The Church of St. Catherine
The Church of St. Catherine
The Church of St. Catherine
4.5
Historic Sites • Ancient Ruins • Religious Sites
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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4.5
273 reviews
Excellent
145
Very good
95
Average
31
Poor
1
Terrible
1
Brenda S
Auckland Central, New Zealand38 contributions
Mar 2023 • Couples
Beautiful well preserved complex. The Church itself is a sacred place and the tourists were quite and respectful while we were there allowing space for personal prayer. The cloisters and courtyard are also well maintained and pieceful.
Written 5 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SOQ2010
Massachusetts2,004 contributions
Jan 2023 • Solo
Included in World heritage site this beautiful church is not to be missed while visiting betlehem.Underground there are caves with alot of christianity significance.
Written 17 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bluebellplasnewydd
Cardiff, UK1,712 contributions
Nov 2022
This is an attractive church but overshadowed by the other world class religious sites a few steps away. It is a place for prayers and memories as well as being quite photogenic.
Written 18 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kim G
Pacific Grove, CA3,187 contributions
Dec 2019
Lovely, light and airy, The Church of St. Catherine houses a small relic fragment of the manger, gifted to the Church in 2019. Look for the beautiful ancient floor mosaics as you tour the church. This UNESCO Heritage Site is situated above the Cave of St. Jerome, a Dalmation priest who translated much of the Old Testament from Hebrew and Greek, into the Latin "Vulgate", over a 30 year period, commencing in 386 A.D. Buried in one of the adjoining caves, his body was relocated to Constantinople after having earlier been interred in Rome. Also under The Church of St. Catherine, can be found the Grotto of the Holy Innocents, containing the remains of children two and under, who had been murdered under the orders of King Herod in his attempt to kill Jesus. It was unclear when we visited The Church of St. Catherine, that it was actually openly connected to The Church of the Nativity. A passageway has been carved out beneath the churches to join the grotto areas under the churches as well.
Written 15 November 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ChrisThomasTravels
Manama, Bahrain570 contributions
Dec 2019
In a region full of beautiful, ancient places of worship, this church stands out. Best experienced during mass. Stick around afterwards to drink in the history.
Written 12 November 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
FredPurdue
Seattle, WA2,239 contributions
Jan 2020
We trod by this church while on a guided pilgrimage, and I wished we could have spent some time here. The exterior is remarkable. I have included one photo that hopefully entices you to visit the church and not make the same mistake our tour did.
Written 19 May 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
etbtravelphotography
Denver, CO643 contributions
Feb 2020
Pretty church where Christmas Eve mass is held. Below is where the bible was translated from Hebrew to Latin.
Written 13 April 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vitor A
Lisbon, Portugal810 contributions
Jan 2020
The church is nice but not enough to make a detour. As you must cross it to go to Saint Jerome’s Cave you can take some minutes to look at St. Catherine’s Church. Enjoy!
Written 28 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Wood77
Los Angeles, CA1,856 contributions
Mar 2020
We were extremely lucky to have an opportunity to see this church on 3/3/2020 before Covid-19 virus contagion exploded worldwide and tourism got shut down. This Roman Catholic Church is adjacent to the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem. It is built at the site where St Catherine was martyred. This is where the midnight Mass is beamed from Bethlehem to television viewers worldwide on Christmas Eve. Very peaceful church.
Written 17 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Judy0000
Louisville269 contributions
Mar 2019 • Friends
This church is right next to the Church of the Nativity and definitely worth seeing. Midnight mass is recorded here every year. Beautiful church.
Written 29 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
George and Diann R
Mobile, AL2 contributions
I would like to know the cost of tickets into St. Catherine's Church for Christmas Eve Midnight Mass.
Thank you.
Hazel P
Paphos, Cyprus27 contributions
We travelled in November and the cost to see the church was part of a package we purchashed. It is very crowded with lots of tours Not sure how you would find out the cost
Has anyone been to the midnight mass at the Church of St. Catherine's? How early should we get there to have a seat? Are tickets for the mass free, and if not, where should I go to get tickets?
Tampa_Turtle
Tampa, FL116 contributions
I assume you mean Christmas Eve Mass? The church itself is not very large. I do know they put screens in the square outside. Are you planning to stay in Bethlehem?
The Church of St. Catherine, Bethlehem
Frequently Asked Questions about The Church of St. Catherine
- We recommend booking The Church of St. Catherine tours ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. See all 52 The Church of St. Catherine tours on Tripadvisor
- Hotels near The Church of St. Catherine:
- (0.03 km) Shukran Natalie
- (0.15 km) Dar Sitti Aziza
- (0.16 km) Manger Square Hotel
- (0.06 km) Casa Nova Hospice Bethlehem
- (0.14 km) Dar Al Majus
- Restaurants near The Church of St. Catherine:
- (0.03 km) zaky frayd tushakin bayt lahm
- (0.14 km) Afteem
- (0.20 km) Al Sufara Restaurant
- (0.12 km) The Square Restaurant & Coffee Shop
- (0.14 km) Peace Center Restaurant