Beit Jala and the Church of Saint Nicholas
The "Christian Belt" of the Holy Land is comprised of three cities: Bethlehem, Beit Sahour, and Beit Jala. The three towns are located to the immediate southeast of Jerusalem, with Bethlehem between Beit Jala to the west and Beit Sahour to the east. It is here that over half of the remaining Christians of the Palestinian Territories live. As discussed in previous blogs, both Bethlehem and Beit Sahour are well known for both their places of pilgrimage and other aspects of their living Christian cultures and traditions. While Beit Jala may be the lesser-known of the three cities, it too has a unique place in the annals of the Holy Land.
Beit Jala – the House of Jala, a variant on the name of the Biblical city of Gilo, mentioned in the Old Testament books of Joshua and Samuel, is built on a slope of a hill facing east towards Bethlehem and the Jordan Valley. On a clear day, the hills of Jordan (the Kingdom) can be seen from the higher points, while the southern suburbs of West Jerusalem are practically opposite the northern city limits. It is a town known for having excellent olive oil, and quality stone-cutters; one tradition holds that the columns of Nativity Church were hewn from the hills around the city. Another tradition is that the Prophet Gideon had a cave on the hillside, but it is another Christian figure who also resided in the city that is today revered throughout the community. In the early 4th century AD; a Greek monk from Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) arrived to the Holy Land on an extended pilgrimage. As it was the final years of a period of great persecution of Christians throughout the Roman Empire, Christians maintained a very low profile. Choosing the hillside of Beit Jala due to its proximity to the place of the Nativity, he remained for some time before returning to his homeland, where, during the reign of the Romano-Byzantine Emperor Constantine the Great (later himself a saint), he became bishop of Myra-Lykia, and was known for his pious acts and miracles. Not long after his repose, Bishop Nicholas was glorified as a saint, and the memory of Saint Nicholas, known as Mar Nicola in Arabic, was kept alive and well, apart from the western Christian traditions of a wintertime saint that wore red and distributed gifts to children on his feast day of December 6th.
From generation to generation, the people of Beit Jala considered Saint Nicholas their protector and intercessor of all their needs. Practically every family has a story of a miracle attributed to Saint Nicholas, while many Christian families have a stone engraving of Saint Nicholas over the door of their home or place of business. Early in the 20th century, the Orthodox Christian parish, the largest congregation in Beit Jala, built a beautiful stone church over the cave, which is used both as a village church and a place of pilgrimage, principally Orthodox from Russian, Romania, Serbia and other nations where Saint Nicholas is held with great esteem. Each December 19th, the village holds the feast day of Saint Nicholas (on the calendar of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem), welcoming local Christians and international pilgrims alike to share in their love of their special connection to the saint loved and revered across the world.
Be Not Afraid!
Good Shepherd Travel offers trips to the church of Saint Nicholas in Beit Jala as part of their Holy Land tours. Rome, Lourdes, Fatima, Ireland, and many other destinations are among our most popular programs. For more information on how to begin preparing for a pilgrimage in late 2020 or in 2021, contact Tony AbuAita at Tony@goodshepherdtravel.com. We will return to pilgrimage – and we hope to see you with us!