Editing Church of the Nativity (section)

==Site architecture and layout==
[[File:Basilica 20.png|thumb|right|Plan of the Church of the Nativity from the 1911 ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. (1) Narthex; (2) nave; (3) aisles. The Grotto of the Nativity is situated right underneath the chancel, with the silver star at its eastern end (top side of the plan). North is to the left.]]

The centrepiece of the Nativity complex is the Grotto of the Nativity, a cave which enshrines the site where Jesus is said to have been born.

The core of the complex connected to the Grotto consists of the Church of the Nativity itself, and the adjoining Catholic Church of St. Catherine north of it.

===Outer courtyard===
Bethlehem's main city square, [[Manger Square]], is an extension of the large paved courtyard in front of the Church of the Nativity and St Catherine's. Here crowds gather on Christmas Eve to sing [[Christmas carols]] in anticipation of the midnight services.

===Basilica of the Nativity===
[[File:BethlehemInsideCN.jpg|thumb|Interior–northern aisles (left) and [[chancel]] (right)–before the latest renovations]]
[[File:Bethlehem-Nativity-140.jpg|thumb|The chancel with gilded iconostasis (2019)]]

The main '''Basilica of the Nativity''' is maintained by the [[Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem|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 containing the [[sanctuary]].

The basilica is entered through a very low door called the "Door of Humility."<ref name=Madden/>

The church's interior walls feature medieval golden [[mosaic]]s once covering the side walls, which are now in large parts lost.<ref name=Madden/>

The original Roman-style floor of the basilica has been covered over with flagstones, but there is a trap door in the floor which opens up to reveal a portion of the original mosaic pavement from the Constantinian basilica.<ref name=Madden>{{cite journal |last=Madden |first=A. M. |title=A Revised Date for the Mosaic Pavements of the Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem |journal=Ancient West and East |volume=11 |year=2012 |pages=147–190}}</ref>

There are 44 columns separating the aisles from each other and from the nave, some of which are painted with images of saints, such as the Irish monk [[Catald]] (fl. 7th century), the [[Patron saint|patron]] of the [[Norman conquest of southern Italy|Sicilian Normans]], [[Canute IV of Denmark|Canute IV]] (c. 1042–1086), king of Denmark, and [[Olaf II of Norway|Olaf II]] (995–1030), king of Norway.<ref name=OConnor/>

The east end of the church consists of a raised [[chancel]], closed by an apse containing the main altar and separated from the chancel by a large gilded [[iconostasis]].

A complex array of [[sanctuary lamp]]s is placed throughout the entire building.

The open ceiling exposes the wooden rafters, recently restored. The previous 15th-century restoration used beams donated by King [[Edward IV of England]], who also donated lead to cover the roof; however, this lead was taken by the [[Ottoman Turks]], who melted it down for ammunition to use in war against [[Venice]].

Stairways on either side of the chancel lead down to the Grotto.

===Grotto of the Nativity===
[[File:Nativity Grotto Star.jpg|thumb|Grotto of the Nativity, fourteen-point silver star under the main altar marking the traditional spot of Jesus' birth]]

The '''Grotto of the Nativity''', the place where Jesus is said to have been born, is an underground space which forms the crypt of the Church of the Nativity. It is situated underneath its main altar, and it is normally accessed by two staircases on either side of the chancel. The grotto is part of a network of caves, which are accessed from the adjacent Church St Catherine's. The tunnel-like corridor connecting the Grotto to the other caves is normally locked.

