Christmas Carols and Their Stories
Puzzle 74 · Christmas Customs and Traditions · Page 104 in print
Santons and Presepi
In 1912 Clement Miles called the presepio, or crib, the special Christmas symbol of the home in Rome and Naples, and said Rome’s Piazza Navona was the great place to buy its little clay figures.
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The words
Aubagne
Provençal town of the santonnière Thérèse Neveu, who began firing santons.
Farandole
The Provençal chain dance whose dancers appear among the santons.
Fishwife
A stock figure of the Provençal crib, drawn from Maurel’s Pastorale.
Kiln
Where santons are fired before painting.
Knife Grinder
Pimpara, the gossiping knife grinder of the Provençal crib.
Lagnel
Jean-Louis Lagnel of Marseille, who began making clay santons in 1797.
Marseille
City where Lagnel made the first clay santons and the santon fair began in 1803.
Matilde Serao
Neapolitan writer who described home-made presepi.
Miller
The miller with his sack of flour, a stock figure of the Provençal crib.
Naples
City whose home presepi and crib workshops are famous.
Miles, Christmas in Ritual and Tradition (opens a new tab) · Catholics & Cultures (opens a new tab)
Pasteboard
Material of home-made Neapolitan crib landscapes.
Santonnier
A maker of santons.
Terracotta
Fired clay used for Neapolitan crib figures.
dmo-napoli.inera.it: Visit artisan nativity (opens a new tab)
Therese Neveu
Santon maker of Aubagne who first fired the clay figures.
Sources
- France Today, ‘The Santons of Provence: A History’ by Thirza Vallois, 14 December 2024francetoday.com
- The Local France, ‘Santons: Meet France’s traditional Christmas little saints’ by Oliver Gee (2018, updated 2025)thelocal.fr
- Clement A. Miles, Christmas in Ritual and Tradition, Christian and Pagan (London, 1912), Project Gutenberg ebook 19098Project Gutenberg
- Catholics & Cultures (College of the Holy Cross), ‘Christmas markets showcase Italian presepe, or nativity scenes’ (2014, rev. 2023)catholicsandcultures.org
- Visit artisan nativity scene workshops in Naples: San Gregorio Armeno’s presepe artDestination Management Organisation of the Municipality of Naples, official tourism site