ADVENT CALENDAR 2024

December 24

NATIVITY FROM CATALONIA

El Santo Cristo workshop
Olot, Girona Province, Catalonia, Spain
Wood paste
First half of 20th century

This Nativity was made in the El Santo Cristo workshop, which operated from 1939 to 1950. El Santo Cristo was one of many workshops in the city of Olot that made religious figures for both individuals and Catholic churches. Originally owned by a family in Manhattan, NYC, this set was donated to Glencairn Museum in 2017. According to Catherine Palmiere, whose family owned and displayed it each year,

“On Christmas morning we placed Jesus in the manger. Every day leading up to the Epiphany we moved the Wise Men closer . . . As a child, I remember looking at the Nativity and thinking it was so big! We were told to be careful around it because it was delicate and special to my mother. Many friends would comment on its beauty. This made my mother smile.”

Gift of Catherine Palmiere in loving memory of her mother, Raffaela Celentano Palmiere

Visit us at Follow the Star: A 2024 Advent Calendar.