Mary
in Christian Tradition
Early
Palestinian Shrines Honoring Mary
Drawings
of Church of the Nativity at Bethlehem
Early
devotion to Mary developed as certain ancient sites in Palestine associated
with Jesus and his mother:
- At
Bethlehem, the grotto of Christ's birth was held sacred.
- At the Mount
of Olives outside Jersalem, grottoes recalling his agony in the
garden and ascension were frequented by early Jewish Christians.
Mary's grave, too, was honored in this area.
- At Jerusalem,
the sites where Jesus died and was buried were remembered.
- On Mount Sion
in Jerusalem, the early church met for worship on the site where
the Holy Spirit came upon Mary and the disciples at Pentecost.
- At Nazareth,
where the sites of Jesus' early life were remembered.
Jerusalem
and much of Palestine were laid waste by Roman armies in 70 A.D. and
again after the Jewish revolts of 132-135 A.D. Most of the native population
was deported, but a remnant of Palestinian Christians kept alive the
memories and traditions of these holy places where Mary was honored
along with her son.
The
Christian "Holy Land" of the 4th Century
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