The Basilica of the Nativity - Bethlehem, West Bank, Palestine
Visiting the Basilica of the Nativity required us to cross the border from Jerusalem into Bethlehem, which is located in the West Bank of Palestine. The border crossing did not require any special consideration. Our tour guide exited the bus and a local tour guide resumed our tour on the other side. Our local tour guide was a Christian woman whose family still resides in Bethlehem. There has been a mass migration of Christians and Jews out of the city in the past few decades, but there are still many who remain behind.
The bus dropped us off in an underground garage, where dozens of shills approached with their various wares. You can purchase just about anything. Scarves, magnets, bags. The prices were very reasonable, but I did not plan on carrying stuff around with me all day. I waited until we boarded the bus to leave to do any bartering (plus, the prices are usually best as you are leaving).
We walked up the stairs inside this building and exited to the street above. It is an uphill climb to the Basilica of the Nativity, but it soon came into view. The building was under massive construction projects during our visit last year. I am uncertain if the work is currently still in progress. You can see the giant construction boom commanding the skyline.
There were several factors that made it difficult to get good photos inside the church. First, there were construction scaffolding everywhere. Second, it was very crowded, even off season. Third, the lighting wreaked havoc on my point-and-shoot camera. Even with good equipment, it would have been hard to shoot great photos because of the crowds. You have to keep moving and there is always someone in your shot. It can't be helped. I don't want to post blurry photos or pictures with people I don't know in them (close ups), so I will stick to the photographs that turned out best, all things considered.
The main chapel was set up for a service. You can see the temporary chairs and the scaffolding in the photos below. The odd lighting created a lot of glare, but you get the idea. Everything is gilded in this place and there are a variety of lanterns and religious icons hanging just about anywhere they can place an icon.
I always pictured the manger as being in a barn. I guess the modern "creche" has helped reinforce that mistaken belief. Jesus birth happened in a cave. The grotto where he was born is located beneath the chapel pictured above. Visitors wait in line to enter the caves to the right side of the chapel and then exit to the left.
The accuracy of this location is one of the most accurate of all Christian religious sites. Christians were gathering at this cave to worship dating back to at least the second century as witnessed and recorded by Justin Martyr in the early second century and the Greek philosopher Origen less than a century later. In 135, Hadrian had the Christian worship site converted into a shrine to Adonis. This was to desecrate the site and wipe out the memory of Jesus. In doing so, he marked the exact location for Saint Helena two centuries later. When Helena came to Israel to discover the holy Christian places, she arrived in Bethlehem looking for the birthplace of Jesus. And there it was, marked by the Romans as an attempt to obliterate the memory of Jesus, but instead, creating a link to the exact location.
Construction on the church began in 327 and was completed in 333. The church was burned down between 529 and 556 only to be rebuilt again in 565. Many of the Byzantine era churches were destroyed by Persians in the early 6th century. Legend suggests that the Persian commander was moved by the depiction of the wise men, in Persian clothing, depicted artfully inside the church. The church was later expanded by the Crusaders. Many of the Crusader churches were also destroyed, but the Basilica of the Nativity was spared once again. Remnants of the Byzantine church are visible everywhere. To include the original mosaic floors, which are protected with a wooden floor placed over the top. Visitors can view the original floor through a wooden viewing hatch in the floor.
On the wall above the entrance into the grotto, many depictions of Mary and Jesus are displayed. This one in particular caught my eye.
Once you enter the grotto, there are two altars. the more ornate altar marks the exact spot where Jesus was born, while the alternate area marks the spot where the manger was located. There is a gilded star in the floor with a hole in it that marks Christ's birthplace. Below that altar is another area where the manger was believed to be. The rock is hewed similar to the style Bedouins use as feeding troughs. So the "barn" turned out to actually be a cave. And the manger was not wooden, but rather rock. I learned a lot from this visit.
