PILGRIMAGE

A JOURNEY TO THE HOLY LAND

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The perception of pilgrimage is a prehistoric one, seeming in many religions as a way of reiterating one’s faith, as a path to clemency and as a means of spiritual elevation. Pilgrimage sites are nearly always places that hold a distinct significance: places where a prophet was born, where a historical incident has taken place or where nature enthuses people to wonder about their place on the universe and their Creator.

TODAY WE TAKE A LOOK AT THE PILGRIMAGE SITE OF CHRISTIANS

BETHLEHEM, PALESTINE
The church of the Nativity in the township of Bethlehem in Palestine is one of the greatest consecrated pilgrimage sites for Christians all over the world. Many early Christian fathers such as Origen, Justin Martyr and Jerome celebrated the belief that Jesus (may peace be on Him) was born in a cave in Bethlehem which is situated fifteen miles south of Jerusalem, the place itself is sacred to the Jewish faith.
The church of the Nativity sits directly above a cave. The original church was ruined in a rebellion in 529 CE, but reconstructed by Justinian I, in its present state and was later added to by the crusaders centuries later. Over a thousand years ago, pilgrims would traverse across continents to get here, and the complete journey was part of the pilgrimage in order to purify themselves of sin. Indeed, the believe of freeing the Holy Land from other faiths was a key promoter in the early crusades.
Today, many Christians congregate to Bethlehem every year on December 25th to mark Christians celebrations and to visit other sites in Palestine and Israel associated to the life and works of Jesus. Pilgrims also go to Jerusalem to see the Temple Mount, the Via Dolorosa where he walked on his way to crucifixion, the Sea of Galilee where he preached and other sites mentioned in the New Testament of the Bible.
Bethlehem attracts more than 1 million devotees every year.