Collection of Nativity Scenes from Around the World at St. Philip's Episcopal Church in Brevard, North Carolina - 2024

St. Philip's Episcopal Church in Brevard, North Carolina, again hosted its Nativity scene display in early December.

The exhibition entitled "No Room at the Inn" presented nativity scenes from the church collections as well as from the the people belonging to this church.

Only a small part of last year's collection of nativity scenes was presented. This year, most of the nativity scenes were different.

 

Nativity scenes are made of various materials, wood predominates, but there are also nativity scenes made of ceramics, glass, and even metal...

 

Ceramic hand painted and fired manger scene made in the 1970s

Nativity scene brought from the Azores

This nativity scene has been in the same family for generations. The mother would give her daughters wrapped figurines on Christmas Eve when the nativity scene was set up. Some of the sisters were always happy to see the baby Jesus, but one of them always wanted the animals. The tradition is continued by one of the sisters who gives her children figurines on Christmas Eve.

This stables were built in 1905 and have been used by different generations of the same family for over a century

 

 

All God's Children was first sculpted by Martha Holcombe in Gadsen, AL in 1985. The original work is made of soft clay. Each figurine is hand-cast from a special blend of resins and pecan flour, then hand-painted, signed and numbered.

Ukrainian Holy Family - Icon 2021 by Judith Davis, one of the assistant priests at St. Philip's Church,
Painted in a folk style and reminiscent of the style of Ukraine from the 16th to 19th centuries.

And this is a puzzle

This unusual and beautiful nativity scene was found in a small shop in Oberammergau, Germany.

 

 

  

 

This wooden nativity scene was brought from a Christmas market in Heidelberg, Germany. It depicts the baby Jesus, as well as shepherds and wise men bearing gifts. When the candles are lit, the heat rises and causes a fan to turn, which allows the figurines to surround the Holy Family.

Hand-carved olive wood depicting Joseph, Mary and Jesus, purchased in Israel

This small sculpture was purchased in Bethlehem, during a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 2019.

The small wooden nativity scene was a gift brought from a trip to Germany.

This miniature matchbox nativity scene dates from the mid-1980s. It was brought by a person who served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Guatemala, Central America.

 

  

Bronze nativity from Cameroon

Wrapped wire nativity

When the original First Methodist church building was demolished to build the current one, the stained glass windows were left on the ground. Walter McKelvey, a retired landscape architect, collected the glass and arranged it by color. The glass was given to local artist Beth Mitchell, who created this nativity scene.

The very rustic, simple nativity set was purchased over 30 years ago at Wedge and Keg, Brevard's premier wine and cheese shop. At least one sheep went missing many years ago! The shop was located on the corner of McLean Road, across from Ingles.

 

Shortly after this exhibition of nativity scenes I was again in this church for a beautiful concert. It was Handel's Messiah with a baroque orchestra and soloists.