Birthplace of Jesus Church of Nativity and the Pilgrimage Route

Geographic location:

Bethlehem is located 7 km south of Jerusalem on a steep-sided ridge on the western mountains of the Dead Sea depression; its altitude is circa700 meters above sea level. It is surrounded on all sides, except westward, by deep valleys.

The city of Bethlehem is holy to Christians as well as to Muslims. It is acknowledged worldwide as the birthplace of Jesus Christ, the Son of God in Christian belief and the divinely inspired prophet Issa to Muslims. The Church of the Nativity, a Byzantine basilica, intended by Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, to commemorate the event, was first dedicated on 339 AD, and is built on top of the cave where, according to a tradition first documented in the 2nd century AD, Jesus was born.

The city itself has a long pre-Roman history documented first in the 14th century BC (Amarna letter n. 290: ‘But now even a town of the land of Jerusalem, Bit-Lahmi by name, a town belonging to the King …’). Archaeological evidence from the Chalcolithic period and Bronze and Iron Ages shows that the earliest settlement area was onthe eastern slope and in the middle of the fields of Beit Sahour, and it was probably here that the Iron Age city lay; but by the 10th-8th centuries BC, the town was on the high ridge of Bethlehem itself in the area of gardens around and east of the Nativity Church. The Caves beneath the Church were then in use. By 700 BC, the town lost some of its significance but it was an important centre once more during the Hellenistic and Roman periods. With the construction of the Jerusalem aqueduct, part of its water was diverted to the city.

Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem at the end of Herod’s reign determined the destiny of the town. Under Constantine, the first Christian emperor, the Church of the Nativity was built as one of three imperial churches in Palestine. At the end of the 4th century AD, St. Jerome settled in Bethlehem and built two monasteries. The Church was destroyed in 529 AD and was rebuilt on a much grander scale under Justinian. Essentially that is the church which stands today. The city was depicted on the Madaba mosaic map in the 6th century AD.

The Church forms the central feature of the town and is surrounded by other important sites related to the Nativity. Among these is the Milk Grotto, an irregular cave hewn in the soft limestone, located southeast of the Basilica, where according to Christian traditions, Mother Mary nursed baby Jesus while hiding there from Herod’s soldiers before going to Egypt. In the “Shepherds’ Fields” are two competing sites roughly 2 km east of Bethlehem: one belongs to the Roman Catholics, the other to the Greek Orthodox Church. Both claim the honour to be the location where the angel of the Lord appeared before the shepherds bringing them the good tidings of the birth of Jesus; acknowledging that the tradition is associated with this general area.

The dense occupation west of the Church of Nativity indicates the main location of the Byzantine and medieval town. The urban fabric of Bethlehem today, with its old buildings, represents a significant example of vernacular urban ensemble. The old town is the main place were a wide range of religious and traditional activities takes place. The Patriarch route, which runs through Star Street in the old town, is the route where the religious parade passes each year in Christmas celebrations. Today Bethlehem still witnesses an annual special event, when people from all over the world attend the traditional celebration of Christmas.

Justification of Outstanding Universal Value

The universal outstanding value ofBethlehemis unquestionable. It has been, and continues to be, a focus of Christian belief and worship throughout the centuries. Bethlehem, as well as Jerusalem, became the heart of the Christian world; Christmas, the most widely-celebrated religious festival in the world, is based on the birth story of Jesus, which took place in this town more than 2000 years ago. Jesus’ role as Issa, the divinely inspired prophet in Islamic belief, is equally significant and underscores the sanctity of the place.

criterion (iii):

Bethlehembears unique testimony to a cultural tradition in that its religious values, centred on the story of the birth of Jesus, are revered by both Christians and Moslems worldwide.

criterion (iv):

The Church of the Nativity is an outstanding example of a type of building which illustrates a significant stage in human history in the first six centuries AD.

criterion (vi):

Bethlehemis directly and tangibly associated with the birth of Jesus and its many associated traditions over nearly two millennia. Christianity, a worldwide religion, associates the birth of “the Saviour” and “the Son of God” with the town ofBethlehem, than which, therefore, nowhere can be more holy. It is a place for all the Christians of the world. That Jesus was also Issa, a Muslim prophet, gives the place additional outstanding value, a particularly iconic one in the early 21st century.

Satements of authenticity and/or integrity

The religious sites inBethlehemmaintain the historic city’s authenticity; the spiritual and religious values are preserved by this site being strongly connected with Christianity. The Church of the Nativity and the other holy sites inBethlehemare preserved through the trusteeship of the several Patriarchates aiming at protecting these places; furthermore, the site is traditionally protected by the local population, due to the special holiness of the places. A conservation master plan is currently being drawn up to identify measures for the urban fabric and historic monuments and buildings.

Comparison with other similar properties

There is no other site in the world that bears such an exceptional outstanding religious value for more than 2 billion Christians. There is only one site in the world that has the honour of being the birthplace of Jesus.