The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem commemorates the traditional location of Jesus’s birth. According to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea (Matthew 2; Luke 2). King David came from Bethlehem, and it was prophesied that the messiah would be born in Bethlehem, too (Micah 5:2).
The church surrounds the Nativity Grotto, believed to be the cave where Jesus was born. Since at least the third century, a tradition associates Jesus’s birthplace with a cave in Bethlehem, as recorded by Origen of Alexandria. Today, this location is commemorated by a silver 14-pointed star inscribed with the Latin phrase, HIC DE VIRGINE MARIA JESUS CHRISTUS NATUS EST—1717 (“Here Jesus Christ was born to the Virgin Mary—1717”). The date at the end of the inscription refers to the year that Catholics installed the star within the grotto. The star later disappeared in 1847 but was replaced in 1853. Its 14 points represent the generations in Jesus’s genealogy, as the Bible records three sets of 14 generations from Abraham to Jesus. In the center of the star is a hole through which people can touch the original stone.
The Roman emperor Constantine I first constructed a basilical church over the Nativity Grotto in the fourth century. After being heavily damaged in the sixth century, the church was rebuilt by the Byzantine emperor Justinian I, also in the sixth century. The church has been restored and redecorated several times over the past millennium and a half, but its form has largely stayed the same.
In 2012, the Church of the Nativity was deemed a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It continues to welcome pilgrims from around the world.
Where Is It?
1. Rome, Italy
2. Tbilisi, Georgia
3. Istanbul, Turkey
4. Bethlehem, West Bank
5. Hougang, Singapore
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