Editor's note: Click on the links below to see the crèche pictures.

For the past eight years, ever since the Knights of Columbus Museum in New Haven, Conn., presented its first crèche exhibit for the Advent-Christmas season, scores of people have seen the wonders of crèches from all parts of the world. Each year has had its own theme. This year: “Joyeux Noel: Christmas in Canada.”

Filling three galleries with more than 80 crèches of various styles (a fourth gallery adds international crèches from the Knights’ own collection), the Canadian exhibit ranges from small crèches framed within ceramic jugs and bells to tall and even long ones, like the tremendous village scene that spans an entire wall of one of the galleries housing the exhibit.

No matter the size, each crèche brings a sense of wonder and the joy of the Nativity in many ways through different styles and materials.

The Nativities are made of cloth, stone-like resin, wood, plaster, ceramics and more. Considering the northern climes of their origin, some rather unusual effects are featured, such as a traditional stable representation formed from moose antlers.

Several of the crèches are carved from wood, mostly Canadian pine. The artistry of the Canadian woodcarvers in the show is masterful.

The variety of pine they use gives the Holy Family and all the accompanying figures a honey tone and a finish that gives the figures the nobility — and at times the look — of marble or alabaster. One even resembles ivory.

One good example is the exhibit’s signature piece — “Shepherd Boy Visits the Holy Family” — which is carved in white pine by Jacques Bourgault of Quebec, who has concentrated on sacred art for more than 50 years.

Without using many elaborate details, this particular Nativity scene captures the single shepherd’s simple wonder and adoration. On the other hand, another crèche of pine gets more elaborate and complex with the number of participants and detail — 19 figures in all, from the angels to the Magi to the animals.

Some of the wood-carved Nativity scenes come from the hands of one of Canada’s top professional artists, Italian-born Antonio Caruso. The details Caruso captures in everything from the clothing to the figures’ expressions are on par with Renaissance masterpieces.

Even more intricately detailed is the prime example of his work in this exhibit — a 25-figure scene with everyone in awe of the Baby Jesus and the Holy Family.

Another style and material is used in several works by another of Canada’s top artists, Timothy Schmalz. He’s the sculptor who did the monumental Stations of the Cross installed this year at the National Shrine of Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Mass. Schmalz calls his work “visual prayers.”

Made of resin, his depictions are among the largest in the show and concentrate on the Holy Family. They’re more than three-feet tall. Schmalz sculpts the Holy Family from one piece of material to show the unbreakable closeness of the Holy Family and their roles. Characteristically, Joseph enfolds Mary in his arms as she holds the Baby Jesus.

In another Holy Family sculpture carved of resin that appears like white stone, the theme of peacefulness and protection continues.

Several of the crèches showcase Canadian settings. The ones from the far north become Inuit Nativity scenes. One small, endearing Nativity pictures the Holy Family as Eskimos. Jesus rests on a sled, not in a manger, in front of the stable that is an igloo. Traditional animals at the crib have become replaced with seals and a polar bear.

The full-moon Native-American Nativity depicts everyone, from the Holy Family to the shepherds and Wise Men and even the angel, in Native-American dress. Naturally, a tepee takes the place of the stable.

Scenes of Canadians at work or adoration around the Nativity appear as well, like the dioramas from a master woodcarver who carries on what has been his family’s tradition since the 18th century. One diorama with plentiful details pictures the Nativity taking place on a wintry Canadian farm with its out buildings, cows and other farm animals. The Holy Family finds shelter in the barn, while one of the farmers comes to pay homage to the newborn King. The early 20th-century setting and style is reminiscent of Norman Rockwell or Grandma Moses.

This show also has several examples of the santon, which means “petite saint” or “little saint” and applies to Christmas crib figures that represent the life and occupations of ordinary people in provincial settings.

The crèches from Quebec put the santons in rural wintry villages, with farmers and their wives, the parish priest, nun, baker’s wife, moccasin vendor, lumberjack, miller, native Indian fisherman and hunter and beggar, along with traditional musicians like the fiddler.

This example is called “Nativity in the Maple Grove and Village” and is set around 1850.

The largest village scene is a panorama spanning one full wall of one gallery room. It has more than 40 buildings. Some townspeople react to the birth of the Savior; others go about their daily activities. The small santons are ceramic. Several are seen in this view of a corner of the town.

Besides the largest Nativity scene, there also are very small crèches. They appear in another unexpected form that seems popular in Canada: Ceramic jugs, eggs or bells open to display the Holy Family, often backed by Canadian evergreens. Some are simple; some are intricately detailed. All are colorful.

These particular examples are on loan from the Corp. de Creches de Noel, a crèche museum in Riviere-Erernite featuring hundreds of Nativities in its collection. The town in northern Quebec is known as Canada’s “Bethlehem.”

Another large part of the exhibit is on loan from the well-known Oratory of St. Joseph on Mount Royal in Montreal. The wax Jesus is a prime example of another tradition in Canada.

The tradition of wax figures came from France to Canada, or New France, where the Ursuline Sisters introduced it in 1639. Their crèche on Christmas Eve in 1640 had an Infant Jesus made of wax.

The sisters made the wax figures of Jesus regularly and taught other congregations the process. Of the wax figures of Jesus in this show, one by Sister Sylvia Rondeau of the Misericordia Sisters of Montreal, who artistically constructed the wax Jesus for 57 years, dates to 1950.

This exceptional example shows us the figure of the Christ Child with both his hands raised as if praising his heavenly Father and at the same time greeting us and asking us to take him to ourselves.

It’s a wonderful reminder in this show of what the Infant Savior does and wishes for each of us to do this Christmas.

Joyeux Noel!

 

Joseph Pronechen is the Register’s staff writer.