Wender·Vista
Church of the Nativity
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tilePalestine
in Bethlehem, six miles south of Jerusalem

Church of the Nativity

— — a door you bend to enter.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“One of the oldest churches still in continuous use anywhere in the world. Built over the cave Christians have identified as the birthplace of Jesus since the second century, raised by Constantine in 339, rebuilt by Justinian after a sixth-century fire. The entrance is so low that every visitor stoops to cross it. A silver star marks the spot in the grotto below the altar. — from the studio

from the studio
Church of the Nativity
— bring it home

Church of the Nativity, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Church of the Nativity

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

The Church of the Nativity stands on Manger Square in central Bethlehem, on a low ridge of the Judean hills about ten kilometres south of Jerusalem. It was the first church built over a grotto Christians had already venerated for two centuries as the birthplace of Jesus. The complex is shared under the Status Quo arrangement by the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate, the Armenian Apostolic Church, and the Custody of the Holy Land for the Roman Catholic Church. It became the first Palestinian site on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2012.

— the stone

Constantine's basilica was raised in 339 and destroyed during the Samaritan Revolt; Justinian rebuilt it around 565, and that sixth-century shell is largely what stands today. Forty-four columns of local pink limestone line the nave, many carrying faint twelfth-century paintings of saints commissioned under Crusader rule. A mosaic floor from the original Constantinian basilica was uncovered in 1934, two feet below the present pavement. A decade-long restoration by Italian firm Piacenti ended in 2020.

— the visit

The church is open daily, with entry free, through the Door of Humility on Manger Square. The doorway stands roughly 1.2 metres high; visitors stoop to enter. The Grotto of the Nativity, reached by stairs on either side of the chancel, holds the fourteen-pointed silver star set into the marble floor in 1717. Bethlehem is reached from Jerusalem in under thirty minutes by road, with Israeli checkpoint procedures at the boundary.

— informed by Wikipedia — Bethlehem
— where
Palestine · Bethlehem, West Bank
— elevation
775 m · 2,543 ft
— position
31.7042° N · 35.2076° E
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
at the lake
Manger Square
plaza
at the lake
Milk Grotto
chapel
10 km N
Jerusalem
city
2 km E
Shepherds' Field
pilgrimage site
N
Church of the Nativity
Manger Square
Milk Grotto
Jerusalem
Shepherds' Field
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Church of the Nativity — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

On Manger Square in central Bethlehem, in the West Bank, about ten kilometres south of Jerusalem. The town sits on a ridge of the Judean hills at roughly 775 metres elevation.

The first basilica was built by the emperor Constantine in 339. The current structure dates to Justinian's rebuild around 565, making it one of the oldest churches still in continuous use anywhere in the world.

The Door of Humility stands about 1.2 metres high. It was reduced during the Ottoman period to keep horsemen from riding into the sanctuary, and now requires every visitor to stoop on entering.

Three denominations share custody under the Status Quo: the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Armenian Apostolic Church, and the Custody of the Holy Land for the Roman Catholic Church. Each holds defined hours and altars.

Yes. The Church of the Nativity and the Pilgrimage Route in Bethlehem were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2012, the first Palestinian site to receive the designation.

A fourteen-pointed silver star set into the marble floor of the Grotto of the Nativity, beneath the main altar. The star was placed in 1717 and carries a Latin inscription identifying the spot.

— about the piece in your home

It carries well to anyone who has knelt at the silver star or to a family that prays for the city. The Small or Medium with a handwritten note from the studio is the size most pilgrimage gifts take.

Yes. The Keepsake or Small sits well on a shelf beside a candle or icon. The Medium hangs cleanly above a small prie-dieu or in an entryway where guests pause before going in.

The piece reads in Sacred Traditional, Warm Mediterranean, and Quiet Modern interiors. The palette pulls toward limestone, lamp-gold, and incense-blue, which carries against plaster, stone, or warm-white walls.

Above a sofa, a single Large or a 4-tile Mural holds the wall. Above a console or hall table, the Medium is usually right. The 9-tile Mural suits a tall foyer or a stair landing.

Yes, in either the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and tolerate steam and splash. The Glossy finish is best reserved for dry rooms where it can catch the light.

A soft microfibre cloth and plain water. No abrasives, no ammonia, no citrus cleaners. The colour lives in the ceramic surface, so regular wiping does not lift or fade it.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is original to the studio and never licensed out. Reid Wender curates each place into the atlas, and the studio hand-finishes every tile in Knoxville.

— if this one stayed with you

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