It is the oldest church in Palestine and one of the oldest churches in the world. It is located in the city of Bethlehem. It is the first of the three churches built by Emperor Constantine at the beginning of the fourth century AD when Christianity became the official state religion. According to Christian historical references, it was built by order of Queen Helena over the place where Christ, peace be upon him, was born, and it was rebuilt in the sixth century after a fire broke out in it.
the site
The Church of the Nativity is located in the city of Bethlehem, about 10 kilometers south of Jerusalem. It is one of the oldest and most famous churches in Palestine and in the world. It is considered the holiest place for Christians, because of its connection to the birthplace of Jesus Christ, as it was built above the cave in which he was likely born.
Church history
Sources differed regarding the date of the beginning of construction of the Church of the Nativity, but it is likely that it was between 330 AD and 333 AD. It was opened in 339 AD and was built in parallel with the construction of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher by order of Queen Helena, the mother of King Constantine the Great.
The Samaritans burned the church before demolishing it in 529 AD, then the Byzantine Emperor Justinian rebuilt it in 534 AD.
Researcher Nazmi Al-Jubeh mentioned in his book, “The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, the oldest church in Palestine,” that it retained its features on which it was built approximately 14 centuries ago.
The Church of the Nativity is one of the few churches that were not demolished by the Persians, due to the painting of the Magi on its facade. The Caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah also preserved it in 1009 AD out of respect for Christ, peace be upon him.
The Crusaders took care of the church; Especially after the coronation of King Baldwin over the Latin Kingdom in Jerusalem in 1101 AD, they decorated it with mosaics on the walls, drawings on the columns, and marble on the floors.
The church lost part of its splendor at the end of the Mamluk period due to the weakness of the Mamluk regime and the spread of corruption, in addition to the natural disasters that occurred during that period, and the spread of infectious diseases.
Although the church was exposed to an earthquake in 1834 AD and a fire in 1869 AD, it preserved its architecture and most of its parts and decorations, while its floor and ceiling were damaged, and they were restored several times.
The church was handed over to the care of the Franciscan fathers in 1347 AD, and they carried out the necessary repairs in 1480 AD.
Church parts
The main building of the church, built by Emperor Constantine, contained elaborate floor mosaics, in addition to Latin, Greek Orthodox, Franciscan, and Armenian monasteries and churches. It also has bell towers and terraced gardens.
In the church there is the Grotto of the Nativity, which is the main shrine in it. It is located under the nave to the east, and there are two stairs leading to it on either side of the altar of the Nativity. A silver star and Latin writing were found in it, which some accounts say indicates that the Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ there. It also contains 15 lamps. Represents Christian denominations.
The church was built in the basilica style, with a large nave, 5 wide wings, and two transverse halls. Below it is the cave of the Nativity. It has one end overlooking an octagonal hall with a conical roof, and 40 columns above it, two walls 10 meters high, and above it are 11 windows surrounding it on all sides.
On the walls of the church there are remains of the mosaics that used to decorate it and its floor in the 12th century, which date back to the first Byzantine period.
The entrance to the church is a modest door less than a meter and a half high. It appears to the observer to be a fortress and not a church of high status, which requires the visitor to bow slightly when entering, in order to protect it from invaders due to its religious status. The entrance is also surmounted by a stone lintel.
According to historical studies, this entrance was opened in the Mamluk or Ottoman period, which shows the diverse architectural richness of the facade.
Visit of Omar bin Al-Khattab
Omar ibn al-Khattab and his companions entered Jerusalem after its liberation, and Patriarch Sophrenius accompanied them to show them its ruins. Omar then visited the Church of the Nativity, and when he realized it was time for prayer, he prayed in it. Then he feared that the Muslims would take his prayer as a tradition and expel its companions from it, so he wrote to the patriarch a special covenant designating the church for the Christians. He determines the entry of Muslims into it, and gives orders that Muslims should not pray at the doorsteps of churches in congregation, and that a muezzin should not invite them to the congregation.
On the World Heritage List
In 2012, the Church of the Nativity was included on the World Heritage List of the United Nations Educational and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and it is the first Palestinian site added to this list, but it was later classified on the list of heritage buildings in danger due to its poor condition.
In early July 2019, the United Nations removed the Church of the Nativity from the list of endangered World Heritage sites after restoring most of it.
Church siege
The siege of the church began on April 2, 2002, after the end of the Latin feast of Easter. The Israeli army had then besieged the Bethlehem Governorate and began storming it during what it called Operation Defensive Shield.
Clashes took place between the Israeli occupation forces and some Palestinian resistance fighters who used the Church of the Nativity as their fortress. The Israeli forces imposed a siege on the church and those in it that lasted more than 35 days.
During the siege, negotiations were held with the Israeli side by international organizations, the European Union, and the Palestinian National Authority, as a result of which 13 people were deported outside Palestine, and 26 others to the Gaza Strip. Eight Palestinians were martyred and 14 others were injured, while two Israeli soldiers were killed.
Christmas without a tree and decorations
The atmosphere of the aggression launched by the Israeli occupation against Gaza since late 2023, which lasted for several months, was reflected in the atmosphere of Christmas celebrations in the courtyard of the Church of the Nativity for the year 2024. The tree and its lighting, which is a symbol of the celebration, were not placed, but were replaced by an artistic sculpture representing the Christmas cave in the form of a destroyed house. “Birth under the rubble” was written on it.
It took about 3 weeks to work on the sculpture, which consists of the remains of stones stacked on the ground and surrounded by barbed wire, symbolizing the devastation inflicted on the Gaza Strip as a result of the Israeli aggression.
It also included a statue of the Holy Family and another of the Virgin Mary embracing Christ, peace be upon him, in the form of a shroud, a symbol of the martyrs of Palestine, in addition to a map of Palestine with a map of Gaza inside it, made of iron painted in dark gray.
A sign was also placed near the church that read: “Stop genocide, stop forced displacement, lift the siege,” and another that read: “Christmas bells in Bethlehem call for a ceasefire in Gaza.”