Picture of Paying respect at the spot where Jesus was born (Bethlehem, Palestinian Territories)

Bowing at the 14-pointed star where Jesus was born

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Built over the cave where Jesus is supposed to have been born, the Church of the Nativity probably is the oldest operating church in the world, and one of the main destinations for religious tourists.
When you approach the Church of the Nativity, you note the low entrance. Actually, this Door of Humility was built so low because this door of Ottoman times prevented a swift entrance of soldiers on horses. The modern visitor would be wise to bow and pay attention upon entering anyway. Once inside, a simple church opens itself: four lines of Corinthian columns at the sides and a paved floor, seemingly bare walls and absence of the overkill of ostentatious showing-off leave their impression. This is a church to explore: the wooden doors in the floor allow the visitor to see the original mosaic floor, the walls still contain some of the original golden mosaics; you can walk down to see various caves or walk out into the open in the medieval cloisters just outside the Church of St. Catherine. We first visited on Sunday, and found the church overflowing with mostly devoutly religious visitors; the line for visiting the grotto of the nativity was very long. We saw the believers light candles, pay respect in the grotto of the nativity, while some of them were just immersed in concentrated prayer. When we came back on a different day, we found the church deserted and in a completely different atmosphere. We marveled at the seemingly simple entourage of the grotto of the nativity, saw a small ceremony in the Armenian Chapel of the Church of the Nativity, and just sat down to absorb the atmosphere.
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