Jasper County Democrat, Volume 19, Number 76, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 December 1916 — Christinas Cribs of the Tyrol [ARTICLE]

Christinas Cribs of the Tyrol

THE Christmas cribs, showing th® first resting place of the infant Christ, which one sees occasionally in the churches of this country are not to be compared with those of Europe, especially the remarkable ones made by the peasants of Italy and of the Tyrol. In the latter country there has been of recent years • decided revival of interest in these groups representing the nativity of Christ It is not unusual to see one with several hundred figures. Not alone the birth of the Saviour, but the adoration of the shepherds, the arrival of the kings with their soldiers and courtiers, the flight into Egypt Je§us in the temple, and even the marriage at Cana are represented. The Tyrol s cribs have been famous for centuries, and the people were justly proud of them until _the spirit of ■“modern enlightenment” Invaded the land and crib building was denounced as child’s play. Enterprising antiquarians and art sellers eagerly bought up all the old cribs and then sold them at good profit to tourists. Many fine specimens have disappeared from the land, but fortunately a few of the best were acquired by national museums. The best two Tyrol Is known to have bad, the “Ursullnenkrlppe” of Innsbruck and the Moser crib of Bozen, are now in the Bavarian National museum at Munich. A third, the Jaufenthaler crib. Is in the Vienna museum. Originally it belonged to a family in Wilten, now a part of Innsbruck. It contained 154 animal figures, 24 buildings and 256 human figures. It included solid woodcarvings, figures the heads of which were wax and others whose heads and limbs were movable. Some of these date back as far as the year 1700. Seven scenes were represented. The Moser crib of Bozea was much more extensive. Moser's “city” was in itself a masterpiece and included palaces, gushing fountains, monuments of King Dav»l and towers with six city clocks striking the hours of the night. It was valued at more than $5,000 during Moser’s lifetime. The Ursulines’ crib was particularly famous on account of the gorgeous dressing of the figures. The angels were clad as courtiers of heaven In the rich court costumes of the seventeenth century. These masterpieces are now lost to Tyrol. It can hardly cause surprise, then, that serious minded men began to entertAn grave fears for their remaining works of art. This fear had a practical result in the formation of a society whose object was to prevent in future the reckless exportation and selling of old cribs and to revive the spirit that produced them. Tyrolese cribs may be divided into two general classes, the oriental type and the Tyrolese. In the latter class the crib owner takes it for granted that Christ was born in Tyrol, hence scenery, people and dress are purely Tyrolese. In all the cribs, the stable of Bethlehem is either the ruin of a castle (according to legend. Christ first saw the light of day in the ruins of the tower of David) or a part of a temple to show that the stable of Bethlehem was the first Christian temple, or else it Is a simple cave on the mountain side. The stable of Bethlehem and its inmates always remain the center of the great scene, the rest is merely the setting. The crib means much to the family. After weeks of careful, painstaking labor everything is ready, but the holy family is not there. After supper on Christmas eve the parents, domestics and children gather about the crib, the gospel scene is read aloud, and the little ones, quick to detect the absence of the “Christkind.” are told that the holy family are still seeking a shelter and finding none/ The sadness that at first expresses Itself on their soon gives way to joy as they recall that perhaps there Is room in their own home—at least they will make room. At midnight the solemn church bells call all to mass, and when the family returns, lo! there lies the infant in the manger, while Mary and Joseph kneel in humble adoration at Its side.