Putting the Christ Back in Medieval Christmas: Saint Francis of Assisi and the Creation of History's First Nativity Scene
It is December in the year 1223 in the tiny Italian village of Greccio. Mendicant friar, ascetic, holy man, lover of animals and of all mankind, one day to be canonized by the Church as Saint Francis of Assisi, invites all to come and gaze upon what he calls “the Babe of Bethlehem”. Francis is too overcome by emotion and reverence to dare utter the name of the Lord Jesus aloud. The faithful flock to central Italy by the thousands to catch a glimpse of this living wonder. It is now only days before Christ’s Mass on December 25, one of the most holy days on the liturgical calendar, set aside to celebrate the birth of the One who was born to save us all. St. Francis, with both his name and his reputation for holiness preceding him, had recently petitioned Pope Honorius III for permission to recreate the birth of Jesus in living form to place emphasis back on, “Christ and not material things,” as he put it. Pope Honorius not only gave Saint Francis of Assisi permissio...