As the sounds of jingling bells and “ho ho ho" push people to dust off their credit cards so their loved ones will have the “perfect Christmas” many bemoan “crass commercialism” of the holiday season. Particularly in this most unusual of years, when necessity is driving people to simplicity, those who appreciate the true meaning of Christmas have a companion in St. Francis of Assisi, the creator of the first crèche hundreds of years ago to commemorate the birth of Christ.
St. Francis, who himself shunned a life of fame and riches, was also repulsed by the rampant materialism and “the lack of holiness” that seemed to surround the holiday season even 800 years ago, long before the days of Black Friday and online shopping. He was believed to have been inspired by a trip to the Holy Land and a visit to the cave in Bethlehem where Christ is believed to have been born.
Reflecting on the discomfort and utter poverty the Christ child must have endured, St. Francis was moved to create a Nativity scene. In 1223, St. Francis set up a live Nativity with a live ox, donkey and manger surrounded by hay in a small cave in the mountainside village of Grecio, Italy.
St. Francis wanted to excite the residents to “recreate the Nativity of the infant Jesus with great devotion.”
St. Francis’ companion, St. Bonaventure, wrote about a jubilant scene:
“The people ran together, the forest resounded with their voices, and that venerable night was made glorious by many and brilliant lights and sonorous psalms of praise. The man of God (St. Francis) stood before the manger, full of devotion and piety, bathed in tears and radiant with joy; the holy Gospel was chanted by Francis, the Levite of Christ.”
It is said that Francis was seen holding a Christ child. St. Bonaventure testified to this:
“This vision of the devout soldier is credible, not only by reason of the sanctity of him that saw it, but by reason of the miracles which afterwards confirmed its truth. For example of Francis, if it be considered by the world, is doubtless sufficient to excite all hearts which are negligent in the faith of Christ; and the hay of that manger, being preserved by the people, miraculously cured all diseases of cattle, and many other pestilences; God thus in all things glorifying his servant, and witnessing to the great efficacy of his holy prayers by manifest prodigies and miracles.”
It is said that St. Francis was so overcome by emotion while preaching he was unable to say the name Jesus, speaking about him as “the babe of Bethlehem” since he was “unable to utter his name for the tenderness of his love.”
Among those to first catch on to the crèche concept was Pope Nicholas IV, the first Franciscan pope. In 1291, Pope Nicholas commissioned statues to create the first permanent Nativity scene in the Roman Basilica of St. Mary Major.
During the next few centuries, the Nativity tradition spread throughout Europe with varying artistic interpretations. It became particularly popular in Italy, with almost every Catholic church hosting one. Eventually statues replaced real people in the Nativities.
Built from painted and gilded wood, they were set up within churches. Rich families displayed their wealth by purchasing even more elaborate Nativity crèches featuring Venetian glass and porcelain.
In the 18th century, mechanized crèches were constructed and placed in small theaters, featuring the kicking feet of Jesus in the manger. In-home crèches also became more common but were often too expensive for the average family.
During the French Revolution, Nativity creches and scenes were banned. People then began to make them in secret using household supplies such as cloth and bread.
In Provence, artist Jean-Louis Lagnel began to make affordable crèches from clay in 1797. The tiny clay figurines became known as “santons,” meaning little saints. These small Nativity crèches paved the way for the many styles and sizes we have today.
The Wise Men were not part of the original crèche scene, but eventually wandered in since they are part of the overall infancy narrative. Today’s many families like to begin Advent by placing the Wise Men a distance from the manger scene, then move them closer in as Christmas draws near.
And of course, don’t put the baby in the manger bed until Christmas Day to announce that the “Light of the World,” our “Emmanuel” or “God with Us,” has arrived!