Normally this exhibit would close in January, on the Feast of the Epiphany, but this year the exhibit will remain available for visitation.
Newsroom – São Paulo (December 14, 2021, 4:40 PM, Gaudium Press) Last December 8th, Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, the Franciscan Exhibition of Nativity Scenes of the Sanctuary of St. Francis of Assisi, located in the central region of São Paulo, was opened to the public. On the same date, the Jubilee Year began for the 375th anniversary of the foundation of the Convent and the Church of Saint Francis.
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a light”
Normally this exhibit was closed in January, on the Feast of the Epiphany, starting this year, however, the display will remain available for visitation, being renewed every end of the year. This 32nd edition of the nativity scene follows the theme “The people who walked in darkness have seen a light,” inspired by the first reading of the Christmas Solemnity, from the Prophet Isaiah.
Nativity scene exhibition held for more than three decades
The Franciscan Nativity Scene Exhibition at St. Francis of Assisi Sanctuary and Convent has been held since 1989. In each edition, the scene of the Child Jesus in the manger next to Our Lady and St. Joseph is portrayed with different materials and in different forms by the hands of artisans from all over the world. In total, more than 900 nativity scenes from all over Brazil and other countries have already been part of the exhibit.
St. Francis of Assisi and the cribs
The cribs can be seen in a new cultural space in the cloister of the Convent, recently restored, from where you can also enjoy a unique view of the church and the main altar of St. Francis. This exhibition is especially noteworthy because it takes place in a Franciscan church, as St. Francis of Assisi is known as the first to set up a Christmas crib. (EPC)
Compiled by Zephania Gangl
