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Church of the Nativity

For other uses, see Church of the Nativity (disambiguation).

Church of the Nativity
Facade of the Church of the Nativity (left) and Armenian monastery (right), 2012
Religion
AffiliationShared: Catholic, Armenian Apostolic, and Greek Orthodox Church, with minor Coptic Orthodox, Ethiopian Tewahedo Orthodox, and Syriac Orthodox rites[1]
StatusActive
Location
LocationBethlehem, West Bank
CountryPalestine
Geographic coordinates31°42′15.5″N 35°12′27.3″E / 31.704306°N 35.207583°E / 31.704306; 35.207583
Architecture
TypeByzantine (Constantine the Great and Justinian I)
StyleRomanesque
Groundbreaking326
Completedc. 565
Official name: Birthplace of Jesus: the Church of the Nativity and the Pilgrimage Route, Bethlehem
TypeCultural Heritage
Criteriaiv, vi
Designated2012[2]
Reference no.1433
State PartyPalestine
RegionWestern Asia
Website
custodia.org/en/sanctuaries/bethlehem

The Church of the Nativity, or Basilica of the Nativity,[a] is a basilica located in Bethlehem, West Bank, Palestine. The grotto holds a prominent religious significance to Christians of various denominations as the birthplace of Jesus. The grotto is the oldest site continuously used as a place of worship in Christianity, and the basilica is the oldest major church in the Holy Land.[3]

The church was originally commissioned by Constantine the Great a short time after his mother Helena's visit to Jerusalem and Bethlehem in 325–326, on the site that was traditionally considered to be the birthplace of Jesus.[4][5] That original basilica was likely built between 330 and 333, being already mentioned in 333, and was dedicated on 31 May 339.[4][5] It was probably destroyed by fire during the Samaritan revolts of the sixth century, possibly in 529, and a new basilica was built a number of years later by Byzantine Emperor Justinian (r. 527–565), who added a porch or narthex, and replaced the octagonal sanctuary with a cruciform transept complete with three apses, but largely preserved the original character of the building, with an atrium and a basilica consisting of a nave with four side aisles.[4][5]

The Church of the Nativity, while remaining basically unchanged since the Justinianic reconstruction, has seen numerous repairs and additions, especially from the Crusader period, such as two bell towers (now gone), wall mosaics and paintings (partially preserved).[6] Over the centuries, the surrounding compound has been expanded, and today it covers approximately 12,000 square meters, comprising three different monasteries: one Catholic, one Armenian Apostolic, and one Greek Orthodox,[7] of which the first two contain bell towers built during the modern era.[6]

The silver star marking the spot where Christ was born, inscribed in Latin, was stolen in October 1847 by Greek monks who wished to remove this Catholic item.[4] Some assert that this was a contributing factor in the Crimean War against the Russian Empire.[8] Others assert that the war grew out of the wider European situation.[9]

Since 2012, the Church of the Nativity is a World Heritage Site and was the first to be listed by UNESCO under 'Palestine'.[10][11]

Since 1852, the rights of the three religious communities are ruled by Status Quo.[12][1]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Cust29 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Unesco, Birthplace of Jesus: the Church of the Nativity and the Pilgrimage Route, Bethlehem". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 1 July 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  3. ^ For a detailed introduction to the history of the site and its architectural, spatial, and figural mise-en-scène since Antiquity to the present cf. Bacci, Michele (2017), The Mystic Cave. A History of the Nativity Church in Bethlehem Archived 4 July 2022 at the Wayback Machine, Rome-Brno, Viella
  4. ^ a b c d Cohen, Raymond (2011). "Conflict and Neglect: Between Ruin and Preservation at the Church of the Nativity". In Melanie Hall (ed.). Towards world heritage: International origins of the preservation movement 1870–1930. Routledge. pp. 91–108. ISBN 978-1-4094-0772-0. Archived from the original on 2 August 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  5. ^ a b c Madden, Andrew (2012). "A Revised Date for the Mosaic Pavements of the Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem". Ancient West & East. 11: 147–190. doi:10.2143/AWE.11.0.2175882. Archived from the original on 9 August 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  6. ^ a b Custodia terrae sanctae, Bethlehem Sanctuary: Crusader bell towers Archived 31 May 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ Shomali, Qustandi. "Church of the Nativity: History & Structure". Archived from the original on 11 April 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2018. Today, the compound of the Nativity church covers an area of approximately 12,000 square meters and includes, besides the Basilica, the Latin convent in the north, the Greek convent in the south-east and the Armenian convent in the south-west. A bell-tower and sacristy were built adjoining the south-east corner of the Basilica.
  8. ^ LaMar C. Berrett (1996). Discovering the World of the Bible. Cedar Fort. p. 188. ISBN 978-0-910523-52-3. Archived from the original on 29 July 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  9. ^ Clive Ponting (2011). The Crimean War: The Truth Behind the Myth. Random House. pp. 2–3]. ISBN 978-1-4070-9311-6. Archived from the original on 29 July 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  10. ^ Lazaroff, Tovah (29 June 2012). "UNESCO: Nativity Church heritage site in 'Palestine'". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on 29 June 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  11. ^ "Birthplace of Jesus: Church of the Nativity and the Pilgrimage Route, Bethlehem". UNESCO. Archived from the original on 1 July 2012. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  12. ^ UN Conciliation Commission (1949). United Nations Conciliation Commission for Palestine Working Paper on the Holy Places. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2017.


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