The nativity scene in Italy is the main symbol of Christmas, the meaning of which is more closely related to Christianity than the Christmas tree. Whether it is prepared by grandparents or children, the nativity scene conveys all the love and passion people put into it when preparing it. There are simple ones made from poor materials and others that are richer and more sumptuous, such as the Neapolitan ones.In the Neapolitan city, there is one place where nativity scene lovers cannot fail to spend hours searching for the most unique piece: it is the characteristic street of San Gregorio Armeno. Any time of year is perfect to visit, although December is the month when this street teems with life, stories and legends that have never been forgotten.
San Gregorio Armeno: historical background
San Gregorio Armeno is a street located in the heart of the historic center of Naples, between Via dei Tribunali and Via San Biagio dei Librai, known as Decumano Maggiore and Decumano Inferiore (or Spaccanapoli) respectively. In the past, this street, a stone’s throw away from which is what is considered the birthplace of San Gennaro and the ancient Bank of Naples that was established to keep the city’s poor away from usury, was called Strada Nostriana and its origins are clearly Roman. Indeed, a temple dedicated to Ceres, the goddess of the Earth and fertility, stood here: tradition had it that devout pagans donated votive statuettes made of clay to the temple as votive offerings and had them commissioned from the artisans surrounding the temple.
Christianization of the street began as early as the 10th century through the construction of a monastery by nuns who were part of the order of St. Basil, fleeing the iconoclastic wars raging in Constantinople at that time. The pious women deposited within the monastery’s small church the sacred relics of St. Gregory the Illuminator, patriarch of Armenia. From the 13th century onward those same workshops that used to make votive statues for the pagan cult of Ceres began to make votive statuettes related to the Nativity at the invitation of the noble families of Naples.
Walking down Via San Gregorio Armeno today one finds literally everything, not only figures related to Christmas but also rather irreverent and ironic statues related to political, show business or sports figures: one recognizes Pulcinella, the faces of actor Totò, singer-songwriter Pino Daniele and especially the legendary soccer player Maradona who, since his death, is also depicted with a pair of wings.
The birth of the Neapolitan nativity scene
The Neapolitan nativity scene is very different from the very first form of nativity scene that appeared in Greccio thanks to St. Francis of Assisi: it is a scenic, lavish and rich structure whose origins are linked to the reign of Charles III of Bourbon, with whom Naples experienced a golden age that saw it on par with other European cities. The king loved to make cribs, and the nobles took to imitating him by making works of art using fine materials, precious gems and rich fabrics made directly from the mills of San Leucio.
Noble families took so much pride in their nativity scenes that they opened the doors of their luxurious patrician homes to the people as well: from this custom, the art and passion for the taken spread to the common people, whose creations were obviously less pompous, more humble and placed on dressers or inside display cases.
Today the nativity tradition in Naples continues to be alive, although the crisis of this art that occurred with the reign of Ferdinand IV led to the disappearance of many valuable statues. There are two most important examples of ancient Neapolitan nativity scenes that have been preserved to this day: one is in the Sala Elittica of the great Reggia di Caserta, and the other is the famous and majestic one by Michele Cuciniello preserved in the Certosa di San Martino.
The historic workshops of San Gregorio Armeno
Strolling through San Gregorio Armeno one encounters a myriad of craft stores, some side by side others located in the more intimate courtyards of the historic palazzi of Spaccanapoli. You can find everything from statues of the Nativity to shepherds to materials to build the sets out of cork or wood-often artisans offer for sale the whole rock, the one that in Naples indicates the structure on which to then go and assemble the nativity scene.
Naples’ master crib makers follow in the footsteps of the great master Giuseppe Sanmartino, and many workshops in San Gregorio Armeno are indeed very old: there is the workshop of the “Capuano Brothers” dating back to 1840, where, moreover, the San Giovanni Rotondo nativity scene, the Pietrelcina nativity scene, and another on display at the Royal Palace in Madrid expressly desired by King Juan Carlos were made.
Then visiting the workshop of “Ferrigno Umberto” is like entering a small art gallery where the cribs are fine creations made from ancient materials, including those fabrics from San Leucio, a charming medieval village in the province of Caserta.
On the other hand, those who wish to purchase a typical Neapolitan nativity scene set need only go to the old “Sciuscià” workshop.
Characteristics of the Neapolitan socket
San Gregorio Armeno is the perfect place to immerse yourself in the Christmas atmosphere and to buy all the opccessories to make the nativity scene: it is clear that in this picturesque corner of Naples everything goes back to the nativity scene model typical of the city, set not in Palestine but in the Naples of the 1700s. Observing these creations is like peeking through a window at a glimpse of ancient life, amidst old crafts and customs of yesteryear.
The cliff on which the nativity scene is mounted is usually composed of three levels, with the Nativity placed at the top: the Holy Family with the Child is placed in a kind of ruined temple, a symbol of paganism defeated by Christianity, complete with a nearby fountain in whose purifying waters all sins are washed away.
San Gregorio Armeno is home to all the statues that absolutely cannot be missed in the Neapolitan nativity scene, which is full of precise symbolism: there is the fisher of souls, the merchants linked to each month of the year, the vintner whose figure refers to the Eucharist, the companions who represent Death and Carnival, the black gypsy woman who brings a message of faith for all the peoples of the Earth, and the harlot, placed in a tavern with her back to the Grotto. There is also no shortage of the figure of the old man kneeling down to offer the Baby Boy cottage cheese, the wonder shepherd, and of course Benino, the shepherd boy who sleeps the magnificence of the crib.
