Then Emperor Justinian rebuilt a bigger, grander church, much of which still remains today.
The church was spared when the Persians invaded because of the mosaic showing the Magi visiting the baby Jesus.
The biggest changes were made by the Crusaders, including the mosaics on the walls and column paintings...
Another big change came much later, the Door of Humility. But it isn't, in fact, about humbly entering this great church. It was about stopping looters from coming in with horses and carts and camels.
Now the interior is a rather confusing mixture of traditions and decor...
Because of the three groups and their inability to get along, the Ottomans instituted the "Status Quo." This is a set of unwritten rules that mandate how things are done, the way they've always been done. It doesn't seem to have helped much. The tension in the place is palpable. But it wasn't helped by priests yelling for people to "shut up." And on Christmas Eve such a fight broke out over cleaning these chandeliers that several holy men ended up in the hospital.
It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012. When it was discovered that the building was in such disrepair that it had become dangerous, a $15 million restoration project was begun in 2013. It is still going on now...
All of the hanging cloths for the work were covered in signatures from
visitors all over the world
After waiting in line for nearly an hour, we got our chance to make our way down to the Grotto of the Nativity, a cave in the basement of the church where it is believed that Jesus was born. Then it got really intense! Turns out people are willing to push, shove and force their way through to get to the place where Mary birthed Jesus, to kiss the icons of the Virgin and pray on the spot.
From there passageways lead to the Church of St Catherine, the parish church for Bethlehem's Catholics and where Midnight Mass is held and broadcast from Bethlehem. It was built in 1882 on the site of a Crusader church and monastery.
Outside in the courtyard of St Catherine's is a statue of St. Jerome. You can access his cave under the Church of the Nativity from St Catherine's. It is there that he spent 30 years translating the Bible into Latin starting around the year 386. Around the time Jerome was in Bethlehem, the Grotto of the Nativity was enlarged and a silver manger was placed there. Jerome was not happy...
“If I could only see that manger in which the Lord lay! Now, as if to honour the Christ, we have removed the poor one and placed there a silver one; however, for me the one which was removed is more precious . . . .”
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