WELCOME
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46
T
he real custom leads back to St. Francis, who put an “alive”
nativity scene in thewoodsof Grecco in1223. He re-enacted
the events of Bethlehemwith humans and animals. It took
several centuries though, until thenativity scenes in itsmodern sen-
sewere introduced.
Baby rocking&baby Jesuswax figures
In nunneries the tradition of “baby rocking” had beenmaintained sin-
ce the 13
th
century: Nuns rocked the little baby Jesus at the Christmas
mass for religious-mystical contemplation. “Waxbaby Jesus” figures (cal-
ledWachs-Christkindl or Fatschenkinder inAustria)were verypopular in
the16
th
century– twocan still be seen in theServitenart chamber.With
theReformation thesecustomscame toasuddenend. Itwasonly in the
Counter Reformation, when the Jesuits and theCapuchinsbrought back
thenativity scenes to symbolise religiousbelief. In theearlyBaroquepe-
riod, theuseofChristmas relatednativityscenesbecamecommon. Their
setup in churches looked like a pompous theatre scenery. With the ban
of nativity scenes by Emperor Joseph II, who considered them idolatry,
NATIVITYSCENETRADITION
Theyare setup in churchesand inprivatehomes–
butonly for ChristmasEve. Inaccordancewith the
liturgical rulesyouwon’tbeable to findanyNativity scenes throughout Tyrol beforeChristmas–
except for inamuseum. //
MONIKAFRENZEL
BEAUTIFULBAROQUENATIVITYSCENESCANBEFOUND
STARTINGFROMDECEMBER25
TH
in Innsbruck:
• St. JamesCathedral
(cathedral square -Domplatz, close to theGoldenRoof)
• ServitenChurch (MariaTheresienStreet 42)
• St George’sChapel (in the courtyardof theLandhausbuilding,
entrance throughMariaTheresienStreet)
all year: collectionof nativity scenes in theMuseumof Tyrolean
FolkArt, streetUniversitätsstraße2
in the surroundingarea:
• Parish churchof Axams
• Parish churchof Birgitz
• Parish churchof Götzens
thispompous timecame toanend. But theTyroleanpeople foundaway
topreserve them: Due to theemperor’sorder not toplace them inchur-
ches, thenativityscenes foundanewhome inacloseby inn.
Paper,Wood&Orient
As the creation of Baroque nativity scenes required a lot of time, ea-
sier ways to build themwere required, and so they started using pa-
per. At the same time, they started carving smaller nativity scene figu-
resand so local artworksdeveloped.
When themobility of the builder of nativity scenes grew and tra-
velling to theHoly Landwasn’t impossible anymore, “oriental nativity
scenes” became common. Now, the focuswas on creating an authen-
ticbackgroundanddecorating thenativity sceneswithpalm treesand
camels.
The traditionof ”lookingat nativity scenes“
This Christmas customwas widespread in Tyrol and soon became a
tourist attraction. Buses filledwith tourists arrivedat the farmhouses,
where each house that had a nativity scene was marked and there-
foreeasy to find. Today the locals,whostill appreciate thisoldcustom,
love going to farmhouses and admiring the nativity scenes. They can
also be seen as part of a guided tour with prior reservation (tip: “Per
Pedes city tour” organises nativity scene tours in the Museum of Ty-
rolean Folk Art and tours of the churches in the lowmountain range,
). Inchurches, nativityscenescanbe found from
the24
th
of December until the2
nd
of February.
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©L.MOSER
