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Christianity came during the Roman rule. In that time, Christ,
may peace be upon him, was born in the town of Bethlehem.
Since the first century, various Christian communities have
co-existed in the Holy Land.
Today the challenge is to celebrate unity in diversity. The Greek Orthodox Patriachate in Jerusalem is the oldest ecclesiastical institution in the Holy Land. It is also one of the oldest churches in Bethlehem. The establishment of the Greek Catholic Church in the Holy Land goes back to the seventeenth century and was the result of Roman Catholic missionary work among the Greek Orthodox Christians. In 1337 the Armenian Patriarchate was established in Jerusalem, and an Armenian community has existed in Bethlehem since the Middle Ages. The history of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Holy Land started in the year 1841.
The Syrian Orthodox church has its roots in Greater Syria,
Asia Minor, and Mesopotamia, going back to the fifth and sixth
centuries. Most of the Syrian Christians came to Bethlehem
at the beginning of this century. In 1219/1220, St. Francis
of Assisi visited the Holy Land. The Franciscans have been
present in the Holy Land ever since 1336.
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