byzantines cooperated in fully redecorating the interior (1165-69). A Greek inscription in the north transept records this event.</p> <p>The Church of the Nativity was much neglected in the <b>Mamluk and Ottoman</b> periods, but not destroyed. Much of the church's marble was looted by the Ottomans and now adorns the <a href="jerusalem-temple-mount">Temple Mount</a> in Jerusalem. An earthquake in 1834 and a fire in 1869 destroyed the <b>furnishings</b> of the cave, but the church again survived.</p> <p>In 1847, the <b>theft of the silver star</b> marking the exact site of the Nativity was an ostensible factor in the international crisis over the Holy Places that ultimately led to the Crimean War (1854–56).</p> <p>In 1852, <b>shared custody</b> of the church was granted to the Roman Catholic, Armenian and Greek Orthodox churches. The Greeks care for the Grotto of the Nativity.</p> <h2>What to See at the Church of the Nativity</h2> <p>The <b>Door of Humility</b>, a small rectangular entrance to the church, was created in Ottoman times to prevent carts being driven in by looters, and to force even the most important visitor to dismount from his horse as he entered the holy place. The doorway was reduced from an earlier Crusader doorway, the pointed arch of which can still be seen above the current door. The outline of the Justinian square entrance can also be seen above the door.</p> <p>The wide <b>nave</b> survives intact from Justinian's time, although the roof is 15th-century with 19th-century restorations.</p> <p>Thirty of the nave's 44 <b>columns</b> carry Crusader paintings of saints and the Virgin and Child, although age and lighting conditions make them hard to see.</p> <p>The columns are made of pink, polished limestone, most of them dating from the original 4th-century Constantinian basilica.</p> <p>Fragments of high-quality <b>wall mosaics</b> dating from the 1160s decorate both sides of the nave. Each side once had three registers, of which we know the details because of a description made in 1628. The lowest depicted the ancestors of Jesus; the middle contained the decrees of provincial and ecumenical councils; and the top has a series of angels between the windows. The name of the artist, Basilius Pictor, appears at the foot of the third angel from the right on the north wall.</p> <p>Trap doors in the present floor reveal sections of <b>floor mosaics</b> surviving from the original basilica. The mosaics feature complex geometric designs with birds, flowers and vine patterns, making a rich and elaborate carpet for Constantine's church. Similar doors in the north transept protect another 4th-century mosaic that shows the Constantinian apse was octagonal; these are sometimes opened on request.</p> <p>An octagonal <b>baptismal font</b> in the south aisle dates from the 6th-century church of Justinian; it originally stood near the high altar. The inscription reads, "For remembrance, rest and remission of sins of those whose names the Lord knows." Archaeologists have discovered an octagonal bed of exactly the same dimensions over a cistern near the altar which provided the required water. After the font was moved in the Crusader renovation, it became the focus of various <b>colorful legends</b>: it was the well into which the star of the Magi fell; the well where the Magi watered their horses; or the well to which David's three heroes came.</p> <p>The main altar at the east end and the one on the south (Altar of the Circumcision) are the property of the <b>Greek Orthodox</b> Church. The main altar includes an Orthodox iconostasis, which is crowned with gilded angels, icons, gilded chandeliers and lamps. On the north side of the high altar is the <b>Armenian</b> Altar of the Three Kings, dedicated to the Magi who tied up their horses nearby, and in the north apse is an Armenian altar dedicated to the Virgin Mary.</p> <p>The <b>Grotto of the Nativity</b>, a rectangular cavern beneath the church, is the Church of the Nativity's focal point. Entered by a flight of steps by the church altar, this is the cave that has been honored as the site of Christ's birth since at least the 2nd century.</p> <p>A <b>silver star</b> in the floor marks the very spot where Christ is believed to have been born. The star's Latin inscription reads, "Here of the Virgin Mary Jesus Christ was born — 1717." The floor is paved in marble, and 15 lamps hang above the star (six belong to the Greeks, five to the Armenians and four to the Latins).</p> <p>All other furnishings date from after the fire of 1869, except for the <b>bronze gates</b> at the north and south entrances to the Grotto, which are from Justinian's 6th-century church.</p> <p>Steps away from the birthplace shrine is the <b>Chapel of the Manger</b>, owned by the Roman Catholics. Fragments of 12th-century wall mosaics and capitals around the manger survive. Back in the upper church, a door in the north apse leads to the Catholic <a href="bethlehem-st-catherine.htm">Church of St. Catherine</a>.