Editing Church of the Nativity (section)

===Justinian's basilica (6th century)===
The basilica was rebuilt in its present form in the 6th century on the initiative of Byzantine Emperor [[Justinian I]] (527–565), after the destruction of either 529 or 556.<ref name=Cohen2011/> It was probably accomplished after the Emperor's death, as is indicated by the dating of the wooden elements embedded in the church walls between 545 and 665, which was provided by the dendrochronological analyses made during the recent restoration works.<ref>Bacci, Michele (2017) [https://www.viella.it/libro/9788867288199 ''The Mystic Cave. A History of the Nativity Church in Bethlehem''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220704124417/https://www.viella.it/libro/9788867288199 |date=4 July 2022 }}, Rome-Brno, Viella, p. 65</ref>

The [[Sassanid Empire|Persians]] under [[Khosrau II]] invaded [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]] and [[Sasanian conquest of Jerusalem|conquered nearby Jerusalem in 614]], but they did not destroy the structure. According to legend, their commander [[Shahrbaraz]] was moved by the depiction above the church entrance of the [[Three Magi]] wearing the garb of Persian [[Zoroastrian]] priests, so he ordered that the building be spared.<ref name=PEFnativ>{{cite web |title=The Church of the Nativity, Bethlehem: Early Christian Period After 529 |publisher=The Palestine Exploration Fund |url=https://www.pef.org.uk/church |access-date=2020-03-15 |archive-date=28 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200128004443/https://www.pef.org.uk/church/ }}</ref><ref name=Runciman>{{cite book |first=Steven |last=Runciman |title=A History of the Crusades Vol. I: The First Crusade and the Foundations of the Kingdom of Jerusalem |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1987 |page=10 |isbn=9780521347709 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uDj9sNezWzEC&pg=PA10 |access-date=2020-03-15 |archive-date=29 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729130945/https://books.google.com/books?id=uDj9sNezWzEC&pg=PA10 |url-status=live }}</ref>