Assisi (PG) - Papal Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels in Portiuncula
Museum of the Portiuncula
8 March to 27 April 2014
Since St. Francis of Assisi created the first Christmas crib at Greccio in 1223, the representations of the Nativity of Jesus Christ everywhere developed in order to revive the Christian faith.
His own expression, with which he accompanied this intuition, is emblematic of its purpose: "I want to represent the Child born in Bethlehem, and in some way see with our bodily eyes the hardships that you have found the lack of things necessary for a newborn baby, as he was laid in a manger and as he lay on the hay between the ox and the donkey "(Thomas of Celano, First Life, XXX).
Hence the need to want to represent as vividly and effectively the person of Jesus, its history, recognized as saving by the Christians. A will that affect the same art history, increasingly persuaded to represent the whole story of Jesus and bring out his humanity, in particular its history more relevant to Christians: the Passion and Easter. 
Blessed Francis in fact saying: "Consider, O man, what sublime condition you have set the Lord God, since He created and formed in the image of His beloved Son according to the body, and to His likeness according to the spirit Of ... What then can Boast? In this ... we can boast in our infirmities and carry every day the holy cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. "
At the bottom of the Gospel and the Word of the Church do nothing but announce the Passover in a way multiforme (Kähler argued, in a phrase that has had great success, that the "Gospels are the story of the passion with a broad introduction").
This representation of the mystery of Christ also suggests the idea of ​​a "crib" Easter that the Work of the Portiuncula has set up for the second consecutive year at the Hall of the Museum of St. Pius X Portiuncula. It is a series of performances of gospel episodes that emerges significantly the way of the Lord to Easter.
This year's exhibition entitled "He became poor to enrich us with his poverty," will be enriched by texts drawn from the meditations of Pope Francis.
The exhibition, rather the work, entitled "The Mysteries of the Saints", was made by Fra 'Max Lelli, and will be open to the public free of charge every day from 9.00 to 12.30 and from 15.00 to 18.00.
