Glencairn exhibit Christmas display
Painted tile mosaic of St. Francis is displayed in Glencairn’s Great Hall, the only mention of the original nativity held in Greccio in 1223
800 years after the first nativity scene, Glencairn exhibit highlights wide variation of the Christmas display. This year marks the 800th anniversary of the Christmas nativity scene. In the year 1223, St. Francis of Assisi first arranged a manger scene with live animals inside a cave in the town of Greccio, Italy, where he told the villagers the story of the birth of Christ.
A museum of religious and medieval art in Bryn Athyn, Glencairn, is now basking in the diversity of nativity interpretations that have developed over the last eight centuries. The annual exhibition of nativities collected from around the world features almost 50 scenes representing dozens of countries, such as Kenya, Nicaragua, Ukraine, and Italy.
Although the basic nativity arrangement of a father, mother, and child remains consistent, the variations are broad and culturally specific. A nativity from Louisiana, for example, features alligators instead of livestock, and one of the wise men is playing a saxophone.
Nativity scenes have been a life-long fascination. He recalls being drawn to the family nativity at 2 years old, so much so that his parents gave him his own set to play with. He’s been collecting them ever since.
For Glencairn’s nativity exhibit, A.J. DiAntonio, of Malvern, made a sprawling “presepe,” an Italian-style scene that presents the visitation of Christ within a busy village scenario. (Emma Lee/WHYY)
DiAntonio turned his obsession into a business, Navidad Nativity, which collects vintage and contemporary artisan figures and builds elaborate nativity scenes for clients. For Glencairn, he made a sprawling “presepe,” an Italian-style scene that presents the visitation of Christ within a busy village scenario. His scene encompasses 100 square feet, populated by 178 vintage figures made by Tuscan artisans. DiAntonio arranged them into dozens of little dramas around the central narrative of the manger.
As Bryn Athyn’s modern medieval castle closes for upgrades, its historic collection goes downtown
The Glencairn display downplays the 800th anniversary of the Christmas tradition. Aside from a painted tile mosaic of St. Francis in a corner of the museum’s Great Hall, there is little mention of the original scene in Greccio in 1223.
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