History of the Provencal Nativity Scene and Santons
Did you know? Marseille is the capital of the "santon" in France. From the first raw clay santons to the Provençal crib, through the traditional Santon Fair, let's focus on an unknown history of the Phocaean city.
As we write these lines, we are entering the Christmas period. A festival in Marseille accompanied by local traditions as ancient as they are ingrained. The traditional Santon Fair will celebrate its 218th edition this year. An annual event that has taken place continuously since 1803, spanning two world wars, and now a pandemic. An opportunity to revisit this very Marseille tradition of santons.
HISTORY OF THE NATIVITY SCENE AND SANTONS
As early as the 4th century, there were numerous representations of the Nativity in religious books. But it was in the 12th century that sculptures began to be made. Generally, religious scenes were performed on the church parvis during Catholic holidays such as Christmas or Easter. It was Saint Francis of Assisi who is said to have popularized the practice during a Mass he celebrated in Greccio, Italy, in 1223. During a stay in Naples, he would have sculpted Nativity figurines with flour, salt, and water, calling them "Santi Belli." He then added the donkey, the ox, and the magi. The santon thus has Neapolitan origins. To this day, the city of Naples is known for its traditions of living cribs. By the way, take a look at this magnificent Neapolitan crib sculpted in the sand for Christmas 2020.
It was the Franciscan monks who introduced the Nativity scene to Provence at the end of the 18th century. The Revolution banned Christmas cribs, as well as Midnight Masses. Many Marseillais showed their loyalty to the tradition by making makeshift cribs at home. The practice developed into creating a crib in every household. The risks were great at the time of defying the revolutionary power, and those who were caught were sent to the guillotine!
THE PROVENÇAL NATIVITY SCENE
It was in Provence that the first "clandestine cribs" appeared. They were made with whatever materials were available, namely breadcrumbs or papier-mâché. The figurines thus created represented Jesus, Mary, and Joseph and were called the "little saints," or "santoun" in Provencal. Thus was born the Provençal santon. But until the end of the 18th century, they were referred to as "figures." These were unique pieces that required a lot of work and skill from artisans. Therefore, they were out of reach for ordinary budgets.
It was a Marseillais who invented the "modern santon," or at least the ancestor of what we know today. Jean Louis Lagnel (1764/1822), a Marseillais sculptor, invented a process for industrializing the santon through molding in 1798. His brilliant idea was to create plaster molds to mass-produce characters in raw clay. It was an immediate success for these one-penny santons, which were initially made up of several parts that were assembled later. From the start, Lagnel's Marseillais santons competed with the "Belli Santi" that Neapolitans sold in the streets around the Old Port.
But it was Thérèse Neveu who is considered the mother of the "modern santon" by instituting systematic clay firing. But she also innovated. While most santonniers were content to reproduce existing models, she created around a hundred santon models inspired by the characters she encountered in her hometown of Aubagne, drawing inspiration from Provençal folklore.
The first known crib in France is Marseillaise, dating back to 1775, and is preserved in the Museum of Old Marseille.