The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Custody of the Holy Land announced that an Italian firm will conduct imminent restoration work on the Grotto of the Nativity in Bethlehem.
The Custody of the Holy Land is the Franciscan province there. In the 14th century, the Holy See entrusted the care of the holy sites in the Holy Land to the Franciscan order.
The Church of the Nativity was constructed over the site of the grotto in the early fourth century. The present structure dates to 565.