The Milk Grotto (officially Magharet Sitti Mariam, "Grotto of the Lady Mary") is a serene grotto only a few minutes' walk from Manger Square in Bethlehem.

This grotto, with a Franciscan chapel built above it, is considered sacred because tradition has it that the Holy Family took refuge here during the Slaughter of the Innocents, before their flight into Egypt. Tradition has it that while Mary was nursing Jesus here, a drop of milk fell to the ground, turning it white.

The irregularly shaped grotto is hollowed out of the soft white rock. A church was built here by the 5th century, and mosaic fragments on the terrace of the grotto, with geometrical motifs and crosses, are thought to belong to this time.

Both Christians and Muslims believe scrapings from the stones in the grotto boost the quantity of a mother's milk and enhance fertility. Mothers usually mix it in their drinking water; would-be mothers place the rock under their mattress.

There is also an old tradition that identifies this as the burial site of the young victims of Herod's Slaughter of the Innocents. (There is a chapel dedicated to them in the caves beneath the Church of St. Catherine.)

Quick Facts on Milk Grotto

Site Information
Names:	Milk Grotto
Country:	Israel
Categories:	shrines; caves
Status:	active
Visitor and Contact Information
Coordinates:	31.703215° N, 35.209229° E
Address:	Bethlehem, State of Palestine
Lodging:	View hotels near Milk Grotto

Note: This information was accurate when first published and we do our best to keep it updated, but details such as opening hours and prices can change without notice. To avoid disappointment, please check with the site directly before making a special trip.

References

1. Eyewitness Travel Guide to Jerusalem and the Holy Land
2. Milk Grotto, Bethlehem - Atlas Tours

More Information

• Photos of Milk Grotto - here on Sacred Destinations