Overall, it was much easier to imagine the birth of Christ occurring in such a place when we viewed it from the Catholic side. You will see from the pictures of the lower level that they have attempted to preserve what it originally would have looked like.
This is the Christ Child statue that goes in the processional every year at Christmas time down into the basement and through the door that connects to the Greek Orthodox Church, where the actual (though this, of course, cannot be proved) birth spot is.
Main part of the church As you can see, this is a much newer, much more modern church.
This is the door on the main level that connects the two churches.
View looking upstairs from the cavernous lower level.
This is the best "panoramic" view of downstairs. Some of the stone is original, but most of what you can see in this shot is more modern.
Um, not sure what this is...I don't know the PC name. Altar? Shrine?
Walkway to the Greek Orthodox Church.
View through the peep-hole into the Greek Orothodox side.
Behind this window and several others you could see original stone "caves" or "huts." These would have surrounded the "stable" area in the center of the Caravansary. See link at the end of yesterday's post for explanation.
View from the courtyard.
Another courtyard view.
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