At the Shepherds’ Field, in Beit Sahour, near Bethlehem, the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception is today a living and fully operational reality. On 14 January, after a long and complex journey lasting more than five years, the so called "Spanish chapel" is officially inaugurated with a Eucharistic celebration, marking a moment of great spiritual, artistic and ecclesial value for the Spanish mission in the Holy Land and its support of the Custody.

A project born long ago

The idea of renewing the Shepherds’ Field Sanctuary has its roots in the early 2000s, when the Custody of the Holy Land began to reflect on how to respond to the growing number of pilgrims and the need to preserve the archaeological area linked to the night of the Nativity. The project took concrete shape in 2015, with an initial study by Spanish architect Jaime Buhigas, and received decisive momentum starting in 2016, under the guidance of the then Custos Fr. Francesco Patton, also thanks to Fr. Marcelo Cicchinelli, current Guardian of the Nativity, who followed and strongly supported the works with great constancy and commitment (as the Custos also recalled at the end of the Celebration).

In 2018 the general plan for the renovation of the sanctuary was approved, it envisaged the construction of new chapels, some underground and others outdoors, arranged radially around a symbolic center (hic), the place where tradition locates the angel’s announcement to the shepherds. The chapel dedicated to Spain was entitled to the Immaculate Conception, as a sign of the historic Marian devotion of the Spanish people and their centuries old support for the Custody of the Holy Land.

From the first stone to the difficulties

Construction work officially began on 21 April 2022, with the blessing of the first stone of the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception. The journey, however, was not without obstacles: the pandemic, delays on construction sites, economic difficulties and the conflict in the Middle East profoundly affected the progress of the works. Despite everything, thanks to the generosity of the Spanish faithful, who fully covered the costs of the chapel, the project never came to a halt.

In December 2022, the artist Miguel Ángel Laguna was entrusted with the realization of the entire artistic ensemble of the presbytery. During 2024 and 2025 the pictorial and sculptural works were progressively completed and blessed, until reaching the final phase in recent months.

14 January: the inaugural Mass

On Wednesday 14 January at 4.00 pm, the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception was officially inaugurated with the celebration of Mass, presided over by the Archbishop of Tangier, Msgr. Emilio Rocha, and concelebrated by the Custos of the Holy Land, Fr. Francesco Ielpo. Institutional representatives of Spain also took part in the celebration, including the Vice Consul General in Jerusalem, the Vice Commissioner of the Holy Land in Spain, Fr. Luis Quintana, together with a group of Spanish pilgrims present in the Holy Land in these days, specifically for the event.

As Fr. Luis Quintana recalled, "we have reached the culmination of a long and demanding process, but one profoundly filled with faith. It is a source of pride for Spain to have a celebratory place open to all, linked to the Immaculate and to the mystery of the shepherds of Bethlehem".

The presbytery: a catechesis in images

The heart of the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception is the presbytery, conceived as a true theological and spiritual itinerary. At the center stands the image of the Immaculate, represented according to Franciscan iconography, in the form of a mystical mandorla, with the Child Jesus in her arms, the moon and the serpent at her feet. Around it, 20 circular medallions compose a Via Matris of the principal Marian sanctuaries of the Holy Land.

On the side walls there are two large canvases:

• on the left, the Spanish People venerating Mary, with Saint James the Apostle, Saint Ferdinand III, bishops, religious and a family in prayer, under the inscription "Tota Pulchra es Maria",
• on the right, the Franciscan Family, with Saint Paschal Baylon, Saint Peter of Alcantara, Saint Diego of Alcalá and the Martyrs of Damascus, under the inscription "Tu Gloria Hierusalem".

Completing the ensemble are the bronze medallion on the altar with the embrace of Saint Joachim and Saint Anne, the 14 Stations of the Way of the Cross with relic stones from the places of the Passion, and the entrance door, conceived as a celestial dome that symbolically introduces into the mystery of God.

A sign that remains

The Chapel of the Immaculate Conception is not merely an architectural work brought to completion, but a living sign of faith, art and communion, born from the collaboration between the Custody of the Holy Land and the Spanish people. In a context marked by wounds and tensions, this chapel offers itself as a place of peace, prayer and beauty, where, according to the Gospel, the announcement first resounded: "Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth to people of good will".