The Grotto of the Nativity, a rectangular cavern beneath the church, is the Church of the Nativity's focal point. Entered by a flight of steps by the church altar, this is the cave that has been honored as the site of Christ's birth since at least the 2nd century.
The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem ('Nativity Church') commemorates the nativity - i.e., birth - of Jesus. This is the adjacent Roman Catholic Church of Saint Catherine.
Some of the wall mosaics, which were restored to their original beauty two years ago, tell the traditional stories of Jesus Christ in the Holy Land.
