Nativity Scenes #2

While roaming around Paris the other day, we stopped in a churches to see if there were nativity scenes.  We discovered three churches with  crèches de noël. 

Église Saint-Roch: Saint-Roch, the church at the end of our block, had not one but two nativity scenes.   

The main altar area has a permanent creche scene with large marble sculptures of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus.  For Christmas, the scene is decorated with lighted trees.  

Jean-Claude especially likes the placement of the nativity scene on the church's central axis.  When standing in the central aisle, you can see not only the nativity in the foreground but also the crucifixion in the background.  The huge carved crucifix (partially seen, lighted behind the manger scene) is in another chapel behind the chapel with the manger scene.  

In a side altar, there is a second, temporary nativity scene.  The crèche is traditional and includes a dark blue sky filled with stars.  

Saint-Roch also has an Advent Calendar (pictured below).   We suspect that the calendar is updated by children from the adjacent school associated with the church.  

Notre-Dame-de-Lorette:  We discovered another traditional crèche de noël at Notre-Dame-de-Lorette.  See below.

Église de Saint-Germain-des-Prés:  We discovered another traditional crèche de noël at one of Paris' oldest churches, Saint-Germain-des-Prés.

A close up view

In the chapel where the creche is located, we also spotted a painted nativity scene on the wall.  Although the flat, the painting is so skillfully executed that it appears to be three-dimensional.

In the Chapelle de la Vierge

Basilique Notre-Dame-des-Victoires:  Still another traditional crèche de noël.

Like the other  crèches de noël, the scene at Notre-Dame-des-Victoires features a blue-robed Mary but the manger is empty. 

Pop Quiz:  Why is the baby missing from the nativity scenes?  Answer below.

Thanks for visiting more nativity scenes with us.  

Answer: You probably guessed that the manger is empty now (mid-December) because the baby doesn't arrive until Christmas.    

P.S.  (Early January 2020)   Good news.  The manger at Église Saint-Roch  is no longer empty.