Nativity scene in St Peter's Square: a sneak preview

Standing in the centre of St Peter’s Square throughout Advent season is a carefully guarded secret, shielded from public view by huge sack cloth drapes that will only be removed on the afternoon of Christmas Eve: the larger-than-life Nativity scene which has been in the planning stages since the end of the summer. Standing about 25 metres wide and 7 metres high, it will be seen and admired by hundreds of thousands of visitors to the Vatican throughout the Christmas season.
It was Pope John Paul II who, in 1982, first asked for a Christmas crib scene to be put up in the famous piazza – a tradition which has been carried on in streets, squares and private houses or flats around Italy for centuries. St Francis of Assisi is credited with creating the first ‘real life’ nativity scene in a cave outside the small town of Greccio in 1223 and the art of carving ornate crib figures was well developed by the end of the 13^th century. The first scene set up outside St Peter’s Basilica was a simple stable scene, built by workers from the Vatican’s Technical Services department and featuring papier maché statues first used by St Vincent Palotti in the nearby Rome church of St Andrea della Valle. Over the past 30 years, the architects and designers have become more ambitious, incorporating other biblical scenes and different themes or symbols into this simple nativity setting.
This year the scene is dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God, in honour of John Paul II, whose devotion to Our Lady was well known and whose beatification took place this past May. Alongside the central nativity tableau, the scene will feature other biblical episodes where Mary is at the heart of the action: the Annunciation, the meeting between Mary and her cousin Elisabeth, and the Presentation in the Temple, where the elderly Simeon recognises Jesus as the Saviour of the world and tells Mary that ‘a sword will pierce your heart’.
Work on this giant Nativity scene started at the end of the summer when a team of Vatican architects, designers and craftsmen, led by Giuseppe Facchini and Barbara Bellano, began elaborating on the theme and drawing up some detailed plans. This year Barbara told us she was inspired by the connections between the Italian word for Christmas, ‘Natale’, meaning birth and the words ‘Dies Natalis’, the day of one’s death or ‘birth into the heavens’. Those connections between birth, death and spiritual rebirth are part of the traditional symbolism of the Christmas crib scene, with the wooden manger looking forward to the wood of the Cross, while the depiction of Mary cradling her newborn baby echoes images of the Virgin holding her crucified son in her arms. Barbara confessed that the whole team is very nervous as the unveiling ceremony draws near, wondering what the public reaction will be. “My hope,” she says, “is that I have been able to adequately express my ideas, that people will understand its meaning.” She spends most mornings in November and December out in the square supervising the carpenters, painters, electricians and gardeners as the crib scene takes shape. Situated in front of the obelisk and beside the brightly decorated Christmas tree, a gift this year from the people of Ukraine, the scene is constructed largely out of styrofoam and recycled wood, layered over metal scaffolding to hold it firmly in place. A novelty feature this year is a large window in the back, allowing visitors to view the scene from many different angles. Large wooden steps wind around the back of the cave, creating a further sense of space and distance between one scene and another.
The site is kept under wraps partly for safety reasons and partly to keep people in eager anticipation – as befits the Advent season. After the unveiling ceremony on Christmas Eve, one of the workers will come back down at midnight to place the baby Jesus in the manger, between the ancient figures of Mary, Joseph or the shepherds and some modern Mexican angels that were added just a few years ago. A cast of other characters representing village life and livelihood in Palestine will also be part of the scene, reminding us that the Christ Child was born into our earthly, everyday lives. One week later, on New Year’s Eve, the Pope will come down to the square and spend a few minutes in silent prayer in front of the Holy Family.

Listen to Philippa Hitchen's interview with Barbara Bellano: