Christmas - The Church of the Nativity

To all my friends – a very MERRY CHRISTMAS.

Christmas Eve is two days away and I thought you’d appreciate some pictures from the Church of the Nativity.

This is perhaps the oldest existing Christian church in the world. It was built in the 4th century by Helena (the mother of Emperor Constantine). It was destroyed in 539 and rebuilt by Emperor Justinian and survived all the wars in this area. It was originally built as a basilica. The building we see today is from those times.

It is built over the grotto or cave where Jesus Christ was born. Inside the grotto there is a star that marks the exact place where Jesus was born. Nearby (approx. 5 meters), there is the manger which served as Jesus’ crib, where he was laid down after he was born.

Today, this church is managed by the Greek Orthodox. However, the Christmas Mass that will be held tomorrow night will be in the nearby Catholic Church that is adjoined to the side of this church.

Thank you HadjiJD for this video.