Bethlehem Church - World Cultural Heritage in Palestine

Unesco's Scientific, Educational and Cultural Organization has recognized Bethlehem Church as a World Cultural Heritage, listed as a legacy of risk of perpetual loss in 2012.

Bethlehem Church

The Nativity Church in Bethlehem of Palestine is one of the oldest churches still active in the world. This architectural block was built in a cave known as the birthplace of Jesus , so it is considered a sacred place for Christians all over the world.

History of Bethlehem church

According to the Bible, Joseph and Mary must go to Jerusalem on the orders of King Herode to check the population. On the way, Mary was labored but because she could not find a boarding house, they had to live in a cattle stall and she gave birth to Jesus here.

This relic is corroborated by a disciple - Saint Justin Martyr (100 - 165) and recorded in the " Dialogue with Trypho " about the Holy Family's residence in a cave outside the town. . "On that day, Joseph built a hut in the middle of a cave near the village and while they were there, Mary gave birth to Jesus, placing Him in a manger, the astrologers from Saudi found him. "(chapter LXXVIII). Although the Bible does not tell exactly whether Jesus was born in a cave, there is quite reasonable evidence to confirm this: at that time the houses here were often built in front of a cave. rock. This cave is used for storage and stables.

In 326, Holy Lady Helena , the mother of Emperor Costantine I, first built the cathedral at this place under the supervision of Bishop Makarios of Jerusalem, which was inaugurated in May 339, consisting of one octagonal floor and placed directly above the cave. St. Jeroma - Latin Bible translator has lived and worked in Bethlehem since 384 and then he was buried right below the church of the Nativity . However, the cathedral was destroyed in 529 during the Samaritan rebellion, then rebuilt and survived to this day in 565 by the first Emperor Justinian. When the Persians under the Chosroes II Empire invaded 614, they did not destroy it. According to legend, their commander, Shahrbaraz, saw three astrologers in Persian costumes, ordered to keep this cathedral.

Picture outside Bethlehem church

The Crusaders took over Jerusalem on June 6, 1009, King Baldwin I and II were ordained here. The Franks and Byzantines worked together to restore the interior of the church (1165 - 1169). The Greek inscriptions in the shrine recorded this event. Over time, the building has been expanded to this day with over 12,000 m2.

The church was severely damaged during the Mamluk Empire and Ottoman rule, but it was not destroyed. Most of the marble of the church was robbed by the Ottamans and adorned at Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The earthquake in 1834 and the fire in 1869 destroyed all items in the cave, but miraculously saved the church.

In 1847, the theft of the silver star - the place that marked the birth of Christ - became the factor that caused the conflict across the Holy Land and led to the Crimea war (1854 - 1856).

In 1852, the church's care was shared to three parties: the Roman Church, the Orthodox Church and the Christian Church. The Orthodox Church manages the Christmas Cave section

Church architecture

The architectural block is actually a combination of 2 churches with 1 basement below - Nativity Cave.

The main part of the Nativity church is managed by the Orthodox Church in Israel. It is designed in the style of a Roman church, with 5 spaces (in the form of Corinth - Greek columns) and a prayer place at the east end, a worship site. The church is characterized by golden mosaic decorations surrounding the walls, but most have been damaged. The entrance to the church is a very low gate, called " The humble door" . The reason the gate has such a design is to avoid attention during the battle phase. Looking from the outside does not seem like a church so it can exist today. This door also helps pilgrims be aware of Jesus' simple, poor spirit - who was born in a dark, ordinary place to save humanity. The floor is decorated in pure Roman style, but there is a hatch on the floor that opens to reveal the original part of the floor. The church also has countless gold-plated vases, and a series of colorful lamps along the entrance. Wooden beams sponsored by King Edward IV of the United Kingdom. He himself provided a lead roof for the church. However, this part of the roof was taken away by the Ottoman Empire to melt and cast into a weapon used for the war against Venice.

Architecture inside the church

The church next to St. Catherine, of the Church of Rome, was built in a rather modern Renaissance style. This is the place for the annual Christmas celebration, presided over by the priest of Jerusalem.

Inside the relief of the "Genealogy of Jesus " is a work done by a famous religious sculptor - Czestaw Dzwigaj placed in the church of St. Catherine as a gift of Pope Benedict XVI during his trip. visited his Holy Land in 2009. The work is about 3.75m to 4m tall, the main part is an olive tree with branches depicting the genealogy of Jesus starting from Abraham to Joseph in the biblical history. Following the footsteps of the pilgrims who lead us to the Cave of Christmas, the reliefs combine the characteristics of the Old Testament . The upper part shows the image of the Redeeming Lord protecting his world.

The unique architecture of Bethlehem church

The Christmas cave is a cave beneath the cathedral, where Jesus was born. The exact location is marked by a 14-pointed silver star right on the marble floor, above 15 lamps (6 of the Orthodox Church, 5 of Christianity, 4 of the Church of Rome) . This place is neutral in color even though it is partly influenced by Christianity. Another altar in the cave, managed by the Roman church, is said to be the place where Mary placed the baby in a manger.

There are also many small chapels around, such as St. Joseph's Chapel, which celebrates the apparition of the angel to Joseph to guide him to escape to Egypt; The Innocent chapel, commemorating the babies killed by King Herod and St. Jeroma's chapel, who translated the Bible into Latin.

The Manger Square is a large courtyard in front of the church where Catholics gather to celebrate Christmas.

The Orthodox Church and the Christian church celebrate the rite according to the Julian calendar, while the Roman church follows the calendar. So Christmas for the East and the West is celebrated differently. The Church of Rome celebrates Christmas on December 25 while Christian churches are held on January 7

The work of preserving the Bethlehem church

Since 2008, the Bethlehem Church has been listed by the World Heritage as one of 100 relics that are in danger of being destroyed and permanently lost.

Through a long history of years, the real Bethlehem church is now in danger of losing forever. Many architectural parts of the church were severely degraded, completely decayed. But the first coincidence is very difficult because of the lack of funding, according to the Palestinian Authority, the restoration of the church will be worth millions of dollars. In addition to coinciding with the church, it is necessary to have the consent and unification of the three parties, the Roman Church; Orthodox and Christianity.

For hundreds of years, Bethlem Church remains the most important pilgrimage site for Christians. In recent years, the church has become more and more widely known and every year, many tourists including non-Christians still come here to admire the beauty of the Holy Land as well as the beauty of architecture. Bethlehem church.