Top of birthplace altar
Bottom of birthplace altar
Original mosaic floors
There are several Christian sects that make this Basilica home. There is a lot of artwork and statuary as well as an adjoining chapel and a courtyard to view. The place is much larger inside than it appears from the outside. In the courtyard is a statue of Saint Jerome, a prolific writer and historian who lived in the fourth century.
Artwork located in the adjacent Church of Saint Catherine
The Basilica of the Nativity was one of the most impressive, memorable visits during our trip. It was a "save the best for last" situation. The provenance of the location is incredible. The reality of the nativity compared to my westernized, idealized version was enlightening. It was humbling to visit a place with the age and history as well as Christian significance as this. It is amazing that this church alone was spared by the Persians. The tour was interesting and informative. It only takes an hour or two to visit. The general feeling of safety in Bethlehem during our tour seemed adequate. I would definitely recommend visiting this church if you find yourself in Israel.
Be sure to check out my other experiences in Israel.
A Christian Guide to Israel
Hotels
Cinema Hotel Tel Aviv, Israel
Ron Beach Hotel, Tiberias, Israel
Prima Park Hotel Jerusalem, Israel
Attractions
Caesarea National Park Caesarea, Israel
Mount Precipice Mount Kedimum, Israel
Sea of Galilee Boat Ride Tiberias, Israel
Yigal Alon Museum (Jesus Boat) Ginosar, Israel
Capernaum, Israel
St. Peter’s Restaurant Kinneret, Israel
Caesarea Phillipi Banias, Israel
Gadot Lookout and Memorial Golan Heights, Israel
Jordan River Baptismal Site Yardenit, Israel
Beit She’an National Park Beit She’an, Israel
Mount of Olives, Jerusalem, Israel
Garden Tomb Jerusalem, Israel
Western Wall Jerusalem, Israel
Western Wall Tunnels Jerusalem, Israel
Bethlehem New Store Gift Shop
Pools of Bethesda Jerusalem, Israel
Via Dolorosa Jerusalem, Israel
Shrine of the Book Jerusalem, Israel
Yad Vashem Jerusalem, Israel
The Upper Room Jerusalem, Israel
Tomb of King David Jerusalem, Israel
Holyland Model of Jerusalem Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Israel
Masada National Park, Masada, Israel
The Dead Sea, Masada, Israel
Churches
Discalced Carmelite Monastery Muhraqa, Israel
Basilica of the Annunciation Nazareth, Israel
St. Peter’s Church Capernaum, Israel
Church of the Multiplication Tabgha, Israel
Church of the Beatitudes Tabgha, Israel
Church of All Nations Jerusalem, Israel
Church of Saint Anne Jerusalem, Israel
Church of the Holy Sepulcher Jerusalem, Israel
Church of Saint Peter in Gallicantu Jerusalem, Israel
Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem, West Bank
Unless otherwise indicated, these photos are my own. They may be used with permission.
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I think I also had a wrong idea about the place where Jesus was born, I don't know it was a cave with stone walls, thanks for telling the story and for the pictures, they give a good idea of the place ...
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I remember this place! Seeing the star was really cool and learning that it was in a cave was interesting as well. I enjoy reading your write ups and reliving our trip there. :) When we arrived in Bethlehem and got our new tour guide, an armed guard also got on and asked to see everyone's passports. Like with a machine gun. Other than that, we felt fine in Bethlehem and did a lot of our tourist shopping there at a little shop they took us to after our tour.
Yes. I think I need to review the place we went to. I plan to. They were Armenian Christians. It was a very large place designed for tourists. But they were incredible. I bought my wife a widow's mite necklace that was discovered during one of the digs. It was licensed by the Israeli Antiquities to take out of the country. One of the owners/managers, John, wrote down the Lord's Prayer for me in Aramaic. I copied his writing onto a Jerusalem Stone and gave it to my mother as a gift for her 80th Birthday last year.
Oh wow!! Those are some great finds! I would love either of those gifts. We collected a few things on our trip as well that we found, and of course, a bottle of Dead Sea water and Jordan River water. They even made it all the way to Panama when we moved. :)