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"Old World Christmas," made of resin and cloth. Nativity scenes of all kinds can be seen at the Maria Stein Shrine.
MARIA STEIN - For at least a decade, the Maria Stein Shrine of the Holy Relics has marked the Christmas season with a showcase of diverse Nativity sets spanning the globe.
Every year, visitors have flocked to the shrine to take in a new batch of Nativity scenes uniquely depicting the Holy Family and the birth of Jesus Christ.
"Exactly 800 years ago this year, St. Francis of Assisi put together the first Nativity in Italy," said director of ministry and collection curator Matt Hess. "He used live animals and townspeople."
The shrine's collection of about 1,100 Nativity scenes comes from Tim and Katheleen Nealeigh of Greenville. Tim Nealeigh set up the display himself before entrusting the entire collection to the care of the shrine in 2019.
"We put maybe 60, 70 out each year," Hess said. "So far, we haven't had to duplicate any, which has been nice."
In selecting Nativity sets for the annual display, Hess puts an emphasis on range.
"Tribes of the World" features Native American figurines.
"Hawaiian Christmas" of coconut and wood.
A Nativity scene made out of brass in Ireland.
"I try to choose a variety of them," he said. "You've got a Hawaiian one, there's a Native American one, a Polish one over here, a couple of Mexican ones down the way, Irish brass ones. We want a variety of how different cultures celebrate Christmas and what they're artistic mediums are."
Some of the scenes and figurines are made from wood, others cardboard, terra cotta, lace, marble, porcelain, resin and brass.
"The Vietnam one here, you can look at those pieces and actually see the print is newspaper and some of that is from a Vietnamese newspaper," Hess pointed out.
Clothing styles of the Holy Family and others depicted in the scenes vary as well, such as bonnets and aprons in the Amish Nativity.
Nativity Scene from India made of carved marble.
"What they all have in common is joy, joy at the birth of Christ. Different cultures put different spins on things," he said. "Sometimes you've got different animals depending on the culture. Chileans tend to put a sow in there, which is not something we would do."
A handful of European Nativity sets on display are more elaborate, complex and ornate. Festooned by candles, the German Christmas Pyramid contains multiple levels which are sent into motion by a propellor atop the structure. Children are particularly drawn to the movement and light, Hess said.
"You would light the candles and spin it and each level has kind of a different part of the Nativity story in it, so you can see the Roman guards there and the kings and the shepherds," Hess pointed out.
Candles play into Christmas imagery, representing the longing for the savior.
"Some denominations will have a candlelit service or a candlelit midnight Mass because this is the light of the world," he said. "I think candles just naturally lend themselves to the birth of Christ."
A number of Twelfth Night or Epiphany Nativities are exhibited this year, Hess said, before sharing a European culinary tie-in to the Christian festival.
"This is a French tradition that you would bake baby Jesus (figurine) into a cake, kind of like a Mardi Gras king cake, and if you got the baby Jesus in the Twelfth Night cake, you got the rest of the Nativity with it," Hess said.
The materials and motifs of the Nativity run the gamut from sophisticated and refined, to commonplace and inexpensive, Hess said, pointing to the juxtaposition of an Italian Renaissance-inspired piece and a Charles M. Schulz "Peanuts" creation.
"Peanuts Christmas" made of wood.
"One thing that I really admire about Tim Nealeigh in putting this collection together is he didn't discriminate. You've got these fine porcelain pieces here, but you'll pull out a plastic one from Dollar General," Hess observed. "There's something for everybody. It's not just one person's tastes here."
The display is also a reflection of the area's strong Christian heritage.
"When you drive around and see all the lawn Nativities that are out there now, especially in this area, I think we've got a strong Christian culture and it comes out in how we celebrate Christmas," Hess said. "We put out Nativities, put out stars, angels, those kind of things."
That being said, the shrine's exhibit can be enjoyed by people of different backgrounds.
"We meet folks of all Christian faiths. It's not just open for Roman Catholics," Hess said. "Even if you just enjoy art and pretty things, you're more than welcome to come."
The annual exhibit, which opened on Nov. 24 and runs through Jan. 10, is a major draw at the shrine, one of the largest, documented holy relic collections in the country.
The free exhibit is housed in the gathering space on the first floor of the shrine located at 2291 St. John's Rd. in Maria Stein. It is open to the public during normal shrine hours of operation - 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.
The shrine will be closed Dec. 24-25 for Christmas and Dec. 31-Jan. 1 for New Years. For more event information, visit mariasteinshrine.org.
"A Very Gothic Christmas" of cast cement.
