In its present form, the custom of displaying figures depicting the birth of Christ owes its origin to St. Francis of Assisi, who made the Christmas crèche for Christmas Eve of 1223. | United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

The Nativity—recreated in Christian plays and tableau as a reminder of the birth of Jesus. But did you know that only the Gospel of Matthew and Luke describe Jesus’s birth? Wise men are mentioned in Matthew, and shepherds in Luke, but never together! And no mention of any animals. It may have been St. Francis of Assisi in 1223 who originated much of our modern-day ideas for a Nativity scene. It’s said he built a manger and filled it with hay, and included two live animals. And villagers were inv