The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem is one of the most holy sites in Christianity. Widely believed to be situated over the birthplace of Jesus Christ, the temple was built 327 AD under the order of Constantine the Great. Since then its seen remodels, additions, earthquakes, conflicts, fires, and even sieges. Its a building that has withstood centuries of political in-fighting, ownership contests, and complicated agreements. A building rich in history and tradition.

And now its sharing new surprises.

A group of Italian restorationists who have been working on the site since 2013 recently uncovered a previously unknown, and breathtaking mosaic of an angel. 

Made of stone, glass, gold leaf, and other delicate materials, the mosaic is part of a larger picture that has been lost to time. In fact, only a mere 1,400 square feet of mosaics remain for what was once over 21,000 square feet of art. The revealed portion of previously obscured mosaic depicts an angelic host with its arm outstretched, pointing in the direction of the cave that is believed to be the historical birthplace of Jesus.

Hidden for decades by layers of plaster, the Italian team first began to suspect the presence of a hidden mosaic after studying the area with thermal imaging. The outline of what appeared to be an angel could be made out when examining the wall with thermal cameras, leading the team to begin the long, painstaking process or restoring the original image.

As a major tourist destination of supreme religious importance, shutting down the site is not an option. The restorationists must ply their delicate trade in between groups of curious tourists and on-lookers there to see the birthplace of Christ. The restoration effort itself is a careful and deliberate process which involves the careful removal of plasters, mineral deposits, atmospheric particulate, and potentially harmful foreign bodies. It is tedious, stressful work, but speaking with the APF, Giammarco Piacenti, CEO of the Piacenti restoration company says he and his team are happy to do it. "The birthplace of the Messiah is being renovated, we are happy they (Christians around the world) are going to see how the work is going.”

The addition of this latest angel puts the total number of known angelic depictions in the church to seven. Who knows how many others remain lost to time, disaster, and neglect.

This recent discovery should only reinforce the need to protect, safeguard, and maintain these ancient sites of such astounding religious importance.