November 26, 2011. (Romereports.com) Giuseppe Facchini and Barbara Bellano are responsible for the department of projects for the Governorate of the Vatican. This means they're responsible for designing and constructing one of the biggest and most visited nativity scenes in the world, in the Vatican's St. Peter's Square.


The unveiling ceremony is held every December 24. Construction has been underway for a few weeks but it's a project that originally started nearly 10 months ago.

This year's nativity scene is different because it marks the 30th anniversary of the first time Christmas was represented in the Vatican. Because of this, a special emphasis was placed on the creators for this year's scene.

Giuseppe Facchini
Deputy Director, Technical Services Vatican Governorate
“This year is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and the memory of John Paul II who was a devotee of hers. There are two scenes that refer to the Virgin Mary.”

Barbara Bellano
Architect, Technical Services Vatican Governorate
“We've gone through the position of the figures, episodes of the Gospel that spoke about the Virgin Mary.”

Architect Barbara Bellano says this year's nativity scene will be divided into three structures. The central part being dedicated to the birth of Jesus and the two scenes dedicated to the presentation of Jesus in the temple by Mary and the Annunciation.

Barbara Bellano
Architect, Technical Services Vatican Governorate
“We will use the traditional figures coming from Saint Andrea della Valle that dates from 1842 and they're always the same. We're also using the angels that Mexico gave for the scene of the Annunciation and which are almost part of the tradition.”

Facchini is also an architect and plans on reducing this year's nativity space that is normally devoted to the crib.

Giuseppe Facchini
Deputy Director, Technical Services Vatican Governorate
“There have been many of cost reductions for the price of the structure. We've not only used polystyrene but also gravel to simplify the construction.”

But the Christmas decorations don't end with the nativity scene. In 1982, John Paul II also wanted a Christmas tree that would represent the tree of the cross. This year's tree is 98 feet tall and comes from the very west of Ukraine.

Barbara Bellano
Architect, Technical Services Vatican Governorate
“The decorations will include spheres of gold and silver tones, reminiscent of the Vatican flag with yellow and white lights.”

Another novelty for the Christmas decorations is a plan to be environmentally friendly by using LED lights.

There are about 15 people working on this project, but everyone else will have to wait for the unveiling on Christmas Eve.


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