Vatican exhibitions puts nativity scenes from around the world on display

With Christmas barely two weeks away, Nativity scenes from around the world are on display at the Vatican. It’s the 8th edition of the exhibition that recreates the birth of Jesus.

Artists infuse each one with local materials and traditions — ranging from South American wood to elegant Asian ceramics.

Rome’s public transport company has presented a scene inside a city bus. Others are more tradition, like the ceramic scene from Taiwan, that shows Jesus, Mary and Joseph in a manger, surrounded by animals.

Monsignor Salvatore Rino Fisichella is Archbishop and Pro-Prefect of the Decanter for Evangelisation:

“In effect, there are over 130 nativity scenes exhibited from at least 22 countries and so are the symbol of a true internationality that participates at this exhibition. But I must say that the most important thing is the message that comes from these nativity scenes. It means a message of hope, a message of peace and, like every Christmas, a message that obliges us to recognise ourselves, to respect and to love each other a little bit more.”

Organisers say they try to include variety, choosing a range of materials, quality and originality of the different nativity scenes.

From a South Korean ceramic Mary and Jesus, to a fully fledged nativity scene inside a lightbulb – the creativity of the international artists is endless.

An Ethiopian nativity scene is carved entirely out of African rosewood, while a scene from Italy is crafted out of straw and ceramic and located inside a tanning drum made of leather.

“You can see the difference on how we interpret the scene of nativity in different cultures,” says Aniko Schnider, a visitor from Hungary.

“All this exhibition shows us that the God’s son truly reincarnated, it reincarnated in our cultures. It is a possibility to reflect on the way the gospel, the good book was interpreted by different cultures.”

Bartosz Golebiowki is visiting from Poland: “It’s beautiful! I’m from Poland and in our country, in Poland, we don’t have so much ‘presepi’ (Italian word for nativity scenes). But the exhibition is beautiful.”

The ‘100 Nativity Scenes at the Vatican’ exhibition is open now in Bernini’s colonnade at St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican and runs until 8 January 2026.