| What makes it historical? |
If you’ve ever seen a Christmas pageant or little illuminated mangers outside folks’ homes in December, this is the place where it may have happened! The story goes that a carpenter named Joseph and his wife, Mary, headed south from Nazareth to Bethlehem in order to register for the Roman census. While there, Mary had a baby named Yeshua who grew into the religious leader that English speakers now call Jesus!
Three hundred years later, the Roman Emperor Constantine, having converted to Christianity, embarked on a building spree in Israel, tearing down the older Roman temple to Adonis, which had been built to cover up this site. The original church stood here until 529 AD when a Samaritan revolt brought it down! Three hundred more years passed, and the Emperor Justinian had the church rebuilt on a grander scale. That church is still standing today, making it the world’s oldest Christian church still in regular use!
So how did this church survive so long in this war-ravaged part of the world where cities rose and fell all the time? When the Persians invaded in 614 AD, they saw a mosaic in the church depicting the Nativity scene, and the three Wise Men, who looked like they were Persian! So they spared the church. As time went on, the church was often looted, resulting in a narrowing of the entrance so folks would have to stoop to enter and looting was not as easy to do. Though the church is still in danger from rot and water damage, the main structure is still pretty intact.
Today, this is still a major pilgrimage destination like Santiago de Compostela with routes starting as far away as Canterbury Cathedral in England! Since this church is under the (often conflicting) supervision of mutiple Christian denominations, there are three days of Christmas festivities that take place here, one on December 25 (Catholic/Protestant), one on January 6 (Greek Orthodox), and one on January 18 (Armenian Orthodox)! |
| When should I go? |
The church is open year-round with seasonal hours! From April through September, it’s open from 6:30 AM until 7:30 PM, and between October and March, it’s open from 5:30 AM until 5:00 PM! On Sunday mornings, the Grotto is closed, and the church is reserved for services, but it opens again in the afternoon! |
