My French Nativity Scene...or...Santons de Provence

I want to share with you my favorite purchase during my retirement trip to France last summer...my crèche, or nativity scene. I promised myself that this was the one thing I would bring back from Provence. That area of France is known for its santons or little saints. They are clay figures representing the Holy Family and all of the accompanying visitors to the Nativity. Now you might see some that you don't recognize. I will explain....

I was fortunate enough to visit the santon museum in Fontaine de Vaucluse, France. Santons as they exist today have a long history. They became very important during the French Revolution, when most of the churches were closed and were being used as stables and munitions depots. The people in the countryside held secret church services in their homes and made little nativity figures out of the local clay to keep Christmas traditions alive. See the painting I'm standing beside? Remember the figure depicted there. You will see more of him later.

This is a beautiful example of one such crèche. It is a more traditional nativity scene such as we are accustomed to seeing here. Remember that you can click on any photo to enlarge it.

This, on the other hand, is a crèche absolutely filled with figures that we as Americans cannot recognize! The santons of Provence include not only the Holy Family, the Magi and the shepherds, but the whole village who has come to worship the Baby Jesus! Notice that they are dressed in the typical costumes of the 1700's.

I found my santons in a lovely little shop in Old Nice. You can see the figures on the shelf behind me. The most well-known santons are created in Marseilles and Aubagne and then sold in shops around the South of France. There are two kinds: the santons d'argile which are hand-painted clay such as you see in the background....

...and the santons habillés which are dressed in cloth and have miniature implements. These are much larger and are not generally seen in the family nativity scene.

These are my santons. The actual manger was purchased here because I had to hand carry them home on the plane and could only take so much! They are Santons Didier from Marseilles. Click here to access his web site and to see  the large number of santons that exist. Also, if you click on the little picture it will enlarge and give the name of the santon. It is all in French, but I think you can see from the pictures what they are called...woman gathering firewood, man cutting lavender, etc. They are simple people from the village performing what would have been common labor at the time. Scroll all the way to the bottom and you can see what the provençal manger looks like...it's made of stone!

This is, of course, the Holy Family. These santons are made in molds from the clay of Marseilles and then fired in a kiln at 1650 degrees for 48 hours. They are then individually hand painted. The size that I chose is 7 cm or about 3 inches tall.

Look at the detail. The Baby Jesus has rosy red cheeks! Look at the tiny eyebrows!

I love Mary's robes! And doesn't she have an adoring, motherly expression?

Joseph has such a kind face. Look at his little staff! It's a tiny piece of wood!

Look at the feathers on the angel's wings. I love the robe.

Isn't the donkey just looking straight at you?

You can almost feel the ox's breath!

Here are the Magi or Three Wisemen.

Of course their robes are much more magnificent! Look at the tiny cord between the two clasps and his striped sash. The detail on the gift is incredible! Look at his hair...realistic, isn't it? Keep in mind that he is 3 inches tall!

Here is another of the Magi. He has a tiny beard. Once again...incredible detail in the clothing. Remember that this is all individually hand-painted.

And the third of the Magi... Have you noticed the gold trim at the bottom of each of the robes? Look...you can see inside his sleeves. Amazing, isn't it?

This is, of course, the shepherd and his flock. Remember the painting at the museum? This is that figure...the Mistral. I have to say that he is my favorite.

He is called the Mistral because that is the name of a very strong winter wind that blows in France. See how he's holding on to his hat to keep it from blowing off? His staff is also a tiny piece of wood.

Here is his sheep. Do you see his woolly coat? Look at his tiny hooves!

Ahhhh...now! Those of you who know me know I love this little fellow! Just look at that little face! Doesn't he just look like he's headed for trouble? Look at his little horns...so cute! He even has tiny eyelashes! Do you see? When I told the lady in the store that I just wanted a goat and no sheep, she was very upset. That was just not natural...a shepherd with no sheep. So I bought the one you just saw...but I love the goat best!

Here is where we encounter figures that we don't recognize. I wanted to add two of the traditional figures from Provence to my nativity scene. This one is the Niçoise...the woman from Nice. She is wearing the typical provincial dress of that region. Look at her flowers! The detail is amazing! I bought her because I was in Nice when I purchased my santons.

The lady in the shop suggested this one as my second figure from Provence...le Ravi...or the simpleminded man. He is the first villager to see the Baby Jesus and is proclaiming the news to the rest of the village. And from what I have read, she was absolutely right. He is considered first among the essential members of the village santons. He is usually depicted with his arms raised in delight. I hope to be able to add to my collection. The man with the bundle of firewood will probably be my next acquisition. Did you look at the others? What do you think?

Thank you for visiting my santons de Provence and for allowing the French teacher in me to give you a little lesson! Joyeux Noel! Merry Christmas!
I am joining Lynn at Happier than a Pig in Mud for her Reason for the Season Party! Please head on over to see a beautiful collection of nativities!