NATIVITY DISPLAY AND CHRISTMAS TREE IN SAINT PETER’S SQUARE
AND NATIVITY DISPLAY IN THE PAUL VI HALL
The Archdiocese of Chieti-Vasto, together with the Association Amici del Presepe (“Friends of the Nativity”) of Atessa, the Libera Confraternità degli Artisti (“Free Confraternity of Artists”) and the Saints Peter and Paul Prison Education Centre of Vasto will be responsible for the creation of the traditional Nativity display in Saint Peter’s Square for Christmas 2026.
The majestic silver fir, standing some 25 metres tall, which will be erected in the square, will come from the Cugno dell’Acero forest in the municipality of Terranova di Pollino (Potenza), whilst the Viareggio Carnival Foundation (Lucca) will donate the nativity scene for the Paul VI Hall.
As for the nativity scene from Atessa, the organizers aim to offer a contemplative experience at the heart of Abruzzo’s traditions: a spiritual journey through the stages of the mystery of the Incarnation, combining biblical truth with the rich traditions of the Abruzzo region.
The nativity scene, with its characteristic thatched roofs, evokes the farmers’ workplaces and the traditional dwellings of old, the “Pagliarelli” or “Pinciare”, made of earth and straw – simple, yet capable of providing everything necessary for life.
Among the numerous terracotta shepherds and flocks that bring the scene to life, dressed in traditional Abruzzese costumes—that is, coarse cloth and sheepskins—symbolizing a simple and sincere faith, one particular element stands out: a black sheep. In the nativity scene, it does not evoke misfortune, but rather being favoured by divine mercy. It represents lost humanity, the sinner whom Christ wishes to bring back to himself. It is the most fragile sheep, the one most in need of love and upon whom the Good Shepherd bestows special care. The black sheep is the sign that no one is excluded from the joy of the Saviour’s birth.
At the top of the main building, the Nativity scene is surmounted by a tower, over which an angel keeps watch, proclaiming the glory of the Word made flesh. It visually evokes the biblical Migdal Eder, the “Tower of the Flock”, a place which tradition and Scripture identify as the exact spot where the Messiah was first revealed. The scene is completed by animals and furnishings typical of the rural tradition of Abruzzo.
The white fir tree that will stand in Saint Peter’s Square will be taken from the Pollino National Park, whose municipality lies at an altitude of almost a thousand metres, on the slopes of Mount Calvario, in the upper reaches of the River Sarmento.
For the nativity scene in the Paul VI Hall, the Viareggio Carnival Foundation has set the Nativity within the maritime context of local tradition, where elements of the sea and the life of fishermen take on symbolic and spiritual significance. Particular emphasis is placed on the figure of Saint Joseph, presented as the guardian of fragility and light, whilst the Magi, reinterpreted as fishermen, offer gifts linked to the sea, evoking community, hospitality and abundance.
A project with a universal language: a collective expression of hope
The Vatican Christmas Tree will light up with the hope of children
The decorations, inspired by the theme “The World I would like”, will give a voice to children with cancer participating in the ceramic therapy workshops run by the Lene Thun Foundation across Italy.
Vatican City, 1 June 2026 – The Lene Thun Foundation will be responsible for decorating the Christmas tree in Saint Peter’s Square this coming Christmas. The tree, donated by the municipality of Terranova di Pollino, in the province of Potenza, will be illuminated by the wishes of children undergoing treatment in Italian hospitals: wishes shaped from clay, born of small hands and great courage.
Each decoration traces a fragment of their ideal world, bringing to life the major project “The World I would like”: a collective narrative born from the hearts of many young patients, from their most intimate thoughts and emotions entrusted to the clay. In the Lene Thun Foundation’s ceramic therapy workshops, held weekly in Italian hospitals, every creation becomes a voice, a wish, a vision of the future. A powerful message that, today more than ever, invites us to imagine – and build – a better world.
Established in 2006, the Lene Thun Foundation offers a free and permanent ceramic therapy service, primarily in paediatric oncohaematology wards. Today, 56 workshops are active across 36 leading healthcare facilities, and over the past twenty years, more than 80,000 children, together with their families, have found in this programme a space for expression, relief and sharing.
Ceramic therapy is much more than a creative activity: it is a healing gesture, a welcoming language, a tool capable of transforming difficult emotions into shapes, colours and meanings. It is a tangible form of support that improves the quality of young patients’ experience, restoring their light-heartedness, dignity and strength.
With this initiative, Saint Peter’s Square becomes the setting for a collective story – a story made of resilience and hope, which gives a voice to children and their extraordinary will to live, as well as to all those who face difficulties every day, transforming a universal symbol such as the Christmas Tree into a tale of hope and the future.
The artwork will be created with the support of the Governorate of Vatican City State, through the Directorate of Infrastructure and Services.
