Location Bethlehem Completed 1872 Opened 1872 | Denomination Catholic Church Address milk grotto st | |
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Country Palestinian territories Province Custody of the Holy Land Priest in charge Order of the Friars Minor Similar Church of the Nativity, Dominus Flevit Church, Chapel of the Shepherd, Church of Saint Peter in Gallica, Church of the Primacy o | ||
The Chapel of the Milk Grotto (Latin: Crypta lactea, Arabic: مغارةآلسثئ) also called Milk Grotto or Grotto of Our Lady, is a Catholic chapel in Bethlehem in the West Bank of the Palestinian Territories, erected in 1872. Since ancient times, the place has been a center of Christian pilgrimage, maintained since its last erection together with its Marian shrine and monastery by the Custody of the Holy Land of the Order of the Friars Minor of the Catholic Church in Palestine.
Contents
History
The current Catholic chapel was built in 1872 on the site of a former Byzantine church from around the 5th century, of which only part of the mosaic floor remains.
Pilgrimage
Christian tradition says is the place where the Holy Family found refuge during the "slaughter of the innocents", before they could flee to Egypt. The name is derived from the story that a "drop of milk" of the Virgin Mary fell on the floor of the cave and changed its colour to white. The space, which contains three different caves, is visited by some pilgrims in hope of healing infertile couples.