Vatican: A Christmas Nativity Scene in Honor of St. Francis of Assisi

“I wish to evoke the memory of the Child who was born in Bethlehem. . . I which to see Him,  with the eyes of my flesh, as He was, lying in a manger and sleeping on the hay, between an ox and an ass.” The caves near Greccio reminded St. Francis of those he had seen in the Holy Land and, in particular, the panorama of Bethlehem. The Nativity scene in St. Peter's Square will come from the Rieti Valley, the Vatican announced on October 30, 2023.

For the record, it was in 1223 that the patron saint of Italy stopped in the Reatino valley, probably on his return from Rome, where on November 29 he had received confirmation of the Franciscan Rule from Pope Honorius III.

The First Nativity Scene of St. Francis

To celebrate this double anniversary, the Vatican Nativity scene will be inspired by the story of the Franciscan Tommaso da Celano (Vita Prima, ch. 30), who describes how St. Francis of Assisi wanted to commemorate the birth of Christ in a village that reminded him of Bethlehem, nestled in the rock at a height of 700 meters.

“Upon his arrival, the saint saw that all was ready and rejoiced. A manger and hay had been set out, with an ox and an ass beside it. Simplicity was truly honored, it was the triumph of poverty, the best lesson in humility; Greccio had become a new Bethlehem. The night was as bright as day and as satisfying for the animals as for the men.”

“The crowds arrived, and the renewal of the mystery renewed their cause for joy. The woods rang with song and the mountains echoed the joyous sounds. The brothers sang the praises of the Lord, and the night was spent in rejoicing.”

“The saint spent the evening standing before the manger, broken with compassion, and filled with unutterable joy. Finally, Mass was celebrated with the manger as an altar, and the celebrating priest felt a piety he had never before experience. “

The Nativity scene, designed by artist Francesco Artese, and its life-size terracotta figurines will represent the Greccio grotto. The octagonal base will symbolize the 800 years of the event. Around it, a basin will represent the Velino river of the Rieti valley.

The Paul VI Hall in the Vatican, where the Pope presides over general audiences in winter, will also have its Rieti nativity scene, fashioned with thousands of Venetian glass tiles. In addition to the Holy Family, St. Francis and St. Clare, founder of the feminine branch of the Franciscans, will be present in this scene created by the mosaicist Alessandro Serena.

On St. Peter’s Square, there will also be a white fir tree. 25 meters high, it was selected in the Maira valley, in the town of Macra. In an ecological spirit, the tree will be decorated with thousands of edelweiss, flowers typical of the valley growing wild at 1,800 meters above sea level, but also cultivated in the Livo Piumatto nursery, in Villar San Costanzo.

The inauguration of the Nativity scene and the lighting of the Christmas tree will take place at 5 p.m. on Saturday, December 9, in a ceremony with Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, president of the governorate of Vatican City State, and Sr. Raffaella Petrini, secretary general of the governorate.

The Nativity scene and the tree will remain in place until January 7, 2024. The monumental nativity scene will then be permanently exhibited in the town of Rieti.