Constantine commissioned the first basilica after his mother Helena visited Bethlehem in 325 and 326. Work began in 326, and the church was dedicated on May 31, 339. A Samaritan revolt burned it in 529 or 556, and Justinian I had it rebuilt, adding a narthex and a cross-shaped transept with three apses. The infobox lists Byzantine and Romanesque styles.
After the Ottoman conquest of 1516, the main entrance was walled up to a small opening called the Door of Humility. Beneath the main altar lies the Grotto of the Nativity, where a 14-pointed silver star marks the spot. Greek Orthodox, Catholic and Armenian Apostolic churches share the building under the Status Quo of 1852.
UNESCO listed it in 2012, the first Palestinian site on the World Heritage List. A major renovation began in September 2013 and paused in 2021. In April 2002 about 50 armed Palestinians took refuge in the church during a month-long siege.
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