The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1874-12-20
The MORNING STAR MESSENGER SUNDAY DECEMBER

spot, as being the very place where the
infant God was born, there Lever has been
doubt. The Identification of it goes
back to the very next century after the
built by St. Helena, the mother of the first
Christian Emperor, Constantine the Great,
and it is the Oldest place erected for Chris
tian worship in the world. 1t was solidly
and well built, and even now bids fair to
last when many of the slight structures of
modern times shall have fallen into ruin.
1t is fifteen hundred years old in length
one hundred and twenty feet, the breadth
being one hundred and ten. There are
four rows of large marble columns, taken,
probably, from the porches of the temple
in Jerusalem. Each row contains twelve
columns, each one being of a eirgle stone,
twenty feet high. and thirty inches in dia-
some capitals of the Corinthian order. The
roof of the church was originally of the
cedars of Lebanon, but was repaired about
four hundred years ago with oak. The
columns were once richly ornamented, and
the walls were inlaid with mosaics these
are nearly all gone, and whitewash is in
their stead. The sanctuary was very beau.
tiful, and vet retains much of the adorn-
ment of better days but we can only see
the top of the altar screen as we stand in
the body of the church, for d large wall
now runs entirely across the upper end of
the nave, uiVlulnR IL Irons the sanctuary.
In consequence of this, the whole church
looks desolate, empty, and cold. There
are some cheap and mean glass lamps, q
few ostrich eggs, and other tritling objects
in the way of decoration, but the whole of
this once beautiful and magnificent in
terror is desolate and neglected. Being
common property of the Latins, Greeks, and
Armenians, it receives care from none or,
rather, the jealousies of the Christians pre-
vent any attempt at restoration. The
stone pavement is broken and irregular.
The main door of entrance from the village
has been partly walled up, so that one can
only enter by STOPPING low. This was
done long time since, to hinder the Turks
from riding in on horses, mules and camels;
and the barrier against this sort of desecra-
tion is effectual enough.
The sanctuary of the church is directly
over the spot where our Lord was born !;
and was once, as it should be, rich and
"a brave sight in the day of its perfection.
Raised six steps above the level of the floor
of the body of the church, it is nearly
square, and is large enough to accommodate
the congregation who gather there. This
sanctuary is in the possession of the Greeks
and Armenians for they, being richer
than the Latins, have bought from the
Turks the largest share in all the holy
places in Bethlehem and Jerusalem.
The church with its sanctuary described
above, is orer the crypt or grotto, which is
the glory of Bethlehem, the place where
Christ was born. 1t is reached by a flight
of steps on each side of the great sanctu-
ary, about thirteen in number, much worn
by thousands of feet which have pressed
them. Language fails to convey the senti-
ments and emotions of the pilgrim as he
descends these old steps. In moment he
is to be Mere-there, where his Redeemer
was born-there, where his heart has
yearned to be thousands of times, through
many long years, in the far distant land
which is his home. Carefully he descends,
and when nearly at the bottom, he sees, at
the right hand, silver star fastened in
the marble floor; over it number of
small lamps burning three steps more
he kneels and filings himself prostrate-he
is there ! Blessed is the pilgrim to whom
God has given this joy, the holiest and
sweetest ever known on earth
Doubtless we have all known, at some
time or other, gladness of heart whose
power and intensity have caused it to be
remembered in after-years, as marking the
brightest day in our lives. With many it
is that of the fret communion with others,
something else has caused it. But the pill
grim to the holy places has peculiar joy
in addition TO that shared with his breth
ren at home. And he will be forgiven if
he say, as he feels, that there is no joy like
that he has when he kneels where Christ
was born.