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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 by Helena, mother of the Byzantine
Emperor Constantine I in 333 AD. 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 jointly 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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