Following unprecedented renovations that lasted almost ten years, the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem has been restored to its original beauty. A symbol of humanity has been given back to the faithful all over the world and to today’s pilgrims who follow in the footsteps of the women and men who over the centuries have venerated the birthplace of Jesus.

Through the discoveries of new archaeological excavations and complex restoration works, this exhibition tells the story of renewed devotion – from the time of the first Christians who venerated a simple grotto to the age of the Byzantine emperors who built one of the most magnificent basilicas of antiquity that later on was fortified and lavishly decorated by the knights who founded the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem. Exhibits extend to the present day and show the long period of neglect and deterioration that had seriously jeopardized the ancient structure until the Palestinian Presidential Committee for the Restoration of the Nativity Church, with the support of the international community, forged a historic agreement. Thus, amid sensitive social, political, and diplomatic conditions, considerable financial and professional resources were committed to managing a restoration project that harmonizes the requests of the three religious communities, the Greek Orthodox, the Franciscan and the Armenian.

By documenting restoration work and archaeological excavations, the exhibition constructs a broader and deeper story that embraces the entire space of the basilica from the system of grottos to the roof, showing its development from the oldest periods up to the present day. Bethlehem Reborn tells a story that goes beyond the history of politics and art to reveal, through the voices and accounts of pilgrims, the story of religious pilgrimage.

Through its five areas/sections, the exhibition uses the nearly completed restoration project as a thread that stitches together the even greater history of the oldest monument in Christendom.