Our Story
Bethlehem Handicrafts is the original online home for hand carved olive wood from Bethlehem. We are a US registered business, founded in 2000, shipping from our Aurora, Colorado fulfillment center to Catholic homes across America. Every piece we ship is hand carved in our family workshop in Bethlehem.
The Bannoura Family
The Bannoura family has hand carved olive wood in Bethlehem for generations. Father to son, the craft has been passed down in our workshops near the Church of the Nativity since long before any of us can remember. In 2000, our family founded Bethlehem Handicrafts to bring this generational craft to Catholic homes across America.
Every piece you see on our site is shaped by hand by a Bannoura family artisan. We do not mass produce. We do not outsource. Each cross, rosary, statue, and figurine carries the grain of olive trees that have grown for centuries in the Holy Land, the prayers of the carver who shaped it, and the heritage of a family that has practiced this craft for generations.
The Land of the Shepherds
To the East of the Church of the Nativity is a small road that gently goes down to the fields of Boaz. It was here that the Shepherds were told by the Angel Gabriel that the Prince of Peace had been born unto the world, in a field along the path that the Three Wise Men had taken both into Bethlehem and out of it.
It is also here that the modern Christian community of Beit Sahour exists, the largest Christian village in the Holy Land, where families planted their olive trees and slowly built their homes out of hand hewn stone.
The Olive Wood
All of our olive wood comes from authentic olive trees in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ. The wood is hand selected from pruned branches in the hills around the Holy Land, then dried for at least one year before our carvers shape it. For larger pieces, the aging takes years. The result is a piece that is unique in grain and warmth, made to last a lifetime.
The Workshop
Our workshops sit in Bethlehem, walking distance from the Church of the Nativity. The Bannoura family artisans who shape every piece we sell are real members of our family. They are also among the last Christian artisan families still working in Bethlehem today.
Why It Matters
The Christian community in Bethlehem has shrunk to less than 10 percent of the population. Many Christian families have left the Holy Land entirely. Every purchase you make from Bethlehem Handicrafts directly supports a Christian family that is staying, keeping a generational craft alive, and providing for their children in the city where Jesus was born.
Trusted In America Since 2000
Bethlehem Handicrafts has shipped olive wood crosses, rosaries, statues, and sacred art to Catholic homes across America since 2000. We are a US registered business. We ship from our Aurora, Colorado fulfillment center. We answer the phone when you call.
Office: 720-201-7193
Toll free: 1-844-999-HOLY (4659)
Email: info@bethlehemhandicrafts.com
Aurora, Colorado 80015
Free Shipping Over $75
Every order over $75 ships free anywhere in the United States. Every piece is hand carved by a Bannoura family artisan in Bethlehem. Every purchase keeps a Christian family in the Holy Land.
Browse Our Collection
Shop our full collection of hand carved olive wood crosses, rosaries, Nativity scenes, statues, and sacred art, each one a tangible link to the Holy Land where Jesus Christ was born.
Walk in the Footsteps of Jesus Christ
Beyond our online shop, we also operate Christian pilgrimages to the Holy Land. Visit our Denver to Holy Land pilgrimage site to plan your next sacred journey. Our tourism operations provide Christians a truly meaningful pilgrimage experience, visiting the sites where Jesus Christ walked, prayed, suffered, and rose again.
Thank you for being part of our story.