Israel and You Spaces and Places in Israel
A Visit to the Milk Grotto
This important Christian religious site is in Bethlehem and is usually part of the itinerary of a visit to the Church of the Nativity.
The Franciscan Catholic Milk Grotto ( in Arabic Magharet Sitti Mariam which means Grotto of the Lady Mary) is only a few minutes’ walk east from Manger Square along the south side of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. A small Chapel was built over the cave. The grotto is visited by local Christian and Moslem women to ask for Mary’s intercession.
The Miracle of the Milk Grotto
According to tradition the Holy Family took refuge here during the infanticide of King Herod’s Slaughter of the Innocents, before their flight into Egypt. It was here that while Mary was nursing Jesus here, a drop of milk fell to the ground, turning it white.
Listen to this tour by Brother Lawrence.