The cave has an eastern niche said to be the place where Jesus was born, which contains the '''Altar of Nativity'''. The exact spot where Jesus was born is marked beneath this altar by a 14-pointed silver star with the Latin inscription ''Hic De Virgine Maria Jesus Christus Natus Est-1717'' ("Here Jesus Christ was born to the Virgin Mary-1717"). It was installed by the Catholics in 1717, removed – allegedly by the Greeks – in 1847, and replaced by the Turkish government in 1853. The star is set into the marble floor and surrounded by 15 silver lamps representing the three Christian communities: six belong to the Greek Orthodox, four to the Catholics, and five to the Armenian Apostolic. The Altar of the Nativity is maintained by the [[Greek Orthodox]] and [[Armenian Apostolic]] churches. The significance of the 14 points on the star is to represent the three sets of 14 generations in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. First 14 from Abraham to David, then 14 from David to the Babylonian captivity, then 14 more to Jesus Christ. In the middle of the 14 pointed star is a circular hole, through which one can reach in to touch the stone that is said to be the original stone that Mary lay on when she gave birth to Jesus.<ref>Cross Rhythms, The Church of The Nativity, Bethlehem ([http://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/articles/life/The_Church_Of_The_Nativity_Bethlehem/37927/p1/] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190607135847/http://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/articles/life/The_Church_Of_The_Nativity_Bethlehem/37927/p1/|date=7 June 2019}}).</ref> On the apse above the altar was a 12th-century mosaic depicting the Nativity; the base of the mosaic read "Gloria in excelsis Deo et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis" ("Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men of good will"). The mosaic was vandalized in 1873 by Greeks who rioted against the Franciscans.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wells |first1=Archie |title=The Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem: Notes On Two Mosaics |url=https://www.academia.edu/97456063 |website=Academia |access-date=17 September 2024}}</ref> Fragments of the mosaic can still be seen on the apse but are covered over by an icon during liturgical celebrations by the Greeks and Armenians.

Catholics are in charge of a section of the grotto known as the "Grotto of the Manger", marking the traditional site where Mary laid the newborn baby in the manger. The Altar of the Magi is located directly opposite from the manger site. The Franciscans are also in charge of a door, at the opposite end of the Altar of the Nativity, that opens to a passageway connecting the grotto with the underground chapels of Saint Catherine Church.

===Church of St. Catherine===
The adjoining [[Church of Saint Catherine, Bethlehem|Church of St. Catherine]] is a [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] church dedicated to [[Catherine of Alexandria]], built in a more modern [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic Revival]] style. It has been further modernized according to the liturgical trends which followed [[Second Vatican Council|Vatican II]].

This is the church where the [[Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem]] celebrates Midnight Mass on [[Christmas Eve]]. Certain customs in this Midnight Mass predate Vatican II, but must be maintained because the ''[[Status quo (Holy Land sites)|Status Quo]]'' was legally fixed by a [[firman (decree)]] in 1852 under the [[Ottoman Empire]], which is still in force today.

The [[bas-relief]] of the [[Tree of Jesse]] is a {{convert|3.75 by 4|m|ftin}} sculpture by [[Czesław Dźwigaj]] which was recently incorporated into the Church of St. Catherine as a gift of [[Pope Benedict XVI]] during his [[List of journeys of Pope Benedict XVI#Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinian Territories (8–15 May 2009)|trip to the Holy Land in 2009]]. It represents an [[olive tree]] as the [[Tree of Jesse]], displaying the [[genealogy of Jesus]] from [[Abraham]] through Joseph, as well as symbolism from the [[Old Testament]]. The upper portion is dominated by a crowned figure of [[Christ the King]] in an open-armed pose blessing the Earth. It is situated along the passage used by pilgrims making their way to the Grotto of the Nativity.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dziennikpolski24.pl/Artykul.100+M5d4c87a1956.0.html |title=Płaskorzeźba w dare |work=Dziennik Polski |date=13 May 2009 |access-date=15 May 2009 |language=pl |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150426201217/http://www.dziennikpolski24.pl/Artykul.100%2BM5d4c87a1956.0.html |archive-date=26 April 2015}}</ref>

===Caves accessed from St. Catherine's===
Several chapels are found in the caves accessed from St. Catherine's, including the Chapel of [[Saint Joseph]] commemorating the angel's appearance to Joseph, commanding him to flee to Egypt;<ref>{{bibleverse|Matthew|2:13}}</ref> the Chapel of the Innocents, commemorating the [[Massacre of the Innocents|children killed]] by [[Herod the Great|Herod]];<ref>{{bibleverse|Matthew|2:16–18}}</ref> and the Chapel of Saint [[Jerome]], in the underground cell where tradition holds he lived while translating the [[Bible]] into [[Latin]] (the [[Vulgate]]).