Zahi Shaked A tour guide in Israel and his camera.
+972 54 6905522 zahigo25@walla.com
צחי שקד, מורה דרך ומדריך תיירים. מצלם אותם בכל הזדמנות 0546905522
This page is devoted to the Church of the Milk Grotto, in Bethlehem, a place traditionally described as the site where the Virgin Mary stopped to breast feed the Baby Jesus during the flight to Egypt. "And after the wise men departed, behold an angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph, saying Arise, and take the child and his mother and fly into Egypt: and be there until I shall tell thee. For it will come to pass that Herod will seek the child to destroy him." Matthew II 13-19. A legend recalls how Mary spilt some milk while breast feeding baby Jesus thus turning the stone of this cave a "white stone" color. The church was built on this site and contains the "white stone rock"The powdery substance of this rock is evident to this very day. In Bethlehem this church has for long centuries been a traditional devotional site; the church which known as "Magharet el Saiyidee" in Arabic meaning The Grotto of our Lady, can be found southeast of the Basilica of the Nativity, this church is frequently visited by local women, Christians and Moslems alike, to ask for the intercession of Mary Mother of Jesus. For an account of Mary and Joseph flight into Egypt read this document as excerpted from Otto Meinardus book entitled "Holy Family In Egypt". For further more information and the open hours of the church please visit the The Palestinian Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities
This church was built by St. Paula, who lived in Bethlehem and died there in 404 A.D., this church was naturally dedicated to the Virgin Mary, but at one time was called St. Paula (either by mistake by the builder or for one of the numerous other churches built in Bethlehem by St. Paula). In the 14th Century this church was known as the Church of St. Nicholas, as shown in a Papal Bull of Gregory XI in 1375, authorizing the Franciscans to rebuild it, which was not then done. The Franciscans first took possession of the church sometime after 1347 after they became caretakers of the Sanctuary of the Nativity. The soft white stones in this church were exported to many European churches under the name of The Virgin's Milk. It was one of these relics that Gerard III, Bishop of Bethlehem, took to the camp of King Baldwin III during the siege of Ascalon in 1153.

The present building around the Grotto was put up by the Franciscans in 1872, some of the old church mosaics and traces of original walls remain to this day. The church was extensively rebuilt, remodeled, and adorned with marble and hand cut sculptures, benches, icons, and engravings by Issa A. Michael Hazboun and sons in 1934-1935. Another tradition going back to the VII century is located at this site and is the burial place of the innocent children which were the victims killed by Herod the Great after Jesus' birth.