December 27, 2011. (
Romereports.com) From Christmas Eve until February 2, this Nativity scene will dominate St. Peter's Square. Although the statues are almost always the same, the setting changes every year. This scene reflects the architecture of
Palestine 2000 years ago.
What distinguishes it from other years is that the creators have made its dedication to the Virgin Mary. This means along with the birth of Jesus, they have added the scene of the Annunciation of the angel and the Visitation of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth.
This Nativity will not be the same after a few days, when the figures will change position on January 5 for the approaching feast of the Magi.
The figures come from a Nativity prepared by St. Vincent Pallotti in 1842, but the tradition of the Nativity has only been around the Vatican for a short time. The first Nativity scene in St. Peter's Square came from the idea of John Paul II in 1982.
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