Palestine, formally the State of
Palestine, is a de jure sovereign state in Western Asia that claims the West
Bank and Gaza Strip and is ruled by the Palestine Liberation Organization
(PLO). However, Israel has occupied the territory since the 1967 Six-Day War;
the West Bank is currently divided into 165 Palestinian "islands" under
partial Palestinian National Authority civil rule and 230 Israeli settlements
into which Israeli law is "pipelined," while Gaza is ruled by Hamas
and is subject to a long-term Israeli blockade.
The Church of the Nativity, also
known as the Basilica of the Nativity, is a basilica in Bethlehem, Palestine.
The grotto it houses is revered by Christians of all kinds as the birthplace of
Jesus. The grotto is Christianity's oldest continuously used place of worship,
and the basilica is the Holy Land's oldest major church.
The church was built on the site that
was once thought to be the birthplace of Jesus by Constantine the Great shortly
after his mother Helena's journey to Jerusalem and Bethlehem in 325–326, on the
site that was once thought to be the birthplace of Jesus. The ancient basilica,
which was dedicated on May 31, 339, was most likely erected between 330 and
333, as it was mentioned in 333. It was destroyed by fire during the
sixth-century Samaritan revolts, possibly in 529, and a new basilica was built
a few years later by Byzantine Emperor Justinian (r. 527–565), who added a
porch or narthex and replaced the octagonal sanctuary with a cruciform transept
complete with three apses, while largely preserving the original character of
the building. includes an atrium and a basilica made up of a nave and four side
aisles
The Church of the Nativity has
witnessed several restorations and additions, particularly during the Crusader
period, such as two bell towers (now gone), wall mosaics, and paintings, while
remaining mostly intact from the Justinian reconstruction (partially
preserved). The surrounding enclosure has grown throughout the ages, and it now
encompasses around 12,000 square meters, with three monasteries: one Greek
Orthodox, one Armenian Apostolic, and one Roman Catholic, the first two of
which have bell towers added during the modern era.
In October 1847, Greek monks who
sought to destroy this Catholic object stole the silver star indicating the
location where Christ was born, which was written in Latin. Some argue that
this played a role in the Russian Empire's defeat in the Crimean War. Others
argue that the conflict arose as a result of the broader European context.
The Church of the Nativity has been a
World Heritage Site since 2012, and it was the first in Palestine to be
nominated by UNESCO. The Status Quo, a 250-year-old accord among religious
communities, applies to the location.
Sources :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_Palestine
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_Nativity
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