The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem stands over the cave traditionally venerated as the birthplace of Jesus. The first church was built under the Roman emperor Constantine, with the involvement of his mother Helena, in the 320s and 330s. It was damaged in the 6th century and rebuilt on a similar plan under Justinian, and the present basilica retains much of that structure. Tradition holds that it was spared when a Persian army destroyed many Christian buildings in 614. Today it is shared by the Greek Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic and Catholic churches, and in 2012 it became the first World Heritage site in the Palestinian territories.
Before and after
- June 313 CEEdict of Milan
- 25 July 315 CEConstruction of Arch of Constantine
- from 320 CE to 550 CEGupta Empire
- 325 CEFirst Council of Nicaea
- 327 CEConstruction of Church of the Nativity
- c. 330 CEKing Ezana converts Aksum to Christianity
- 11 May 330 CEConstantine dedicates Constantinople
- 17 November 331 CEBirth of Julian
- 335 CEConstruction of Church of the Holy Sepulchre
More in Civilizations & archaeology
- from 8th century BCE to 3rd centuryClassical antiquity
- c. 700s BCEConstruction of Great Wall of China
- from 206 BCE to 220 CEHan dynasty
- 200 BCEOrigins of Nazca Lines
- 19 BCEConstruction of Western Wall
- from 375 CE to 568 CEMigration Period
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 4th century.