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The Church of the Nativity, in the heart of
Bethlehem, is built over the place where Christians believe Jesus was born.
The miraculous birth, on which rests all Christian dogma, was recorded by
the apologist Justin Martyr (c.100-165) who wrote of `a baby wrapped in
swaddling clothes` born to save the world. The first church erected on the
holy site was commissioned in AD 333 by Saint Helena, mother of the
Byzantine Emperor Constantine I. It subsequently became one of the most
hotly contested buildings in the ancient world, seized and defended by
successive Muslim and Crusader forces, desecrated and then rebuilt. The
present church is administered by three Christian denominations - Catholic,
Armenian and Greek Orthodox. The `Grotto of the Nativity` - site of the
manger of Christmas carols - is reached via a stairway beneath the High
Altar. The exact spot where Mary is supposed to have delivered is marked by
a 14-point silver star sunk in the marble floor. An inscription reads, Hic
de Virgine Maria Jesus Christus natus est (Here Jesus Christ was born to the
Virgin Mary). Black from centuries of smoking candles and festooned with
silver lamps, the small cave is charged with an electric atmosphere boosted
by pilgrims kneeling to touch the star and say a prayer. A visit to Church
of the Nativity is a deeply satisfying experience for peoples of all faiths.
A highlight of the Christian year is the traditional mass celebrated on
Christmas Eve in St. Catherine's Roman Catholic church, next door to the
basilica.
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