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Marking the Birthplace of Christ
Monuments mark many important places, from scenes of worldwide notoriety to those of small town significance. At this time of year I always remember a visit to Israel and seeing the site that is widely believed to be the birthplace of Christ. The Church of the Nativity was built at the site in 326 AD(CE), burned in a revolt in 529, rebuilt from 531 to 539, rebuilt in its present form in 565, survived a Persian invasion in 614, restored in 1169, again in 1480, survived earthquakes from 1834 to 1837, survived a Palestinian siege in 2002, and survived a fire in 2014 which started from curtains in the grotto beneath the church.
In the Grotto of the Nativity itself there is a 14-point silver star marking the location believed by many to be the birthplace of Jesus. The star was stolen in 1847, which was one of the direct causes for French involvement in the Crimean War against Russia. The star is set into the marble floor and surrounded by fifteen silver lamps representing the three Christian communities: six belong to the Greek Orthodox, four to the Catholics, and five to the Armenian Apostolic.
Symbolically the 14 points represent the 14 generations of Jesus Christ from Abraham to David, then from David to the Babylonian captivity and after that from the Babylonian captivity to Jesus Christ. They are also thought to represent the 14 stations of the cross when Jesus carried the cross in the Old City of Jerusalem.
From all of us at Design Mart: Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!