presepe

An interview with Antonio Boemo, coordinator of the project for the construction of the nativity scene from Grado, which will be on display in Saint Peter’s Square

Jesus is born in a lagoon surrounded by fog

The setting for the representation of the Nativity of Jesus in Saint Peter’s Square for Christmas 2024 is a lagoon filled with almost stagnant water, with swamp birds including mallards, seagulls, herons and sea swifts, and local flora, small islands and the unfaltering fog. The nativity scene is a replica of the evocative landscape of the Island of the Sun, where Grado is located. The town in Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, is known as the daughter of Aquileia, but the mother of Venice.
The Cardinal President and the Secretary General preside at a ceremony for the inauguration of the Nativity Scene and the lighting of the Christmas tree in Saint Peter’s Square

Lights, music and art to announce the birth of Jesus

Christmas music, melodies and lights brightened the darkness of the night. The much-anticipated moment has arrived, when people can admire the nativity scene and see the Christmas tree lights in Saint Peter’s Square. Cardinal Fernando Vérgez Alzaga and Sr. Raffaella Petrini, respectively, President and Secretary General, of the Governorate of Vatican City State, inaugurated the nativity scene from Grado and lit the 29-metre red fir Christmas tree, from Ledro, during a ceremony on Saturday evening, 7 December before a crowd of people.