How did the Christmas Nativity Scene Originate?
Saint Francis of Assisi is usually credited with creating the first nativity scene in 1223 in Greccio, Italy. The original Christmas nativity set was cast in a cave with live people and animals cast in the biblical roles. His objective was to place emphasis during Christmas on the worship of Christ rather than on gift giving and materialism. Pope Honorius III gave his blessing to the Christmas nativity set and within a hundred years it became a custom and every church in Italy was expected to have a nativity scene during Christmastime For an excellent selection of Christmas nativity sets and figures visit this site at Amazon.
