The traditional nativity scene in the Bossche Sint Jan is more than a biblical scene this year. Anyone who walks through it from 10 December will imagine themselves in ‘s-Hertogenbosch from around 1200. You can also see scenes from the life of Jesus.
On Tuesday, a number of new stuffed animals were delivered to the basilica. “Last year we lost thirty animals. They were affected by moisture and mold,” says Jack Kradolfer. “We were able to purchase a donkey, a fallow deer, two flamingos and a crane, among other things. Together with the remaining animals from the ‘old’ collection, they will soon have a nice place in our stable.”
Different from usual and partly medieval, that is the crib in Sint Jan this year. It will open to the public on December 10. “We started building the nativity scene six weeks ago and the work is progressing steadily,” says coordinator Jack Kradolfer.
Sint Jan exists 800 years, and that birthday does not pass by the nativity scene either. “It’s a medieval stable this year.” Kradolfer points to the entrance, which this year consists of a medieval city gate. “Through that gate you enter the lively Den Bosch of around 1200. You walk along a square with shops: a baker, a butcher, a wine merchant and a blacksmith. It’s back in time.”
“That there are walls of a Romanesque church under construction”, says Kradolfer as he walks. “It was the first church on this site, built eight hundred years ago. Later, the current Sint Jan replaced it.”
“They look for shelter and get a place in medieval Den Bosch.”
The fact that the church has existed for 800 years also has consequences for Joseph and Mary. This year, the couple will not get a place in a full inn in Bethlehem, but in Den Bosch. “This year, the crib of the baby Jesus is in a sheltered and protective corner of the Bossche Romanesque church under construction. Because the people of Den Bosch were already hospitable back then.”
The columns of a temple further on in the nativity scene depict the phase in which Mary and Joseph flee from King Herod. According to the Gospel, Herod wanted to know from the ‘Wise Men’ where the child was born. At the command of God, Joseph and Mary fled with Jesus to Egypt
“We also recreated special moments from the life of Jesus after his birth,” says Kradolfer. “In other years we mainly showed the run-up to the birth, but now also stories of events after that time. We even recreated a piece of desert.”
“It’s the way to avoid huge queues.”
Despite the fact that corona seems to have leveled off, the organization is sticking to time slots that visitors can choose. “We have had good experiences with this and people know where they stand. It is the best way to prevent extremely long queues,” says Kradolfer, who also indicates that the capacity is approximately one hundred visitors per 15 minutes.”
What is of course not missing is the theme of the nativity scene. “This year it is: ‘Door to a happiness that lasts forever,'” says Kradolfer.
