For generations on Christmas Eve, the bells from atop the Church of the Nativity have signaled the start of the Christmas Day celebration. Located in Israel south of Jerusalem, the Church of the Nativity is above the cave where the Jesus was born. The Door of Humanity, by which people enter the church, is so low that everyone must bow to enter. It was lowered from the original door during Ottoman times so that horsemen would have to dismount before entering the holy place. The Grotto of the Nativity, a rectangular cavern beneath the church, is the Church of the Nativity's focal point. Entered by a flight of steps near the church altar, this is the cave that has been honored as the site of Christ's birth since the 2nd century. The first evidence of a cave in Bethlehem being venerated as Christ's birthplace is in the writings of Justin Martyr around 160 AD. In the Grotto of the Nativity a marble star symbolizing the Star of Bethlehem marks the spot where Jesus was born. St. Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine was responsible for the building of the first church on the site which started in 327. It was destroyed during a revolt in 529. The current church was built in 565 and has expanded over the years.
Today the care of the Church of the Nativity is shared by the Roman Catholic, Armenian and Greek Orthodox churches. At any time of the year a visit to Israel is a spiritual experience for people of the Christian, Islamic and Jewish faiths but it is especially profound during the Christmas season.
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