My wife and were so impressed with this Church. Where Mary gave birth to Jesus. The church had this calming effect on us. A must place to visit.n
Church of the Nativity
Photo: Church of the Nativity
The Church of the Nativity is one of the holiest sites in Christian tradition, which holds that the church was built on top of the cave where Jesus of Nazareth was born. The church was first built under the auspices of the Roman emperor Constantine the Great in 135 AD and has been refurbished and added to numerous times since. Inside the church, you can visit the Milk Grotto, which is said to be the actual cave where Mary gave birth to Jesus.
The church is a popular tourist destination year-round and the site of a particularly festive celebration on Christmas, when masses of people from all over the world gather inside and outside the church for services that are shown on a large screen in Manger Square.
The site is also holy to Muslims, who consider Jesus one of the prophets of Allah, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
TripAdvisor Reviews
Based on 2349 traveler reviews“The birth of Jesus”
“One of those very special experiences but can be quite chaotic due to the amount of people visiting.”
Visit here feels quite chaotic when there are many tours doing the same thing as you at the same time. Pretty normal if you are touring but due to the church being active and the mass of visitors visiting the place of Jesus’ birth place it can be hit and miss. Sometimes it is...
MoreVisit here feels quite chaotic when there are many tours doing the same thing as you at the same time. Pretty normal if you are touring but due to the church being active and the mass of visitors visiting the place of Jesus’ birth place it can be hit and miss. Sometimes it is closed. Part of our group got in but then it was closed due to an event in the main church. We were down there when they turned the lights off to force people to leave. It was pitch black. Thankfully mobile phones saved the day and we got out ok. The guy who stopped people coming in and had turned the lights off to remove us was met with thanks for the visit rather than animosity and he calmed down. I did actually understand his frustrations but what do you do. A beautiful main church and the grotto was a nice experience until the lights went out.nnClearly making this important site available to the masses takes its toll on the three different monasteries: one Roman Catholic, one Armenian Apostolic, and one Greek Orthodox. An experience for sure.
Less“Where Everything began”
There are two churches: the first one is the catholic one and the second one is the orthodox whixh is the one where Christ was born. Once inside you can feel the Xmas atmosphere (just look at the lamps hanging from the top ;) ). The door to get in is very small and...
MoreThere are two churches: the first one is the catholic one and the second one is the orthodox whixh is the one where Christ was born. Once inside you can feel the Xmas atmosphere (just look at the lamps hanging from the top ;) ). The door to get in is very small and any guide there can explain you why. nThen once inside just search for the star and you will be where “everything began”.
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