From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The
Church of the Nativity
is a
church
in
Bethlehem
. It is one of the oldest churches in the world. It is built over the cave that
tradition
marks as the
birthplace
of
Jesus
. It is considered very sacred to
Christians
and
Muslims
.
The main
basilica
is maintained by the
Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem
. Underneath the building is a
cave
or
grotto
. It is where Jesus is said to have been
born
. On
Christmas Eve
, crowds gather to sing
Christmas carols
outside the church in an area called Manger Square. The crowds also go to celebrate midnight mass at the Church of Saint Catherine, a
Roman Catholic
church next door to the basilica. It is performed by the
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem
.
The basilica has been reported to be not very well preserved.
[2]
[3]
The Palestinian government started
restoring
the buildings in 2010.
[4]
It was made a
World Heritage Site
by
UNESCO
in June 2012. It is the first World Heritage Site listed under
Palestine
. It was listed as being in danger.
[5]
Media related to
Church of the Nativity
at Wikimedia Commons