Today is a day on which, throughout the world, people will talk about Belen, the land of Jesus and the neuralgic point where —historians say— Christianity was born. Today, after more than 2000 years, it is a tourist center and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The city of Belen It is located in the West Bank and is a Palestinian territory. Beyond that it is considered the cradle of the Catholic religion, it houses holy places for Judaism and Islam, three of the most important monotheistic religions.
Belen features the Basilica of the Nativity which was built in the 4th century on the birthplace of Jesus. That is where contingents of pilgrims arrive, both Christians and Muslims.
The striking thing about this site in the Palestine territory is that under the church there is a rectangular crypt tiled with marble. And three Christian churches (Orthodox, Catholic and Armenian) manage the building. Meanwhile, Muslims can pray in the south wing.
Already in antiquity it had an important role. As mentioned in the Bible, exactly in the part of Genesis, under the name of Efrata is where Rachel, the wife of the patriarch Jacob, Abraham’s grandson, dies.as maintained by millennium portal.
Rachel’s tomb, at the edge of the city, is the third holy site in Judaism after the Temple Mount in Jerusalem (the esplanade of the Mosques for Muslims) and the tomb of the patriarchs in Hebron (the Ibrahim Mosque for Muslims). Muslims).
A unique historical value
But it is not only this that stands out in the city of Belen. In June 2012, the Basilica of the Nativity became part of the UNESCO World Heritage List of Monuments. The decision did not meet with the approval of Israel and the United States.
On December 24 of each year, Belén lives the Christmas celebrations. At midnight, the Latin patriarch celebrates the traditional midnight mass in the Franciscan church of Santa Catalina, next to the basilica.
