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Church of the Nativity: Entrance to the crypt beneath the nave; the Grotto of the Nativity

Date

Circa 1910

Creator

G. Massiot & cie
Part of: Architectural Lantern Slides of Palestine (includes present-day Israel)
Architecture Library, Hesburgh Libraries

One of the oldest continuously operating churches in the world. The structure is built over the cave that tradition marks as the birthplace of Jesus of Nazareth. The first basilica on this site (destroyed 529) was begun by Saint Helena, the mother of the Emperor Constantine I. The current basilica was rebuilt in its present form in 565 by the Emperor Justinian I. Muslim veneration for Jesus's birthplace probably explains why the church escaped destruction during the reign of Caliph al-Ḥākim in 1009. It is the only pre-Muslim church in Palestine to have survived intact and in continuous use to the present day. The basilica and surrounding buildings were expanded during the 12th century, under joint patronage of the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Comnenus and King Amalric, ruler of the Latin Kingdom.

Images

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Metadata

Creator
G. Massiot & cie
Date
Circa 1910
Publisher
Architecture Library, Hesburgh Libraries
Material Type
photographs
Conditions Governing Access
To view the physical lantern slide, please contact the Architecture Library to arrange an appointment

Metadata

Campus Location
Architecture Library, Hesburgh Libraries
Link to Finding Aid
https://curate.nd.edu/show/0c483j35g7z
This digital collection may not include all items or all of the information available about the source collection. See the finding aid for more information.

Metadata

Contact Us

Our collection information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. If you have spotted an error, please contact Architecture Library, Hesburgh Libraries at asklib@nd.edu.


Also from Architectural Lantern Slides of Palestine (includes present-day Israel)

Dome of the Rock: Interior detail, capitals of the octagonal double ambulatory

Dome of the Rock: Interior detail, capitals of the octagonal double ambulatory

Carmelite Monastery, Mount Carmel: Overall view, exterior of the domed shrine of Elijah's Cave

Carmelite Monastery, Mount Carmel: Overall view, exterior of the domed shrine of Elijah's Cave

Church of the Nativity: Interior, nave looking towards altar with partial wall covering the large gilded iconostasis

Church of the Nativity: Interior, nave looking towards altar with partial wall covering the large gilded iconostasis

Church of the Nativity: Detail, entrance

Church of the Nativity: Detail, entrance

Western Wall of Temple Mount: Jewish men at prayer at the Western Wall

Western Wall of Temple Mount: Jewish men at prayer at the Western Wall

Western Wall of Temple Mount: Detail, limestone blocks of the kotel

Western Wall of Temple Mount: Detail, limestone blocks of the kotel

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