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The Bethlehem Icon Centre is located in an old building known as Hosh Abu Jarour, in the heart of Star Street. Hosh Abu Jaour is a charming building with a courtyard, and windows and balconies influenced by European architecture, reflecting the rapid lifestyle transformations during that period. The Hosh is among the many structures in Bethlehem that were rehabilitated and set up for adaptive reuse. In 2014, the Hosh was renovated and rehabilitated by the Bethlehem Municipality, in cooperation with the Centre for Cultural Heritage Preservation and other stakeholders, to house an icon school and a visitor information centre. Iconography was has been practiced in the Holy Land for over 1,500 years, and the aim behind opening the school is to provide people, both locals and foreigners, with awareness and training and bring them together as a community to connect with their history and heritage, and revive the creation of these liturgical art pieces, which form an essential part of the spiritual landscape of the Holy Land. The school aspires to develop a generation of artists who are able to produce state of the art icons, and embark on iconography as a profession and a main source of income. The Bethlehem Icon Centre also conducts workshops and training courses, which aim to promote a better understanding of this vital aspect of Christian culture. The premises includes a classroom and studio space, a specialty library, an art shop, and a visitor information centre.
