Church of Nativity

        This site is important to both Christianity and Islam because it is built over the spot where Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Jesus is of course the savior in Christianity although Islam holds him to a lesser degree and praises him as a Prophet.[3] Similar to the fact that Constantine’s mother (Saint Helena) wished to commemorate Jesus’ place of martyrdom (Church of the Holy Sepulchre), she also wished to emphasize the importance of his birth. Thus she built the Church of Nativity at that very spot in Bethlehem. She built the church like an early Roman basilica; it has five aisles and an apse, and is full of many mosaics.

(pictures taken from www.lifeintheholyland.com)

Go to Holy Sites of Israel Homepage