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WALKING TOURS OF ROME

Relic of the Holy Crib

12/7/2020

 
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Reliquary of Holy Crib, Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome
Reliquary of the Holy Crib

The Confessio, or reliquary crypt, which lies before the main altar of Santa Maria Maggiore, was designed by the architect Virginio Vespignani (1808-82), at the behest of Pope Pius IX (r. 1846-78), to house the sacred relics of the Holy Crib.

The crystal reliquary contains pieces of ancient wood that the faithful hold to be part of the manger where Jesus was laid.  The statue of Pius IX, kneeling in prayer, is the work of the Roman sculptor Ignazio Jacometti (1819-83). It was placed in the crypt by Pope Leo XIII (r. 1878-1903). 

The celebration of the Holy Crib originated in 432 when Pope Sixtus III (r. 432-440) created, within the newly-built Basilica, a "cave of the Nativity" similar to that in Bethlehem. Numerous pilgrims, returning to Rome from the Holy Land, brought back fragments of the Holy Crib (cunambulum), which were housed in the Basilica.

In 1288 when Pope Nicolas IV (r. 1288-92) commissioned Arnolfo di Cambio to create a sculpture of the scene of the Nativity for the 'cave'. 

Three centuries later, when Pope Sixtus V (r. 1585-1590) wished to erect the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, better known as the Cappella Sistina, he ordered the architect Domenico Fontana to dismantle the 'cave', but to preserve Arnolfo di Cambio's sculpture. 

Statue of Pope Pius IX by Ignazio Jacometti, Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome
Statue of Pope Pius IX by Ignazio Jacometti, Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome
Nativity scene by Arnolfo di Cambio, Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome
Nativity scene by Arnolfo di Cambio

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    Walking Tours For Discerning Travellers

    My name is David Lown and I am an art historian from Cambridge, England. Since 2001 I have lived in Italy, where I run private and
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  • Home
  • Private Tours
  • Small-Group Tours
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • St Peter's Basilica
    • Altars >
      • Altar of St Joseph
      • Altar of St Gregory the Great
      • Altar of the Madonna of Succour
      • Altar of St Sebastian
      • Altar of the Lie
      • Altar of the Presentation of the Virgin
      • Altar of St Jerome
      • Altar of the Transfiguration
      • Altar of Pope Leo the Great
    • Monuments >
      • Countess Matilda of Canossa
      • Maria Clementina Sobieska
      • Queen Christina of Sweden
      • Pope Innocent VIII
      • Pope Paul III
      • Pope Gregory XIII
      • Pope Gregory XIV
      • Pope Leo XI
      • Pope Urban VIII
      • Pope Alexander VII
      • Pope Clement X
      • Pope Innocent XI
      • Pope Alexander VIII
      • Pope Innocent XII
      • Pope Benedict XIV
      • Pope Clement XIII
      • Pope Pius VII
      • Pope Leo XII
      • Pope Pius VIII
      • Pope Gregory XVI
      • Pope Pius X
      • Pope Benedict XV
      • Pope Pius XI
      • Pope Pius XII
      • Pope John XXIII
      • The Stuarts
    • Portico >
      • Door of Death
      • Door of Good and Evil
      • Central Door
      • Door of the Sacraments
      • Holy Door
    • Pieta
    • Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament
    • Cathedra Petri
    • Crossing >
      • Baldacchino
      • Confessio
      • Dome
      • St Longinus
      • St Helena
      • St Veronica
      • St Andrew
    • St Peter
    • Chapel of the Choir
    • Chapel of the Baptistery
    • Nave
  • Sistine Chapel
    • North Wall
    • South Wall
    • East Wall
    • Ceiling: Part One >
      • Ceiling: Part Two
      • Ceiling: Part Three
    • The Last Judgement
  • Fountains
    • Trevi Fountain
    • Fontana della Barcaccia
    • Fountain of the Triton
    • Fountain of the Bees
    • Fountain of Moses
    • Fountain of the Four Rivers
    • Fountain of the Acqua Paola
    • Fountain of the Turtles
    • Fountain of the Naiads
    • Fountain of the Cannonball
    • Piazza del Popolo
    • Fountain of the Pantheon
    • Fountains of Piazza Farnese
    • Fountain of Goddess Roma
    • Rioni Fountains
    • Street Fountains
    • Venice Marries the Sea
    • St Peter's Square
    • Fountain of the Moor
    • Fountain of Neptune
    • Fountain of the Porter
    • Fountain of the Seahorses
  • Gallery
    • Piazzas >
      • Piazza del Campidglio
      • Piazza del Quirinale
      • Piazza del Popolo
      • Piazza di Spagna
      • Piazza Navona
      • Piazza S. M. in Trastevere
      • Piazza San Pietro
    • Mosaics
    • Fountains
    • Churches
    • Ancient Rome
    • Palaces
    • Domes
    • Papal Coats of Arms
    • Street Shrines
    • Old Photographs
    • Borromini & the Baroque