Bethleham

A bit of the original 2nd century mosaic floor below

(Sami here) One of the reasons we chose this cruise was because I wanted to see the places I had read and studied about in church all through my childhood. Even more than that I was curious about the places on earth that were so important to so many of the world’s religions. After the morning’s jam-packed schedule we got on the tour bus again and rode to the Ramat Rachel kibbutz for a lovely buffet lunch. There was plenty of wonderful food and wine, but we sipped it sparingly because bathrooms in these old towns are few and far between. I did not realize how close together Jerusalem and Bethlehem are. It seemed we did not go out of one city to get to the next.

Our goal in Bethlehem was the Church of the Nativity, the oldest active Christian Church in the world. There has been a Christian church on this site since the second century. What is there now mostly dates from the 6th century. The Church is undergoing extensive renovation so much of it was shrouded in heavy cloth hangings and crisscrossed with scaffolding. We peeked under and around them to catch sights of gold and splendor. The church is shared by Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, and Armenian clerics, who I understand do not always get along. Our guide spoke for a while to a priest to get us in to see the cave where Jesus is believed to have been born. Seeing the throngs of people pushing to see it was heavy-duty. Here are a few of the photos we took:

The very small entrance to the church is called "the door of humility."

The Church of the Nativity is a UNESCO site and considered endangered because of its crumbling timbers, seismic concerns and world unrest.

Above the entrance to the "cave" (where it is believed Jesus was born)

Most people rested there hand here (and then took a selfie).

One of the guides offered to take my photo in the cave. The sticker shows that I am in group 7. I think everyone on the ship took this tour, about 22 bus loads.

I really like this photo, it shows the absolute jumble of artifacts in the church, each one under the jurisdiction of one of the different groups who maintains the church. Note the old cave wall peeking out.

I love this photo too. I turned around and caught the steps leading into the cave empty.

A "found" angel

In July 2016, Italian restoration workers uncovered a beautiful mosaic of an angel which had been hiding under plaster.

Most of the oldest part of the church is decorated in the mystical-feeling Eastern style. There is an adjoining Roman Catholic Church (Church of St. Catherine) that is newer. 

It is in this Bethlehem church that Christmas eve midnight mass is celebrated.