Crib scenes
/Crib scenes
December 18, 2020
Nativity or crib scenes are displayed throughout December and early January in cathedrals, churches and the houses of many Christians worldwide. A popular theme for art, the nativity is also depicted in a stained glass window in the Lady Chapel of the Cathedral. Explore this years’ Cathedral Crib located in the North Nave Transept to find out what we actually know – and what we often get wrong - about the birth of Jesus.
The birth of Jesus of Nazareth, otherwise known as the Nativity, is described by the gospel writers Luke and Matthew in their opening chapters (Luke 2 and Matthew 1). They state that Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, his mother Mary was betrothed to a man named Joseph, and that his conception was miraculous. The date or time of year of Jesus’ birth is not known but has been estimated to have occurred between 6 and 4 BC based on documented historical events such as the death of King Herod, or by working backwards from known dates in Jesus’ ministry.
In the first recorded nativity scene in a cave near Greccio in 1223, St Francis of Assisi used life-sized figures and real animals. Inspired by his visit to the Holy Land and Jesus' traditional birthplace, the scene was a spiritual focus on the worship of Christ and was intended to dissuade pilgrims from making a dangerous Christmas journey to Ottoman-controlled Bethlehem in the 13th century.
Nativity scenes occasionally inspire topical emphasis. At the height of the Calais Migrant and Refugee Crises in 2015 the Cathedral crib scene featured a tent rather than the more traditional cave or barn. Shortly after the events of the Nativity, Mary and Joseph were forced to flee to Egypt with Jesus as King Herod sought to kill the child (Matthew 2:13–23). Today we might class the Holy Family as externally-displaced refugees.
The experiences of the Migrant and Refugee Crises will be explored when the Cathedral hosts the British Museum Spotlight Loan Crossings: community and refuge in 2022.
The Cathedral Crib featuring the Adoration of the Shepherds is on display from the start of Advent and is blessed on Christmas Eve at Midnight Mass. The crib features the Adoration of the Magi from Christmas Day until Candlemas and the end of the Christmas season on the 2nd of February.
Jacob Scott and Dr Gordon Giles, Canon Chancellor
Thanks for this year’s crib scene floral arrangements are extended to the flower arrangers, expertly transforming the Cathedral throughout the liturgical year. Each year one of the Cathedral’s Christmas trees are provided by the Friends of the Wisdom Hospice, and we must confess some superfluous lower extremities saw reuse in this years’ crib scene. Find out more about the Wisdom Hospice Lights for Love services at Rochester Cathedral here.
The Cathedral hosts several large exhibitions and smaller installations each year from education to art and everything in between.
