The Persian armies that swept through Palestine in the early 7th century laid waste to every church they came to with the exception of one.
It is said that upon arriving in Bethlehem at the Church of the Nativity the conquering general, Shahrbaraz, decided to spare it when he saw a mosaic of the three wise men depicted on one of the walls of the 6th-century basilica wearing Persian clothing.
Six hundred years later, the church would again narrowly escape destruction following the arrival of Sultan Baibars, who persecuted Christians and pulled down the town walls.