</p>  <div id="648683611"> <script type="text/javascript"> try { window._mNHandle.queue.push(function () { window._mNDetails.loadTag("648683611", "495x250", "648683611"); }); } catch (error) {} </script> </div>  <section class="facts"> <h2>Quick Facts on the Church of the Nativity</h2> <table> <tr class="subhead"><td colspan="2">Site Information</td></tr> <tr><th>Names:</th><td>Basilica of the Nativity · Church of the Nativity</td></tr> <tr><th>Country:</th><td><a href="/israel">Israel</a></td></tr> <tr><th>Categories:</th><td><a href="/categories/churches">churches</a></td></tr> <tr><th>Dates:</th><td>339</td></tr> <tr><th>Status: </th><td>active</td></tr> <tr class="subhead"><td colspan="2">Visitor and Contact Information</td></tr> <tr><th>Coordinates:</th><td>31.704274° N, 35.207330° E</td></tr> <tr><th>Address:</th><td>Manger Square<br>Bethlehem, State of Palestine</td></tr> <tr><th>Phone:</th><td>02/274-2425</td></tr> <tr><th>Hours:</th><td>Summer: 6:30am-noon, 2-7:30pm daily; winter: 5:30am-noon, 2-5pm daily.<br> Grottoes closed to tourists Sunday mornings.</td></tr> <tr><th>Lodging:</th><td><a href="http://www.booking.com/searchresults.html?aid=803880&latitude=31.704274&longitude=35.207330&radius=5&label=coordinates319316">View hotels near the Church of the Nativity</a></td></tr> </table> <small>Note: This information was accurate when first published and we do our best to keep it updated, but details such as opening hours and prices can change without notice. To avoid disappointment, please check with the site directly before making a special trip.</small> </section>  <section class="refs"> <h2>References</h2> <ol> <li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?link_code=as2&path=ASIN/0393322491&tag=sacreddestina-20&camp=1789&creative=9325"><em>Blue Guide to Israel and the Palestinian Territories</em></a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=sacreddestina-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0393322491" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /></li> <li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?link_code=as2&path=ASIN/0789451700&tag=sacreddestina-20&camp=1789&creative=9325"><em>Eyewitness Travel Guide to the Holy Land</em></a></li> <li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?link_code=as2&path=ASIN/0192880136&tag=sacreddestina-20&camp=1789&creative=9325"><em>Oxford Archaeological Guide to the Holy Land </em></a></li> <li><a href="http://www.atlastours.net/holyland/church_of_the_nativity.html">Church of the Nativity</a> - AtlasTours.net </li> <li>"Bethlehem" - <em>Encyclopædia Britannica</em></li> </ol> <h2>More Information</h2> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.bibleplaces.com/bethlehem.htm">Bethlehem</a> - Bibleplaces.com </li> <li><a href="http://www.farsinet.com/christmas/nativity_church.html">Church of Nativity</a> - FarsiNet </li> <li><a href="http://www.mustardseed.net/html/pbethld.html">Bethlehem Description</a> - Biblelands Project </li> <li><a href="http://www.pef.org.uk/Bethlehem.htm">The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem</a> - Palestinian Exploration Fund </li> <li><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/1910843.stm">Church with a turbulent history</a> - BBC News (April 4, 2002) </li> <li><a href="http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/meast/05/10/mideast.nativity/">Church of Nativity undamaged after standoff</a> - CNN.com (May 10, 2002) </li> <li><a href="http://info.jpost.com/2000/Supplements/Millennium/holyland.html">Touring the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem</a> - Jerusalem Post Eretz Magazine (2000) </li> <li><a href="http://info.jpost.com/2000/Supplements/Millennium/holyland2.html">Bethlehem in Biblical Lore</a> - Jerusalem Post Eretz Magazine (2000) </li> <li><a href="http://www.bethlehembiblecollege.edu/guest-house.htm">Guest House for Pilgrims</a> - Bethlehem Bible College </li> <li><a href="/israel/bethlehem-church-of-the-nativity/photos">Photos of the Church of the Nativity</a> - here on Sacred Destinations</li> </ul> </section>  </div>  <div class="col-sm-6 col-md-5 imgs"> <figure class="lz" data-src="http://static.sacred-destinations.com/img/648/gohistoric_21846_m.jpg"> <a href="/israel/bethlehem-church-of-the-nativity/photos/exterior-cc-wayne-mclean-p"></a> <figcaption>Exterior of the Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem, from Manger Square. <span>© Wayne McLean</span></figcaption> </figure>    <figure class="lz" data-src="http://static.sacred-destinations.com/img/958/gohistoric_21859_m.jpg"> <a href="/israel/bethlehem-church-of-the-nativity/photos/floor-plan-bbc"></a> <figcaption> <span>© BBC</span></figcaption> </figure> <figure class="lz" data-src="http://static.sacred-destinations.com/img/748/gohistoric_21847_m.jpg"> <a href="/israel/bethlehem-church-of-the-nativity/photos/church-of-nativity-entry-of-humility-cc-waynemclean"></a> <figcaption>A Palestinian soldier rests outside of the Entry of Humility, Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem. <span>© Wayne McLean</span></figcaption> </figure> <figure class="lz" data-src="http://static.sacred-destinations.com/img/848/gohistoric_21848_m.jpg"> <a