Shepherds in a pastoral setting.

Remarkable for its emotion, power, drama, inventiveness and sheer energy, the Baroque period in Malta was a time of intense activity on all fronts. Undoubtedly it was the most res­plendent period in the history of Maltese art.

In line with its objective of being a crossroad of faith and culture the Mdina Cathedral Museum, in conjunction with the Cathedral Chapter, is presenting during Christmastide in a side chapel of the ancient cathedral, a Neapolitan presepio, an artistic crib that encapsulates all the elements of the Baroque.

This cathedral, mother church of the Maltese diocese, designed by the Maltese baroque genius Lorenzo Gafà, has already distinguished itself as an outstanding showcase of great artistic merit with its fantastic 17th century altar of repose erected for Maundy Thursday.

The word ‘crib’ is such a small word, and to my generation the word ‘presepio’ is immensely evocative. It conjures up images of beauty and simplicity, innocence and heavenly bliss (żmien ta’ meta kont bla ħtija – a time of no guilt feeling).

The word ‘presepio’ is evocative. It conjures up images of beauty and simplicity, innocence and heavenly bliss; a past way of life to which we return nostalgically every year, lured by a subtle, profound spiritual spell

The presepio evokes a past way of life to which we return nostalgically every year, lured by a subtle, profound spiritual spell. In the materialistic world in which we find ourselves, it is difficult to comprehend the excessive generosity and artistic acumen of a Maltese presepio lover who has invested so much to give us a touch of past unrivaled mastery in the form of rare, original and unique Neapolitan pastori (18th-century statuettes) in commemoration of il mistero – the birth of Jesus Christ.

Musicians in a Neapolitan street.

In a way, this artistic Christmas gem, which can be viewed at the Mdina Cathedral, was also an act of thanksgiving by the affable erudite Fr Edgar Vella, curator of the Cathedral Museum, for bouncing back to life 10 years ago after a serious accident in the course of his duty.

Snatched from the jaws of death, Vella has returned with an insatiable craving for religious exhibitions. His passionate love for the origins of the Neapolitan crib has involved 30 years of in-depth research which will come to fruition in the display of the full-scale presepio at the Mdina Cathedral.

The presepio, under Vella’s curatorship, is stunningly unique and follows a traditional pattern. It presents a series of figurines ranging from the dazzling to the absurd, from noblemen to the poorest mendicant. Every figurine is a masterpiece, a beautifully crafted miniature, a true work of art, sculptured or designed by renowned local or Neapolitan artists.

The entire range of emotions spring from the faces, eyes and gestures of these spectacular replicas. Each particular space captures the colourful life of the Bourbons’ town life that formed part of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, each scene recording Neapolitan life in the turbulent 18th century. No wonder Prof. Antonio Canone of Naples University has classified the Maltese Neapolitan presepio as third in the world, ranking only after those of Naples and the Bayerische Museum of Munich.

A fountain signifying the water of life in baptism.

Religious symbolism is manifested by the bridge, meaning the arduous passage from ignorance to the light of faith; the fountain represents Christ as the water of life, baptism and conversion.

As in the Neapolitan tradition, the local presepio follows the established pattern – a sequence of three separate events starting with the shepherds receiving the good tidings. It features the angel of the Lord giving the good news to the shepherds tending their flocks on the rolling hills of Bethlehem.

All the scenes are enhanced by a number of extras and additional figurines, animals as well as everyday objects and costumes, such as clothes and jewellery. Each of these items have a special meaning of symbolic importance in the way they combine the magnificence of the divine with popular traditions, such as musical interludes in the streets of Naples.

To complement this rustic scene we witness the apparition of the Angel Gabriel heralding the birth of the Messiah; here the pastoral bucolic environment hosts the shepherds of the meraviglia, modelled with expressions of awe and wonder at the sight.

The tavern scene, depicting Neapolitan life oblivious of the birth of Christ.

Other characters, like the sleeping shep­herds, add a dramatic element. The scene is further embellished by the representation of the ado­ration of the humble shepherds con­trasting with the adoration of the Magi, ac­com­panied by a colourful retinue of mag­nifi­cently chiselled oriental characters, in­cluding pages, servants and musicians, who render the scene more spectacular. The presepio displays the main narrative episodes, mainly the mistero, referring to the nativity of the Lord, surrounded by a mag­nificent gloria of hosts of angels hovering over the Holy Family.

Initially the nativity scene in the Neapolitan crib was placed inside a cave and later in the manger of a humble stable. In an attempt to underline the triumph of the nativity over paganism the Holy Family was later placed in the ruins of an ancient classical temple. This nativity tableau brings into focus the mistero, an expression synonymous with the mystery of the Incarnation, with its apparent symbolism, namely the birth of Christianity.

The tavern scene depicts contrasting attitudes of the populace with the devotional and traditional representation of the Holy Family, surrounded by the profane in the form of frivolities and a life of unbounded pleasure.

The characters in the tavern, who are busy eating, drinking, playing cards, dancing and playing musical instruments, all symbolise oblivion to the birth of Christ, the Word of God made flesh – a vibrant message to us

The tavern, with its physical settings, pungently and ruggedly provides us with a riotous group of merrymaking gluttons and other grotesquely obese characters mingling with a motley crowd. The characters in the tavern, who are busy eating, drinking, playing cards, dancing the tarantalla and playing mu­sical instruments, all symbolise oblivion to the birth of Christ – the verbum Dei caro factum est (the Word of God was made flesh) so dear to San Ġorġ Preca, founder of the Christian Doctrine Society (MUSEUM), who also has a place in the presepio for introducing the procession with the child Jesus over a century ago.

A woman holding her baby in 18th-century Naples.

The tavern episode is a vibrant message to us all to bring back Christ into focus for Christmas. The tavern scene was the pretext for the in­clusion of various characters found in Naples at the time, including a fascinating lady from Georgia dressed in a typical Russian attire who was in Naples during the Grand Tour.

Through the medium of the Neapolitan crib, Vella, an ardent disciple of San Ġorġ Preca, conveys a clear, distinct message to all households, shops and restaurants: “Let us bring Christmas back to our hearts and minds”.

We have not totally succumbed to the ma­terialism that has engulfed the rest of Europe in spite of its Christian roots. But even in our island the true spirit of Christmas is sadly fading out.

Look around you – in bars, restaurants, hotels and even in the homes – the glittering tinsel is there, and so is the star and the ubiquitous Christmas tree, but where is the Verbum – the Word made flesh in the form of baby Jesus. If these transient earthly things have replaced the true spirit of Christmas, then with Nanny in the rock opera The Dance of the Vampires, I will sing the lament Nothing is Sacred Anymore.

The birth of Christ in the ruins of a Roman temple, symbolising the triumph of Christianity over paganism.

The Neapolitan Crib may be viewed at the Mdina Cathedral until January 6. Entrance is free.

Lino Bugeja is public relations officer of Mdina Cathedral Museum.