Church
of Nativity
Location:
Bethlehem
lies 765 meters above the level of the Mediterranean Sea provides a remarkable
view of an ancient landscape of vineyards, olive trees, and small historic
villages.
How
to get to Bethlehem
After
one’s arrival at the City of Jerusalem, he has to continue his journey towards
Rachel’s Tomb at the entrance of the City of Bethlehem . At the entrance of
Bethlehem , the road branches out into two directions. On the right hand side is
the Hebron road. On the left hand side is the Manger Street which leads to the
Manger Square , and to the Nativity Church over the Grotto in which Lord Jesus
was born.
Church
of Nativity
All
along the Manger Street there are a considerable number of souvenir shops,
restaurants, and hotels.
Two
hundred meters before reaching Manger Square there is a road on your left that
leads to the town of Beit Sahour and the Shepherds Field.
Christmas is celebrated by three denominations at different times:
1- The Catholic Creed celerates Christmas on Dec. 25th of every year. They are under the leadership of His Holliness The Pope who took the Vatican as his official residence. In Palestine , the pope is represented by the Patriarch Michael Sabbah who resides in Jerusalem.
In Christmas Eve, the Patriarch is welcomed at the entrance of Bethlehem by a parade of scouts until he reaches the Manger Square where high ranking officials receive him.
His
Beautitude Patriarch Michael Sabah
At about 11:30 p.m of the same day, the Patriarch holds the midnight mass that is usually attended by thousadnds of people. the mass is usually broadcasted to all countries of the world. The denominations that follow this creed are the Latins ,Syriac Catholic, and Protostants (Lutheran , Baptists,Anglican).
2- The Orthodox Creed celebrates Christmas on January 7th of every year. The denominations that follow this creed are Greek Orthodox , Syriac Orthodox, and the Coptic.
On Christmas Eve, the Greek Orthodox Patriartich reaches Bethlehem at about 11:00 a.m., and visits the Nativity Church. At midnight, he holds the Christmas mass which is broadcasted to all countries of the world.
3- The Armenian Denomination celebrates christmas on January 19th of every year.The Armenian Patriarch comes on Christmas Eve at about 10:00 a.m. and is usually received by scouts and officials of the area. At night, he hold Christmas mass.
The
Church of Nativity :
This
is the oldest church in the Holy Land still in use. The original church was
constructed under the patronage of Constantine’s mother , Helena, who come on
a pilgrimage to Palestine in 325 AD to investigate the sites associated with the
life of Jesus Christ which had been revered since the early days of
Christianity.
Helena
chose the Grotto of the Nativity, the traditional birthplace of Jesus, as the
site for the huge Basilica which was completed in 339 AD.
Inside the church, two sets of stairs on either side of the alter lead down into the Grotto , the site where Jesus was born. A silver star embedded in
Star
of Bethlehem (Silver Star )
Inside the
Alter
white marble
and bearing the Latin inscription “ Here of the Virgin Mary Christ was born
“ marks the site.