Church of the Nativity (‏كنيسة المهد‎, ‏כנסיית המולד‎)

Veneration of the cave as the birthplace of Jesus began as early as the 2nd century. Emperor Constantine the Great and his mother Helena had a magnificent memorial church built here before 335, a five-aisled basilica with a polygonal eastern apse. In the 5th century, the Constantinian basilica was completely rebuilt, possibly after a fire or earthquake, with the 5th-century architectural decoration preserved. Significant changes included covering the mosaic floor with stone slabs, enlarging the eastern apse with three apses, and adding a double staircase leading down to the grotto. In 614, the church was spared by the advancing Persians, presumably due to a relief above the entrance depicting the Three Magi in oriental attire. This makes it the oldest preserved and continuously used church in the region. Crusaders extensively restored the church in the 12th century. In the 17th century, the Greek Orthodox Church began renovations. A silver star, placed in the Grotto of the Nativity by the Catholic Church in 1717, led to confessional disputes, which necessitated a regulation by the Sublime Porte in 1757. After the star's removal in 1847 and its reinstallation in 1852, this incident contributed to the outbreak of the Crimean War. Following an earthquake in 1927, restorations were carried out. In 2002, during the Second Intifada, the church was under siege for 39 days. Since 2012, the entire church complex has been a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The Church of the Nativity is located in Bethlehem in the West Bank, part of the Palestinian Territories. It stands at an elevation of approximately 766 meters above sea level.

The church is open to visitors and is an active place of worship. It is the oldest continuously used church in the Holy Land.

• Zion Gate (city fortification), approx. 7.9 km away
• Dung Gate (city fortification), approx. 8.2 km away
• Citadel of David (fortress), approx. 8.2 km away
• Jaffa Gate (city fortification), approx. 8.2 km away