CHURCH BUILDING
Chapel of the Shepherds' Field
Beit Sahour · Roman Catholic · Custody of the Holy Land
- Locality
- Beit Sahour
- Tradition
- Roman Catholic · Custody of the Holy Land
- Type of place
- CHURCH BUILDING
- Coordinates
- 31.70737° N, 35.23004° E
- Identity
- Matched to a public listing
A brief history
A Roman Catholic chapel at Beit Sahour, south-east of Bethlehem, also called the Sanctuary of Gloria in Excelsis Deo. It marks the announcement of Jesus' birth to the shepherds, which tradition places in these fields. The Franciscans built it in 1953, with a glass dome and biblical murals. It is not the same place as the Greek Orthodox Shepherds' Field nearby, the older pilgrimage site known in Arabic as Deir el-Rawat.
Saints & traditions
The dome is capped by a bronze angel, and the chapel's Latin name is the opening of the song the shepherds are said to have heard.