Bethlehem, West Bank  - One of the most sacred and most venerated sites in Christianity, the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem marks the traditional birthplace of Jesus Christ.

Located eight kilometres south of Jerusalem, it is one of the oldest continuously operating churches in the world, having first been completed by the Emperor Constantine in
333 AD, and rebuilt in 565 after it was burned down during the Samaritan Revolt in 529.

Occupying an area of around 12,000 square metres, the church is administered jointly by the Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Armenian churches, who all maintain convents on the site.

The Church of the Nativity is basically two churches, above a crypt where Jesus is believed to have been born.

The main structure, the Basilica of the Nativity, is entered through a very low door, "the Door of Humility," said to have been built during the Ottoman era to prevent mounted horsemen from entering.

It is designed like a typical Roman basilica, with five aisles and an apse in the eastern end, where the sanctuary is.

It is maintained by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

The adjoining Church of St Catherine is the Roman Catholic church and is where the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem celebrates Midnight Mass each Christmas Eve.

The Grotto of the Nativity, the underground cave located under the basilica, marks the location where Jesus was born.

The exact spot is marked beneath an altar by a 14-pointed silver star on a marble stone.

The compound also contains numerous chapels, including the Chapel of Saint Joseph, commemorating the angel's appearance to Joseph commanding him to flee to Egypt; the Chapel of the Innocents, commemorating the children killed by King Herod, and the Chapel of Saint Jerome, where according to tradition he translated the Bible into Latin.

In front of the church is Manger Square, a large paved courtyard in the heart of Bethlehem, where traditionally pilgrims gather on Christmas Eve to sing carols.

Most of the pilgrims come from abroad, since Christian Arabs number less than 2 per cent of the population of the Palestinian Authority, and around 8.5 per cent of the population of Israel. (dpa)