The place of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is located in the crypt under the basilica of Saints Joachim and Anna. It has been worshiped since the first centuries of Christianity. The basilica standing above the crypt is a Romanesque building with a dome supported on pendentives. The place of birth is a small cave carved into the rock. There is a simple altar in it.
The place of the Nativity of Mary was located at the beginning of Christianity. It was according to the Bible near the Sheep Pond, whose remains are still visible. In the 5th century, the Byzantine Basilica of the Nativity was built here. It was destroyed in the 9th century by Muslims.
The reconstruction of the church falls on the tenth century. He was called to Saints Joachim and Anna, Maria's parents. In 1192, it was taken over by Muslims and formed a saffron college inaccessible to Christians. From the 15th century Franciscans could celebrate two masses here during the year. The basilica returned to the Catholic church only in the mid-nineteenth century. It is a three-nave building, finished with three apses. Above the presbytery there is a dome. The interior is very rough, finished in stone. The descent to the birth crypt is in the right nave.
Attractions inside
