Long-standing rivalries between Greek Orthodox and Armenian priests broke into a brawl during holiday cleaning on Thursday inside the church of the Nativity.

The Greek Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic authorities and Roman Catholic religious groups jointly administer the basilica, which is considered holy by Christians who believe it sits over the site in Bethlehem where many believe Jesus was born. When any one of those groups thinks that their turf has been encroached on, it causes problems.

The Armenian and Orthodox churches celebrate Christmas in early January and had dozens of priests and workers cleaning the church after thousands of tourists visited the church this week for Christmas celebrations by the Roman Catholic Church and Western Christian churches.

However, the cleanup dissolved into a brawl with cleaners and priests using brooms and rocks against each other after some of the 50 Greek Orthodox faithful set ladders up to clean the ceiling. The ladders were set up inside territory claimed by the 30 Armenian faithful.

Palestinian police broke up the battle and stayed to keep the two sides separate so the cleaning could continue.