Church of the Nativity
The Church of the Nativity is Bethlehem erected in the place where an ancient tradition recalls the birth of Jesus.
It consists of the combination of two churches and a crypt, the Nativity cave, which is the cave and the precise place where Jesus would have been born
. In June 2012, the Church of the Nativity was included in the Unesco World Heritage List, at the request of the State of Palestine.
The Church of the Nativity is one of the main destinations of the pilgrimages that visit the Holy Land, together with the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem
Structure
Originally, outside the structure there was a courtyard that allowed access to the atrium, consisting of columns and aisles a quarter of the size of those of the Church.
The very large courtyard served as a resting place for pilgrims; for this a small market was set up.
The Church measures 53.90 meters long by 26.20 meters wide in the five naves (in the transept it is 35.82 meters).
As long as the pilgrims were not very numerous, as throughout the fourth century, when the Christian community in Palestine was small, there were no space problems.
Access to the Church is allowed only through a door:
The Door of Humility,
more like a passage, narrow and low, thus made to avoid the entrance on horseback as unfortunately many times it happened.
Of the three original doors only this one has remained, since the other two have been walled up Above the Grotta della Natività,
on the eastern side of the Church, there is a three-step octagonal raised structure, the martyrium.
At the center of the octagon is a balustrade from which, leaning out, you see a large circular hole;
the hole, made in the vault of the Nativity Grotta, allows visitors to look inside.
The ceremonial altar was probably located a short distance from the octagonal building, in the central nave, to bind, as in the Church of San Pietro in Vaticano, martyrium and Church.
The paintings in the Byzantine style and the mosaics of the 12th century are owed to the period of the Crusaders.
The cache
To record this cache, you need to post a photo that does not show your face but your name on a sheet of paper or a finger indicating the entrance to The Door of Humility and ...
Virtual Rewards 2.0 - 2019/2020
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between June 4, 2019 and June 4, 2020. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 2.0 on the Geocaching Blog.