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The Greek Orthodox church at Shepherds' Field near Bethlehem by Shaked Zahi, tour guide

1,642 views · Published 14 May 2012 · 4:59 · Indexed 14 October 2026

Channel: The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked · 2012 · Travel & Events

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Zahi Shaked A tour guide in Israel and his camera. 
+972 54 6905522 [email protected]
צחי שקד, מורה דרך ומדריך תיירים. מצלם אותם בכל הזדמנות 0546905522
• In the eastern part of Beit Sahur is a red-domed Greek Orthodox church at a site known as Kaniset el-Ruat (Church of the Shepherds). This site is identified with the biblical Tower of Edar (Tower of the Flock) where Jacob settled after his wife Rachel died. Eusebius (AD 265-340) says the tower, 1000 paces from Bethlehem, marked the place where the shepherds received the angel's message.

Excavations here have uncovered a series of remains dating back to a mosaic-floored 4th-century subterranean church, said to have been built by St Helena, the mother of the emperor Constantine.
The Greek Orthodox site of the Shepherds' Fields is at Kanisat al-Ruwat in the middle of fields 2 km southeast of Bethlehem. The ruins at al-Ruwat include a cave used as a church from the 4th century, of which the barrel-vaulted roof (5th century) still survives. It is approached by a flight of 21 steps and has three apses with traces of mosaic and old frescoes. The mosaic floor includes crosses, and therefore must predate 427, when this was forbidden as impious.

The church at al-Ruwat served the Orthodox community from the 5th century to 1955. It is the only 5th-century church outside Jerusalem to survive intact. Above it a Byzantine chapel was built, and was in turn replaced by a larger church, which was then destroyed in 614. It and a monastery were rebuilt in the 7th century and survived until the 10th century. Today, a new large church has been built, the 4th-century lower church has been restored, and the remains of the upper church and monastery have been preserved.
The Greek-Orthodox Shepherds' Fields 

This site is located in a small valley with olive trees, some dating back 2000 years. There is the subterranean church dedicated to the Mother of God. This site is revered as the spot where an angel surrounded by a supernatural light, appeared to the bewildered shepherds. On the night of Christ´s Nativity, this undergroud church was the cave of the shepherds, who heard the angelic proclamation „Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth and good will to men" (Lk 2-14) 

The angel said to the shepherds: 
„Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people . 
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: You shall find baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger." 

„And suddently there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying: ´Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men´."

And it came to pass, as the angel were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherd said on to another: „Let us now go even unto Bethlehem and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord made known to us. (Luke 2:8-15) 

This cave was one of many churches built by Saint Helena. The cave functioned first as a shelter, then as a tomb of the shepherds, and has been treated as such by Christians since the 4th centrury.
Therefore, directly connected with Jesus, it has been venerated as a holy place from the earliest Christian times. 
Beside this church St. Helena built also a convent for nuns, called the Convent of the Gloria in Excelsis, today only the crypt of the church remains. It is a dark, subterranean chapel which contains an altar at the east with a number of paintings and a small apse behind it. The roof is a cut stone vault of the usual Roman or Byzantine type. Some fragments of a mosaic pavement can be seen on the floor and faint traces of painting on the walls 

Old paintings in the underground crypt
In 1972 the new church was erected near the traditional site of the underground Church of the Shepherds. It was decided to build the new church adjacent to rather than immediately above the cave 
The new church has three holy altars which dedicated as follows: the main altar to the Mother of God, the altar on the right to the great martyr and healer -- Saint Panteleimon, and the altar on the left side to the archangels Michael and Gabriel and all the heavely hosts.

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