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The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem
No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus.His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life. No man can deny the fact that Jesus existed, nor that his sayings are beautiful. Even if some of them have been said before, no one has expressed them so divinely as he. -Albert Einstein It’s been almost two hours since we entered the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. We thought we were early when we got here at 7am but already, the hall was filled with people, forming a gigantic queue that led to the underground cave where Jesus is said to be…
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Footnote: Constantine’s Mosaic Floor in Bethlehem
The Church of the Nativity is a basilica originally built in the fourth century by Saint Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine I, over what is traditionally considered as the birthplace of Jesus of Nazareth. The basilica has undergone several changes and renovations since it was completed in 333 AD. But one of the most interesting features of the church remains underfoot: Constantine’s beautiful mosaic floor which was rediscovered in 1934. READ: Photo Diary: Greetings of Peace from Bethlehem The present floors, made of rough stone slabs, date back to the restorations made by the Greeks in 1842 who attempted to repair the damages caused by the 1834 earthquake. The mosaic…
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Photo Diary: Greetings of Peace from Bethlehem
In Bethlehem, it seems that everyday is Christmas Day. After all, this is where the most famous birth story took place. But despite being the birthplace of the “Prince of Peace”, Bethlehem has been at the center of numerous territorial disputes for over two thousand years. That’s why this sign particularly struck me when I visited the city during a pilgrimage a couple of years ago. Bethlehem is also known as the City of David in the Hebrew Bible. But for Christians, it is an important pilgrimage site and is home to perhaps one of the oldest Christian communities in the world. Today, Bethlehem is under Palestenian rule and…
a Filipina's take on travelling the world
