Bethlehem

Our expert Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories

Bethlehem

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Bethlehem, Israel The Church of the Nativity. This basilica holds the Grotto of the Nativity: the spot where Jesus is believed to have been born is symbolically indicated by a silver star. © René Mattes

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Bethlehem (6 miles south of Jerusalem), whose inhabitants are virtually entirely Arabs, with a Muslim minority, is administered by the Palestinian Authorities. From Jerusalem, you can go there safely by bus or shared taxi. The city of the Nativity is one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the Holy Land. The basilica of the Nativity was built on a maze of caves in 323 by Constantine, the first Roman Emperor who converted to Christianism. It was in one of these caves that Mary is reported to have given birth to Baby Jesus. Today, the basilica is shared by different Christian denominations. In the Saint Catherine Fransiscan Church (added to the basilica in 1881), the Midnight Mass is celebrated on the 24 of December. In one of its underground caves, the church houses the Cenotaphe of Saint Jerome who spent thirty years here translating the Bible into Latin (Vulgate). The Shepherd's field, one of the oldest sanctuaries in the Holy Land (there are still remains of the 6th century decoration) is a pilgrimage site which marks the area where Angel Gabriel appeared to the shepherds to announce the birth of Christ the Saviour.