Pilgrimage 2.0-6 : Nativity

The second day in Bethlehem was a marathon session. Started bright and early at the Church of St. Catherine, adjacent to the Church of the Nativity, where we zoomed down to the caves for morning mass at the Chapel of St. Joseph (on his feast day no less). Once mass was ended, we were given the chance to look around the caves. It was said that St. Jerome translated the first Bible into Latin in those caves. The Greek Orthodox Church walled up the cave to take control of the spot where Jesus Christ was born, and the Manger.





The Church of Nativity (UNESCO World Heritage Site) is acknowledged as the birthplace of Jesus by several denominations and the oldest major church in Holy Land. And through the tumultuous history of Holy Land, the grotto had remained unscathed, making it the oldest site continuously used for Christian worship. Once mass was ended, we were rushed over to the Basilica of the Nativity to start queuing up to go down to the grotto. Unlike the Catholic side, the Greek Orthodox church is lavishly decorated. The wooden rafters of the main hall is held up by 44 Corinthian columns, but it was boarded up for restoration. Above the columns are some remnants of golden Byzantine mosaics that were spared from destruction. Gold and silver sanctuary lamps are hung in complex arrays. The main altar is hidden behind a gilded iconostasis, and the grotto is located below the main altar accessible from the side. Two identical icons of Madonna and Child dominate the side hall. One in black, and and one in white, depicting the sorrow of the Lord's death, and joy of the Lord's birth respectively.





Once the Greek Orthodox mass ended, the big queue surged forward. Tour guides were shouting at each other, fighting for their own groups to descend first through the small bottleneck. Blame it on poor crowd control (difficult to control even with 'bouncers'). Down in the dark grotto, one barely had the chance to whisper a prayer or take a proper look before being herded back out. My aim was to touch the 14-point silver star marking the birthplace of Jesus Christ, and I succeeded. Emerged from the other side of the main altar, and there we could see an exposed section of the flagstones, revealing one of the oldest Byzantine mosaic floors.







Our exit from the church was through the Door of Humility, a very low door that was purposely built to force people to bow their heads in reverence before entering the church. We emerged out at Manger Square, Bethlehem's city square. Every Christmas eve, huge crowds gather around a giant Christmas tree to sing carols.



Before lunch, we went shopping for religious items. Mostly the same old stuff, with the exception of larger and and more premium pieces. Sherry would keep track of each transaction to get her cut. Ka-ching!



Israeli-Chinese food was next on the menu. The best dish was the stir-fried beef slices. Marked the end of lunch with a boisterous yam seng session with Chinese tea.





Continuing our journey, we went to the Chapel of the Shepherd's Field (or "Gloria in Excelsis Deo"), where according to tradition where the angels announced the birth of Jesus Christ. It has five apses, decorated with images of the Annunciation to the shepherds. Out front, we took a group photo that was later printed on a huge A4 sized magnet as a souvenir. The place was also filled with beautiful flowering succulents. Many of us thought those vibrantly-hued flowers were fake!









The Church of the Visitation honours the site where Mother Mary recited the Magnificat. Its located on a hill overlooking Ein Karem making the short hike up very scenic. The upper facade of the church is dominated by a striking mosaic of Mother Mary visiting her cousin Elizabeth. Outside is a bronze statue of Mother Mary and Elizabeth, both pregnant. Behind is a wall decorated with 42 ceramic tablets of the Magnificat in different languages. In the lower church is a crypt with the Rock of Concealment, said to be where Elizabeth and the infant John the Baptist hid from Herod's soldiers.











St. Mary of the Resurrection Abbey in Abu Ghosh was built on the biblical site of Emmaus. Its a well-preserved Romanesque church, but many of its frescoes had been desecrated, the faces of saints rubbed off. Sherry spent a long time explaining about the architecture of the church. Think she was trying to buy time because our original schedule had to be amended at the last minute. Even the priest got a little bored of her detailed historical accounts. Haha.