Bethlehem, Palestine: The church where it all started

In a continuation of our Bethlehem series, I'll talk about the church. The other posts are here and here.

No trip to Bethlehem would be complete without a stop by the attraction that really puts it on the map: the Church of the Nativity. While thousands of Christians visit Bethlehem on pilgrimage every day, the birthplace of Christ is worth a look for believers and non-believers alike. Bethlehem is also home to one of the highest ratios of Christian Arabs around the world.

As with the Holy Church of the Sepulcher in Jerusalem, this "church" is actually a collection of chapels sitting atop the grotto as no one denomination of Christianity can really stake their sole claim to this holiest of holy sites. It is currently jointly administered by the Roman Catholics, Greek Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic churches with several other chapels from other denominations.

Site Layout

The building itself is quite aesthetically pleasing, even if you're an Ebeneezer Scrooge and don't believe in all this Jesus mumbo-jumbo. (It's OK, he still forgives you.)

Church of St. Catherine

You'll enter through Manger Square, a large paved courtyard in front of the church which basically forms the center of town. Entrance to the church itself is free. When entering the church grounds, you'll have your choice of which area to enter first, the main basilica on the right or the Church of St. Catherine on the left. There are also a few other little chapels hidden around, so be sure to look—I particularly enjoyed the cave section below St. Catherine.

Underneath the basilica is the main attraction: the Grotto. If you thought Jesus was born in a barn, you'd be wrong; it's a little, dinky cave, which is where you would have parked your donkey (let's call him Horace) if you lived 2,000 some odd years ago in this part of the world.

In the cave below St. Catherine's

One of the small pleasures of your visit will be the serenading from other visitors singing hymns. Religious people get really emotional at these kinds of sites, and for good reason. There was a nice rendition of "Oh Little Town of Bethlehem" here in the Grotto, but the real show was at the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem. Hoo boy—all I'll say is that if you ever see an African group touring in Israel, FOLLOW THEM AND WAIT FOR AWESOMENESS. When they sing and worship it is a sight to behold, and they will sing and worship. Often.

All in all, this place is definitely a must-see for any visit to Bethlehem, even for non-Christians.

Other Religious Sites

For those wishing to bask even more in the religious aspects, you can also take a Christmassy tour down to the Shepherd's Fields, where Gabriel and a host of angels were supposed to have visited shepherds to proclaim the birth of Jesus.

While not as important, the Milk Grotto Chapel is another easily accessible religious site. Here, legend has that Mary spilled a few drops of breast milk when fleeing for Egypt, turning the whole cavern milky white.

The tomb of Rachel, wife to Jacob, is supposed to be the second most sacred site in Bethlehem to Christians. Unfortunately, that damn wall is now in the way. Rachel's Tomb is now only accessible from Jerusalem via Egget bus, making it virtually inaccessible from Bethlehem.