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| Bethlehem Church
of the Nativity |
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Source:
Jerusalem, Bethany, and Bethlehem, p.
117. |
Church and Convent,
Bethlehem
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So far back as the days of Justin Martyr, in the earlier part of the second
century, the place of our Lord's birth was pointed out in "a certain cave very
close to the village;" . . . .Under the direction of Helena a splendid basilica
or Christian church was erected. This still remains, having escaped destruction
during the many convulsions which have ravaged the country for centuries. It has
been added to, slightly altered, or, as modern architects would term it,
"restored" occasionally, notably by the Emperor Justinian, but in its main
features it is unchanged, the oldest existing Christian church not only in
Palestine, but in the world. (Source:
Picturesque Palestine, vol. 1, pp.
125-126.) |
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Church of the Nativity's Entrance |
Source:
Earthly Footsteps of the Man of Galilee, p. 28. |
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The Church of St. Mary is the property of
three leading sects-- the Greeks, the Latins
and the Armenians . . . .It is built in the
shape of a Latin cross. The nave and side
aisles are formed by lofty columns of reddish,
white-veined limestone. The capitals are
Corinthian, and from the base to the top each
pillar measures about nineteen feet. There are
fragments of ancient mosaics to be found here
and there on the walls. In this picture we
have an excellent view of the church--plain,
simple, stately, ancient, with stone
pavements, and beyond the screen we can see
the upper part of the cross over the great
altar. (Source: Earthly Footsteps of the Man of Galilee, p. 28.) |
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Source:
Picturesque Palestine, vol. 1, p.
128. |
Chapel of Nativity, St.
Mary, Bethlehem |
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The Grotto of the Nativity appears to have
been honoured as early as the second century,
and is thus probably the very oldest of the
holy caves of Palestine. It is a low, somewhat
irregular vault, apparently hewn in the rock,
thirty-eight feet long by eleven wide. At the
east end is a semicircular apse, the sanctum
of the entire structure- convent, churches,
and chapels. On a marble slab fixed in the
pavement, with a silver star in the centre,
are these words:- HIC DE VIRGINE MARIA JESUS
CHRISTUS NATUS EST. ("Here Jesus Christ
was born of the Virgin Mary.") Not far
distant, in an angle of the Grotto, is the
Chapel of the Manger. But the real manger is
gone. It was, we are told, carried to Rome and
deposited in the grand basilica of Santa Maria
Maggiore. In its place here is a trough of
white marble. (Source: Jerusalem, Bethany, and Bethlehem, p. 124.) |
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See
Bethlehem,
Christmas Story,
Rachel's
Tomb, Mar Saba,
or
Solomon's Pools |
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