Church of the Nativity Lucky 7 - Bethlehem, Palestine - Lucky 7 on Waymarking.com

The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem is a major Christian holy site, as it marks the traditional place of Christ's birth. Although mostly Muslim, Palestinians consider the church a national treasure and one of their most visited tourist site.

The main entrance to the Church of the Nativity is called “The Door of Humility” because it is only about 4 feet tall and 2 feet wide and when you pass through it, you must bow down to enter.

The Grotto of the Nativity, an underground cave located beneath the basilica, enshrines the site where Jesus is said to have been born. The exact spot is marked beneath an altar by a 14-pointed silver star set into the marble floor and surrounded by silver lamps. This altar is denominationally neutral, although it features primarily Armenian Apostolic influences. Another altar in the Grotto, which is maintained by the Roman Catholics, marks the site where traditionally Mary laid the newborn Baby in the manger.

The church is administered jointly by Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic Orthodox authorities. All three traditions maintain monastic communities on the site. The main Basilica of the Nativity is maintained by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. It is designed like a typical Roman basilica, with five aisles (formed by Corinthian columns) and an apse in the eastern end, where the sanctuary is.

In 2012, the church complex became the first Palestinian site to be listed as a World Heritage Site by the World Heritage Committee at its 36th session on 29 June. The site is also on UNESCO's List of World Heritage Sites in Danger. The present state of the church is worrying. Many roof timbers are rotting, and have not been replaced since the 19th century. The rainwater that seeps into the building not only accelerates the rotting of the wood and damages the structural integrity of the building, but also damages the 12th-century wall mosaics and paintings.

Source: Wikipedia (visit link)

Department Number, Category Name, and Waymark Code: 2- This Old Church-WMM4E4 4- Immortalized in Lyrics-WM175R8 5- Official Local Tourism Attractions-WM1753X 6- World Heritage Sites-WMGEX2 10- Superlatives-WMGF4Q 14- Wikipedia Entries-WMM4DW 15- 1000 Places to See Before You Die-WM17549 Check if all of your waymarks are within a 0.1 mile?: yes Tally: 14 Reused Waymarks: no Did you have fun while doing this waymark?: yes

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Date Logged Log User Rating   08/11/2023 Torkkeli visited it