The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem is one of the oldest continuously operating churches in the world. To get there, you must cross the border to Palestine.
The Church is actually a combination of two churches, with a crypt, the Grotto of the Nativity, where Jesus is said to have been born:
The main section (the basilica) is controlled by the Greek Orthodox Church. It is designed like a generic Roman basilica, with three aisles and an apse and features golden mosaics covering the side walls, which are now largely decayed. The Roman style floor has been since covered over and the church also features a large iconostasis, and a complex array of lamps
throughout the entire church.
The adjoining Roman Catholic church, which is done in a more modern Gothic revival style, has since been further modernized according to the liturgical trends after Vatican II.
The underground cave, which features the altar over the place, is where Jesus is said to have been born.
The main section (the basilica) is controlled by the Greek Orthodox Church. It is designed like a generic Roman basilica, with three aisles and an apse and features golden mosaics covering the side walls, which are now largely decayed. The Roman style floor has been since covered over and the church also features a large iconostasis, and a complex array of lamps
throughout the entire church.
The adjoining Roman Catholic church, which is done in a more modern Gothic revival style, has since been further modernized according to the liturgical trends after Vatican II.
The underground cave, which features the altar over the place, is where Jesus is said to have been born.
I happened to see something interesting: the undreground ceremony, it was private, and in latin.
In the garden is a statue of Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus - is best known as the translator of the Bible from Greek and Hebrew into Latin.
