Before Christmas, the century-old nativity scene restored in this Calvados church

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From December 4 to January 20, 2024, the public will be able to admire this meticulous work combining history and dedication.

Indeed, the Saint-Martin church in Condé-en-Normandie (Calvados) will host a glorified nativity scene for the Christmas holidays.

An unexpected encounter

It all started during the Condé carnival organized by the Animations Saint-Martin association, when Marilyne Delange and Alain Jeanne were working on a float and needed premises.

We needed premises.

They then found refuge with Mr. Diligence, who a few months later contacted them to offer to prepare the church's nativity scene Saint-Martin for the end of year celebrations.

This is a first for the two volunteers who are embarking on the creation of the church's nativity scene.

A careful restoration

The statues, more than a century old, were in very poor condition. “We were asked to repaint them. They had to be restored because they were very damaged,” explains Marilyne Delange.

Made of plaster by the Parisian company Religious Sculpture, founded in 1850, these thirteen statues approximately one meter high represent emblematic figures of the Nativity.

It includes two little Jesuses, the Virgin Mary, Joseph, the donkey and the ox, two sheep, two shepherds, three wise men, as well as five angels offered around fifty years ago by a parishioner.

Alain Jeanne, a trained carpenter, was responsible for the carpentry work and the restoration of the plasterwork. The restoration began on June 15. We worked on it in the afternoons.

After several months and dozens of hours of work together, the statues were restored and “repainted differently”, ready to be installed in the new nursery.

A renewed nursery

In the nursery, only the floor and the wood of the wall are from the period. Everything else was added by the two volunteers, who self-financed part of the project.

“The church provided us with cans of paint and the rest was self-financed,” explains Marilyne Delange.

Also, from Wednesday December 4, you will be able to admire the church's brand new nativity scene.

The opening of the crèche to the public is scheduled from December 4 to January 20.

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