Bethlehem Half Day Tour

We travel southwards from Jerusalem to reach Bethlehem, the City of David. This was the home town of King David’s father (Samuel I 16:1) and the place where Christ was born to Mary and Joseph.

We cross Manger Square surrounded by the Mosque of Omar, the Palestinian Peace Center and perhaps the oldest functioning church in the world, the Church of the Nativity. The Byzantine church was originally constructed in the 4th century and later expanded during the 6th century. We can still see part of the original mosaic floor through an opening in the present basilica floor. We enter the Basilica of the Nativity through a low doorway the “Door of Humility”. The walls have faint traces of golden mosaics. 30 of the 44 pink limestone columns in the Nave of the church are adorned with decorations from the Crusader period.

Beneath the church is the Grotto of Nativity where Jesus was said to have been born. A silver star in the grotto is engraved with the Latin phrase “Here Jesus Christ was born to the Virgin Mary.” The church also houses the Chapel of the Manger and the Alter of the Adoration of the Magi (the three wise men).

We exit the basilica and pass by the Armenian Chapel of the Kings to reach the adjacent Church of Saint Catherine. From the Church of St. Catherine we descend to grottos which are connected to those beneath the Church of the Nativity. These ancient caves hold several tombs and chapels including the Chapel of the Innocent dedicated to the babies killed under Herod (Matt. 2:16); the Chapel of Joseph and the Tomb of Jerome. There is also the grotto where Jerome worked for many years translating the Hebrew Bible to Latin.

Our final stop is at the Shepherds Field. The Bible mentions this is as the field where an angel appeared to shepherds tending their sheep by night to announce the birth of Christ in nearby Bethlehem. Today a tent-shaped chapel stands here. This chapel was designed by renowned architect Antonio Barluzzi and is decorated with scenes from the life of Christ.