The Entrance to the Church of the Nativity

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We enter the Church of the Nativity, which is known as the Church of St. Mary. It is situated in the western part of Bethlehem, overlooking a beautiful valley. The church and its neighboring convents seem more like a fortress or a prison than a sanctuary. We enter the church from the west. Its doors are heavy. They stand in an archway of stone not exceeding four feet in height and are very narrow. There was a time, and there have been many times in Palestine when it was perilous to enter this sacred edifice. The Church of St. Mary is the property of three leading sects—the Greeks, the Latins and the Armenians. It is a very ancient structure but has undergone many changes and restorations during the centuries of its history. Tradition carries us back to the third century, and trustworthy tradition finds a church built here by Constantine in the Sixth Century. It is said that the mother of Constantine, the Empress Helena, persuaded her son to erect this building over the spot where the Savior was born. It is built in the shape of a Latin cross. The nave and side aisles are formed by lofty columns of reddish, white-veined limestone. The capitals are Corinthian, and from the base to the top each pillar measures about nineteen feet. There are fragments of ancient mosaics to be found here and there on the walls. In this picture,we have an excellent view of the church—plain, simple, stately, ancient, with stone pavements, and beyond the screen, we can see the upper part of the cross over the great altar.