Bethlehem is a surprise which is not surprising since I usually guess wrong. It's a pretty big town with about 25,000 people I think. I am expecting a village, and, driving in through the stoney countryside, I can imagine shepherds on the hillsides with their sheep. Actually, we do see sheep grazing all over the rocky slopes with their guardians nearby. It's not hard to picture this area thousands of years ago, at least not until we reach the town. Large buildings, honking taxis, and trucks with loads of building material transport me back to present day, and as our taxi deposits us in town to wait for our guide to the Church of the Nativity, known as the Basilica of the King, we try to work through the process of this little village's progress through the centuries to what it is today.
The Church of the Nativity, our main visitation point, is surprisingly lowly at the entrance with a small door through which we stoop as we enter. One must bow in order to enter which is fitting for the specialness of the place. We step into a cavernous church save for the altar and many candle lamps hanging from the ceiling. The present floor is wood, but the floor below it, seen by a large square cut into the wood, is a beautiful mosaic, and we are told the mosaic covers the entirety of the floor. It must be some piece of art!! To the left side is a small set of circular steps that lead down, and it is through this hole in the floor that we descend into another room, this one packed full of visitors. On our left is another altar, and beneath it is the spot where Jesus was born our guide tells us. It is covered in beautiful silver and dark blue tile, but there are so many people in that small spot, it's very hard to move, so we proceed to the still lower area where our guide tells us Jesus' manger was located. It's lit with many candles and gives off a soft glow, fitting the spirituality of the location. Beautiful and serene, except for the many pilgrims who are also there to absorb the atmosphere of early Christian worship, the entirety of this special birthplace stays with us as we emerge from below to the sight-seeing groups in the church above.
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| lowly entrance to Church of the Nativity |
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| majestic altar inside church |
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| birthplace of Jesus |
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| place where manger was located |
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| mosaic floor (underneath wood one) |
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| stained glass above altar |
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| hillsides of stones |
Once again, in the bright sunlight, we make our way back to the taxi and are off again, this time across the country westward to Tel Aviv.
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