Nativity Scene Celebrates 800th Anniversary

BY : Milton Quintanilla Contributor for ChristianHeadlines.com

In 2023, the Christmas Nativity scene turns 800 years old following the first arrangement of the scene by St. Francis of Assisi in 1223.

According to WHYY News, Assisi’s manger scene included live animals inside a cave in the town of Greccio, Italy, where he told the villagers about the birth of Christ.

Following its inception at the time, there have been countless interpretations of the Nativity scene. For instance, the Glencairn Museum in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, hosts an annual exhibition of nativities collected from across the globe, featuring almost 50 scenes representing dozens of countries, including Kenya, Nicaragua, Ukraine, and Italy.

While the nativity scene typically consists of a father, mother, and child, the arrangement has multiple variations. For example, one Nativity scene from Louisiana features alligators rather than livestock, and one of the wise men is shown playing a saxophone.

Director Brian Henderson told the outlet this year is special since the exhibition marks the Glencairn Museum’s reopening. Its castle-like building had been closed for 18 months due to infrastructure renovations.

“It is thrilling to welcome our visitors back,” he said. “To see the smiling faces of our visitors back in this magnificent space — it’s heartwarming.”

Meanwhile, A.J. DiAntonio of Malvern grew up fascinated by the Nativity scene and has since launched his own business, Navidad Nativity, which builds Nativity scenes by collecting vintage and contemporary artisan figures.

DiAntonio made an Italian-style scene for the museum, featuring Christ’s visitation amid a busy village scenario. The museum is about 100 square feet and includes 178 figures created by Tuscan artists.

“I had all the figures on shelves in my apartment,” he said. “Like Mr. Rogers and his Neighborhood of Make-Believe, I take things off the shelves, come up with a different little vignette, start working on another one, and eventually see if they all meld together. Somehow, I got lucky.”

The “World Nativities” exhibition at Glencairn will be available for viewing until January 28.