In the year 1223, St. Francis was preparing to say Midnight Mass in the small town of Grecio in central Italy. According to writings about him at the time, it seemed that Francis was becoming distraught with the cavalier attitude that many possessed towards Christmas and the increased focus on gift-giving and material goods. Many people seemed to consider it an occasion for celebration without pausing to recognize the import of the event which they were commemorating, and Francis found this regrettable.

He decided that he would, to the best of his ability, create an opportunity for the general public to see the events of the Nativity as though they were present in Bethlehem, and perhaps in doing so better preach the magnificence of Jesus coming to earth as a child. He thought a simple recreation would be best. Francis obtained a blessing to do this from Pope Honorius III.
Francis worked to recreate the scene as he thought it must have appeared in Bethlehem on the night that the Savior was born. He was committed to doing so with the utmost respect and worked hard to ensure that he would not be accused of levity or frivolity in his creation of the first Nativity scene.



St. Bonaventure, who was born several years before Francis’ death, wrote of these events later on, and told of how Francis built the scene by placing a wooden manger in a niche in the rocks of Grecio, and soon brought to the manger the hay on which Jesus might have rested his head and the ox and the ass who might have kept Him company. It is not clear if townspeople played the roles of Mary, Joseph, shepherds, and wise men or if the scene was kept as simple as this.

Francis revealed in the simplicity of his new Nativity scene and himself found it profoundly impactful. As the people of Grecio began to celebrate the Mass and sing hymns and psalms of praise, Francis was so deeply moved that he wept as he preached about the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.


8-26 cm figures