Constantine built a church here in 330, most of which survives in the present church of Nativity. Justinian who reigned from 527 to 565, rebuilt the walls of the town. The first care of the Crusaders, before taking Jerusalem in 1099, was to secure the safety of the Christian population of Bethlehem. Today there are about 8,000 inhabitants with Armenian Greek, and Latin churches, monasteries, convents, and schools for girls and for boys. There are English and German missions.
Image Description from historic lecture booklet: "From Cobh (or Queenstown) in south-eastern Ireland, for many generations Irish people have been going out to other countries. Almost a thousand years ago missionaries were being sent into other parts of the world. Today one of the most beautiful of the modern cathedrals stands overlooking the harbor. It represents the Roman Catholic church which includes approximately 90 per cent of the population of the Irish Free State. As in other European countries the church stands out as one of the most powerful factors in national development. Here it bids welcome and farewell to the thousands who come and go in Ireland's greatest natural harbor-- one of the most beautiful and most perfect harbors in the world."