href="/israel/bethlehem-church-of-the-nativity/photos/nave-cc-christopher-chan"></a> <figcaption>The ancient nave of the Church of the Nativity. <span>© Christopher Chan</span></figcaption> </figure> <figure class="lz" data-src="http://static.sacred-destinations.com/img/948/gohistoric_21849_m.jpg"> <a href="/israel/bethlehem-church-of-the-nativity/photos/church-of-nativity-interio-cc-waynemclean"></a> <figcaption>Interior of the Church of the Nativity, looking west down the nave. The trapdoors in the floor reveal... <span>© Wayne McLean</span></figcaption> </figure> <figure class="lz" data-src="http://static.sacred-destinations.com/img/058/gohistoric_21850_m.jpg"> <a href="/israel/bethlehem-church-of-the-nativity/photos/mosaic-floor2-c-hlp"></a> <figcaption>View of the 4th-century mosaic floor in the nave of the Church of the Nativity. <span>© HolyLandPhotos</span></figcaption> </figure> <figure class="lz" data-src="http://static.sacred-destinations.com/img/158/gohistoric_21851_m.jpg"> <a href="/israel/bethlehem-church-of-the-nativity/photos/nave-chandelier-cc-christopher-chan"></a> <figcaption>Chandelier and wall of the ancient nave, with fragments of mosaics. <span>© Christopher Chan</span></figcaption> </figure> <figure class="lz" data-src="http://static.sacred-destinations.com/img/258/gohistoric_21852_m.jpg"> <a href="/israel/bethlehem-church-of-the-nativity/photos/church-of-nativity-tomb-cc-waynemclean"></a> <figcaption> <span>© Wayne McLean</span></figcaption> </figure> <figure class="lz" data-src="http://static.sacred-destinations.com/img/358/gohistoric_21853_m.jpg"> <a href="/israel/bethlehem-church-of-the-nativity/photos/grotto-cc-sailorwind"></a> <figcaption>Inside the Grotto of the Nativity, looking back towards the entrance. <span>© Shira Karp</span></figcaption> </figure> <figure class="lz" data-src="http://static.sacred-destinations.com/img/458/gohistoric_21854_m.jpg"> <a href="/israel/bethlehem-church-of-the-nativity/photos/grotto-c-damon-lynch-pbase"></a> <figcaption>Prayer at the place of Jesus' birth in the Grotto of the Nativity. <span>© Damon Lynch</span></figcaption> </figure> <figure class="lz" data-src="http://static.sacred-destinations.com/img/558/gohistoric_21855_m.jpg"> <a href="/israel/bethlehem-church-of-the-nativity/photos/grotto-reflection-c-damon-lynch-pbase"></a> <figcaption>Pilgrims reflect at the place of Jesus' birth in the Grotto of the Nativity. <span>© Damon Lynch</span></figcaption> </figure> <figure class="lz" data-src="http://static.sacred-destinations.com/img/658/gohistoric_21856_m.jpg"> <a href="/israel/bethlehem-church-of-the-nativity/photos/birthplace-cc-lolay"></a> <figcaption>Star marking the traditional site on which Jesus was born in the Grotto of the Nativity. <span>© Lerma Olayres</span></figcaption> </figure> <figure class="lz" data-src="http://static.sacred-destinations.com/img/758/gohistoric_21857_m.jpg"> <a href="/israel/bethlehem-church-of-the-nativity/photos/birthplace-cc-mockstar"></a> <figcaption>The traditional birthplace of Jesus, marked by a star. <span>© David Poe</span></figcaption> </figure> <figure class="lz" data-src="http://static.sacred-destinations.com/img/858/gohistoric_21858_m.jpg"> <a href="/israel/bethlehem-church-of-the-nativity/photos/birthplace-prayer-cc-tbass"></a> <figcaption>A pilgrim prays in the Chapel of the Manger in the Grotto of the Nativity. <span>© Tamer Shabaneh</span></figcaption> </figure>  <div id="956877862"> <script type="text/javascript"> try { window._mNHandle.queue.push(function () { window._mNDetails.loadTag("956877862", "300x250", "956877862"); }); } catch (error) {} </script> </div> </div> </div>  <h2>Map of the Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem</h2> <p>Below is a location map and aerial view of the Church of the Nativity. Using the buttons on the left (or the wheel on your mouse), you can zoom in for a closer look, or zoom out to get your bearings. To move around, click and drag the map with your mouse.</p> <div id="map_canvas"></div>  <br> <div class="ad" id="ad-leader-bottom"> <script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:728px;height:90px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3007722683096311" data-ad-slot="8448107380"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> </div> </article> </div> </div>  <footer> <div id="footer_menu"> <ul> <li><a href="/">Sacred Sites & Religious Places</a></li> <li><a href="/about">About</a></li> <li><a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#d4b5b0b9bdba94a7b5b7a6b1b0f9b0b1a7a0bdbab5a0bdbbbaa7fab7bbb9">Contact</a></li> <li><a href="/privacy-policy">Privacy Policy</a></li> </ul> <p>Sacred Destinations is an online travel guide to sacred sites, religious travel, pilgrimages, holy places, religious history, sacred places, historical religious sites, archaeological sites, religious festivals, sacred sites, spiritual retreats, and spiritual journeys. </p> <p>Sacred Destinations is an independent editorial publication. 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