Santa Maria in Betlemme (oggi San Zeno in Monte)

On top of the hill overlooking the city

Today the church of Santa Maria in Betlemme is known as San Zeno in Monte, and it belongs to the Opera Don Calabria. The link with Bethlehem goes back in time: the earliest records date back to the Carolingian era when, according to a 1444 papal bull, the church was subject to the annual payment of a tax to the bishop of Bethlehem.

As Santa Maria di Nazaret, this church was also part of a Minor Hierusalem: as Bethlehem stands about 8 kilometres from Jerusalem, here, just outside the old city walls, on a terrace from which to enjoy the most beautiful panorama of Verona, stands this church dedicated to Bethlehem.

Over the centuries the church underwent so many renovations that almost nothing of the original structure remains, especially the interior. Nevertheless, its entrance is noteworthy: on the right, inscribed on a marble slab, is a map of the Holy Land. The portal is covered with six bronze panels that illustrate the main episodes of Jesus’s childhood: the prophecy of Micah the Prophet (5.1-5); the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem; the birth of Jesus; the announcement of the angels to the shepherds; the massacre of the innocent; the adoration of the Magi.