Beth Lehem Travel
All About Beth Lehem
Bethlehem is just 10 Kilometers south of
Jerusalem and is a well known tourist attraction for pilgrims and visitors alike. Bethlehem is the
birthplace of Jesus Christ and is a charming town and an excellent place to experience the variety of Christian monastic – Christmas is celebrated on three separate dates in accordance with the
Western Churches calendar, the Armenian Church and the Greek Orthodox Church. Finding a
Bethlehem hotel is not so easy since the small town is very intimate and quiet; it is mostly advised to stay in a
Jerusalem hotel when planning a trip to Bethlehem. In this page you will find some useful information about Bethlehem for you to use when planning your
Israel vacation.
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What to see in Bethlehem:
The Church of the Nativity is among the most important Christian Holy Places throughout the Christian World. It is one of the earliest Christian structures and is built on top of the cave where Jesus was born. It is the oldest surviving Church in the Holy Land; the Persians spared it during their invasion in 614 AD because, according to legend, they were impressed by a representation of the Magi (fellow Persians) that decorated the building. The part of the Church with the greatest religious and historical significance is the Grotto of the Nativity, the traditional birthplace of Jesus. Two entrances now lead to the Grotto from the Church. An alter was erected over the birth-place and a fourteen-pointed silver star was embedded in the white marble to mark the traditional place of Jesus' birth. It is lit by fifteen silver lamps representing the different Christian communities.
Manger Square is the core of Bethlehem's center of religious activity. It is the site of the annual Christmas Eve festivities. The Church of the Nativity, Church of St Catherine and the Mosque of Omar surround the Square.
The Mosque of Omar is probably the most striking building in the center and is in active use.
Rachel's Tomb is the burial place of Rachel, wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin and is the second most important historical site in Bethlehem and is Holy to all three faiths. The domed building was built in 1941 by Sir Moses Montefiore. The tomb originally consisted of 11 stones laid flat with one stone above the above – legend holds that Jacobs's 11 sons placed the first stones and their father added the last one.
Shepherds' Field – where an angel appeared to the shepherds to announce the birth of Jesus.
Bethlehem Nearby Sites:
South of Bethlehem is another of Herod's palaces – Herodian – which was built on the flat top of a cone-shaped hill, nearly 758 meters above sea level. The fortress was built in the first century and like Masada became a stronghold of the Zealots in the revolt against the Romans. It was also used by the Jews during the Bar Kokhba Revot. From the top of the hill, the palace has an excellent view of the Judean Desert, Dead Sea, Bethlehem and Jerusalem.
Also south of Bethlehem are three giant cisterns known as Solomon's Pools. They are part of the water system built 2000 years ago during Roman times and used to supply water to Herodian and Jerusalem.
The Mar Saba Monastery was founded by St. Saba of Capadocia in the 5th century and reclusive monks spent years in its caves without communicating with anyone. Over the centuries, invaders destroyed the monastery but it was rebuilt in 1840 by the Russian Government. The skulls of monks killed through the centuries are kept in a chapel in the monastery. Even today, women are not allowed inside the monastery.