Christmas in Bethlehem
The tower of the Church of the Nativity, one of the oldest Christian churches in the world. Manger Square in Bethlehem on Christmas Eve, 2008: The Church of the Nativity on Christmas Eve was also the most heavily-guarded church in the world: Here are about 50 of the approximately 500 automatic-riffle bearing Palestinian Authority policemen in Bethlehem for Christmas. To enter the church that marks the spot where Jesus was born, you have to duck through a very low doorway, that's about 3 1/2 feet tall: Once you pass through that, you're in a small room with a metal detector that you walk through, and then you pass through this old wooden doorway into the church itself. Inside the church: Constantine's floor: the original floor of the Church of the Nativity built in 333 under the Emperor Constantine I. Here is the entrance to the underground cave which is the traditional place of Jesus' birth. This 14-pointed star marks the spot where many believe Christ was born in the m...