Churches and Religious Institutions

Right in the middle of Bethlehem's cluster of white houses, rise the bell towers of numerous religious institutions like shepherds watching over their flocks. French and Italian Catholic institutions were the pioneers, followed by the Protestant societies.

The Franciscans (1347) have a large convent within the parish church of St. Catherine, two parish schools: Terra Sancta School for Boys and a girls' school, conducted by the Sisters of St. Joseph, and a pilgrim Hospice (Casa Nova).

The French Convent of the Carmelite Sisters (1888), built after the fashion of the Castle of Saint Angelo at Rome, lies in the south-west quarter of the town; adjoining this is a church, and the convent of the Fathers of the Sacred Heart of Betharram, built in 1878. From 1920 to 1948, it became the clerical school for the seminarists of the congregation. It is now a center adapted for groups of priests, men and women, religious and lay-people wishing to find a place of quiet in a prayerful atmosphere in the Holy Land. It is also open to those who organize sessions for Biblical or Spiritual Renewal. The house has about thirty single rooms with all modern comforts and it is ten minutes walk from the Grotto of the Nativity.

The Italian Salesians, who came in 1863, have rendered invaluable service in training generations of skilled professionals. On a hill side, in the northern part of Bethlehem, the Salesians occupy a cluster between the Salesian Street, Paul VI Street and El-Batin Street; it includes two convents, a church, an orphanage and a technical school. These buildings were constructed between 1863 and 1905, under the auspices of Father Don Belloni, attached to which is the Chapel of Saint Louis. Their technical school, with its many branches, has become the pride of Bethlehem. On Paul VI Street near the Hebron Road, lies the Holy Family Church and Hospital (1889) run by the Knights of Malta and a crËche run by the sisters of Charity.

The Franciscan Missionaries of Mary known as The White Sisters have a Convent (1906) near the Milk Grotto. The Convent hosted young orphan girls and the first kindergarten in Bethlehem. It now hosts a Family Care Center and a hostel. The Rosary Sisters have an elementary school on Star Street, a new convent, a novice and a kindergarten on Nasser St. The Brothers of the Christian Schools occupied since 1893 the summit of the western hill, where they have leading educational institutions: Bethlehem University and the Freres Secondary School on Nasser St.

Caritas Children's Hospital on Caritas Street is the only specialized pediatric clinic in the West Bank with a ward for intensive care and premature babies. It was founded in 1952 by Father Ernest Schnydrig and supported by the members of Caritas Kinderhilfe Bethlehem; this hospital is run by the sisters of the Holy Cross of Menzingen (Switzerland). The Swedes have their twin institutions for retarded children in Bethlehem. Accommodating abandoned children and orphans, the Germans run S.O.S. Children's Village, organize these children into family units.

The House of Hope for the Blind and Mentally Handicapped on Hebron Road is financed by Christians from the U.K. The Antonian Charitable Society, founded in 1913 by a young Palestinian, looks after helpless old women and aged widows who are in dire need of vital human care and love. It runs a nursery and an out-patient clinic, and operates one of the best houses for elderly women on the West Bank. It is known as the Antonian Home for the Aged. The Sisters of Dorothea run Epheta, an institute for the deaf and blind founded in 1964 after the visit of Pope Paul VI to the Holy Land.

The Teresian Association founded the Home of St.Teresa, a university residence for girls and runs the Pontifical Mission Library (1972): a community library which provides an extensive collection of books and periodicals.

There is a Coptic Orthodox Chapel since 1988 on the Milk Grotto Street. A Maronite Convent and Mar Sharbel House are on Qanah (Wadma'li) Street. There is a Greek Catholic Church on Star Street. There is also a sizable Arab Orthodox congregation and an equally large Roman Catholic community.

Through missionary and educational activities in the last century, Protestant Churches began to have followers and convents; today one finds many members of the Anglican and Lutheran churches. After his visit to Bethlehem in 1898, Wilhelm II left a Lutheran church with Rhineland markings as a memento of his stay. The church with the spire (1893) on the western side of town was built by the Protestant Society of Berlin, which is attached to a co-educational secondary school, the International Center of Bethlehem (Dar Annadwa) and a hostel (Jubran House).

Prayers in Bethlehem may be said in all conceivable Eastern and Western tongues. It would be hard to enumerate all the chapels large and small in the town, but it seems that every shade of Christianity maintains institutions here in its own tongue. Furthermore, there is a continual mushrooming of religious and charitable institutions.

Church of the Nativity

The present Church of the Nativity is one of the earliest Christian structures. The original Basilica, erected in the 4th century by Emperor Constantine, was completely destroyed in the Samaritan Revolt of 529 A..D. It was replaced during the reign of Justinian (527-65) on the same site, by a larger Basilica, slightly different in plan and incorporating different parts of the original building. This Basilica was built in the shape of a cross with a tripartite apse, the atrium was transformed into a narthex, and two flights of stairs allowed access to the Grotto of the Nativity.

Evidence of the turbulent history of the church can be readily seen in the fabric of the building; for centuries it was one of the most fought-over of the Holy Places. It was only by coincidence that this building escaped destruction during the Persian invasion of A.D. 614. It was the only major church in the country to be spared. The Persians were surprised to discover a representation of the Magi from Persia at a facade decorated with a colorful mosaic. So out of reverence and respect for their ancestors, they decided to honor these sages by sparing the church. Later, the building was seized and defended by a succession of Moslem and Crusader armies; this explains the fortress-like appearance of the church's exterior. Also this is a common feature of most of the ancient religious buildings in the Holy Land. In course of time, the complex was expanded by the addition of several chapels and monasteries belonging to different Christian Churches. Open: Daily 5.30 a.m. to 6.30 p.m.

The Shepherds' Field

According to an ancient tradition, the Shepherds received the first tidings of the Nativity in a broad valley in Beit Sahour: "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And the angel said unto them, 'Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger'. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men'. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, 'Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.' " (Luke 2:8-15).

The precise location of the appearance of the angels to the shepherds is unknown, but several sites have been venerated by Christians at different periods. St. Jerome (347-420 A.D.) believed the field to be identical with that in which Jacob, long before, had spread his tent, beyond the tower of Eder (Genesis 35, 21). He also tells us that the tower itself lay about a thousand paces to the east of Bethlehem. Not long after St. Jerome's time, a church was built nearby. Arculfus (A.D. 670) related to his host of Iona that he himself visited this church which contained the tombs of the three shepherds. For centuries, a monastery stood on the spot, but there is no mention of a cave until the Crusaders' time (1099-1187). The tradition of the site, which goes back to the time of the Roman Paula, centered on two: one is in the care of the Greek Orthodox Church known as Der Er-Ra'wat, and the other is maintained by the Franciscans and known as Der Es-Siar.