Following in succession after the repose of Patr. [[Germanus of Jerusalem|Germanus]], Patr. Sophronius continued the property rights claims on the [[Church of the Nativity (Bethlehem)|Church of the Nativity]] in Bethlehem. In 1605, he also obtained, under the New Capitulation agreements that exempted Europeans from Ottoman law, a [[firman ]] from Sultan Ahmed I giving the Church of Jerusalem the northern part of the Calvary, the place of the crucifixion.