Bethlehem (Beit Lehem, meaning “House of Bread”) is one of the oldest cities in the world, founded approximately in the 17th–16th centuries BCE.
It is located about 8 km south of the centre of Jerusalem and today effectively borders it.
The city is currently under the administration of the Palestinian National Authority.
Bethlehem is a city sacred to Christians and second in importance only to Jerusalem, as it is traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ.
According to tradition, Helena ordered the construction of the Church of the Nativity at the site of his birth.
The city is also associated with the birth and anointing of King David.
At the centre of Bethlehem stands the Church of the Nativity, built over the very place where Jesus Christ is believed to have been born.
Church of the Nativity
The Church of the Nativity is one of the most important shrines of Christianity. It was built over the site traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem.
It is one of the oldest continuously functioning churches in the world and, together with the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, is considered one of the two principal Christian sanctuaries of the Holy Land.
Grotto of the Nativity
The Grotto of the Nativity is an underground sanctuary within the basilica. It was originally established during the reign of Helena and later completed in the 6th century under Emperor Justinian I.
The Basilica of the Nativity is unique in that it has remained largely intact and has not been destroyed over the course of more than fourteen centuries.
Upon entering through a low, narrow doorway, pilgrims find themselves inside the basilica, distinguished by its Byzantine-style colonnade. Opposite the entrance stands the richly decorated iconostasis of the central Greek Orthodox church, while fragments of ancient mosaics have survived on parts of the walls.
The solea is significantly elevated, and beneath it lies the Grotto of the Nativity — the Holy Cave — with entrances located to the right and left of the altar. The right side of the church, along with the right descent into the grotto, belongs to the Orthodox; to the left are the altars of the Armenian and Syrian churches.
The Holy Grotto is illuminated only by oil lamps. The exact place of the Nativity, beneath the Orthodox altar, is marked by a silver star bearing the inscription:
“Here Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary.”
To the right of the star, three steps lead down to a marble-lined niche — the Manger of Christ. At this spot stands the Catholic Altar of the Adoration of the Magi.
