This Nativity was made in a French monastery by members of the Sisters of Bethlehem. Work is an important part of their daily monastic schedule. The figures are handmade using dolomite stone from the Pyrenees in southern France. The stone is crushed and materials are added so that it can be cast and painted. The art of the Romanesque and Gothic periods of medieval history provide inspiration for these Nativity figures.
Friday, November 29 — Sunday, January 5
Daily 12:00 — 4:30 pm
December 26, 27, 28, and 29 10:00 am — 4:30 pm
Closed December 9-10, 24-25
Suggested donation $5 per person
Glencairn Museum’s annual World Nativities exhibition presents dozens of three-dimensional Nativity scenes collected from around the world. For many centuries the story of the birth of Jesus Christ has been depicted through the creative lens of artists from a wide variety of spiritual, intellectual, and cultural backgrounds. This year World Nativities features the historic Jennie Trein Christmas putz (Nativity scene) from the Moravian Historical Society in Nazareth, Pennsylvania; Nativities on loan from the Knights of Columbus Museum in New Haven, Connecticut; and outstanding examples from Glencairn’s own growing collection. Settings for the Nativities have been created by Bryn Athyn artist Kathleen Glenn Pitcairn.
Folk artist Jennie Trein (1879-1977) created her first Christmas putz in 1908, and for the next six decades she built a new one each year—complete with lights, sound effects, and narration. The Trein putz, which grew to include over 1000 pieces, was part of the Advent season for generations of visitors who were invited into her living room to view the display.
The Moravian Christmas “Putz” Tradition
A putz (from the old German word putzen, meaning “to arrange or decorate”) is a miniature landscape that tells the story of the Nativity. The Moravian Church traces its roots to John Hus (c. 1369-1415), a priest and church reformer who lived about one hundred years before Martin Luther. The Moravians first traveled to America in the 18th century as missionaries to provide a church for German speakers and to convert American Indians to Christianity. They came to Nazareth, Pennsylvania, in 1740, and founded their first settlement in nearby Bethlehem in 1741. The Moravian Church continues to be active in Nazareth, Bethlehem, Lititz, and other locations in Pennsylvania, with more than one million members worldwide.
The putz tradition, which originated with Moravians in Europe, was brought to America in the mid-18th century. Traditionally the putz was created in the home and was a project for the entire family. Today an increasing number of Moravian congregations have adopted the practice of a “community putz,” where families and groups cooperate to build a putz in a public building such as a church rather than in individual homes. The central focus of any putz is the birth of Jesus, but it is common for a putz to become more elaborate over the years, with new scenes being added to expand the story. Greens, moss, tree stumps, rocks and other natural trimmings are characteristic of a traditional putz, as well as lights, a recorded biblical narrative, and other electrical features. In the past, an important part of this custom was “putzing”—visiting from house to house to admire each putz and enjoy holiday refreshments. Putzing took place beginning on Christmas Day and lasted until Epiphany on January 6.
Read more about the Moravian Christmas putz on exhibit at Glencairn this year in an essay for Glencairn Museum News by Susan Ellis, Executive Director of the Moravian Historical Society: “An Authentic Moravian Nativity Scene: The Jennie Trein Putz” (Number 11, 2019).