Pics of Comfort and Joy
Dec. 25th, 2024 01:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakMerry Christmas to all who celebrate it, and may your holidays be peaceful and full of joy and warmth to everyone! While my annual pic spam will feature the usual Bamberg suspects, I shall open with the amazing AIKO nativity scene I found in Salzburg. You'll find out why. (And what AIKO stands for.)
So, earlier this month, when I was in Salzburg, I was told I absolutely had to visit an incredible nativity scenen on the foot of the Kapuzinerberg, created by a single lady (still alive) in the course of over 40 years. Her name is Brigitte Aichhorn-Kosina (hence AI-KO), and she build this singlehandedly:
More about her in English here. In German:
And now on to a just a few of the amazing details of her creation:
You can see why I was flabbergasted and snapping pics like a madwoman. Now, this was weeks ago. Yesterday, the APs and myself did our traditional Christmas Eve walk through many of Bamberg's churches, admiring the local nativity scenes creativel depicted. Starting with our Cathedrall, which decided to get truly creative about it last year and this year continues to be so.
(Well, look, beer is one of Bamberg's main exports.)
After decades of a pretty bland standard nativity in the cathedral, this is a most welcome change, and I salute whoever newly joined the staff and embarked on it. On to the Lutheran side of things, to wit, St. Stephan's.
While at the heart of the St. Stephan's depiction is of course the nativity itself:
...you have all kind of details from other events, like Jesus at the age of 12 in the Temple:
...and three Catholic saints. Why three saints in a Lutheran church? Because, a plate informs us, in the 1970s there was an enterprising clergyman who decided this would be an all year Krippe depicting not just the nativity but Christian virtues as embodied by various saints - in this case, St. Francis, St. Barbara and St. Catherine.
Like every year, the small Martern Chapel holds an exhibition of small scale but exquisite nativity scenes. Like this one on the windy top of a mountain:
The one created from pottery:
The one depicting Joseph as an active baby holding father when he and Mary are fleeing to Egypt: .
Several ones with non nativity scenes, in fact, like this Franconian Annunciation:
Or looking for an inn:
This stable is more realistic than most:
And there were several Bamberg-themed nativities, too:
About the only big nativity scene in Bamberg making a real effort for some semi antique depictions of Judea is the one in St. Martin (though some of the armory is less Roman and more medieval):
I have to say, the lady in front of the Menora holding a chain saw threatening the houseowner is a mystery to me, but compelling:
Also, behold the sword seller:
And finally, my overall fave, from Our Lady's, aka the Obere Pfarre. This year, they decided to go political again - they did a couple of years ago by including some Fridays For Future youths in Bethlehem but were advised to get rid of them again. This year, however, Franconian Bethlehem is suffering from inns closed to shortage of staff like many a restaurant and pub these days, and that was allowed to stay. Behold:
Like every year, there's a challenge to find the cat for the visitors. Can you spot it?
And that was it for this year. Now on to Yuletide readings!
So, earlier this month, when I was in Salzburg, I was told I absolutely had to visit an incredible nativity scenen on the foot of the Kapuzinerberg, created by a single lady (still alive) in the course of over 40 years. Her name is Brigitte Aichhorn-Kosina (hence AI-KO), and she build this singlehandedly:
More about her in English here. In German:
And now on to a just a few of the amazing details of her creation:
You can see why I was flabbergasted and snapping pics like a madwoman. Now, this was weeks ago. Yesterday, the APs and myself did our traditional Christmas Eve walk through many of Bamberg's churches, admiring the local nativity scenes creativel depicted. Starting with our Cathedrall, which decided to get truly creative about it last year and this year continues to be so.
(Well, look, beer is one of Bamberg's main exports.)
After decades of a pretty bland standard nativity in the cathedral, this is a most welcome change, and I salute whoever newly joined the staff and embarked on it. On to the Lutheran side of things, to wit, St. Stephan's.
While at the heart of the St. Stephan's depiction is of course the nativity itself:
...you have all kind of details from other events, like Jesus at the age of 12 in the Temple:
...and three Catholic saints. Why three saints in a Lutheran church? Because, a plate informs us, in the 1970s there was an enterprising clergyman who decided this would be an all year Krippe depicting not just the nativity but Christian virtues as embodied by various saints - in this case, St. Francis, St. Barbara and St. Catherine.
Like every year, the small Martern Chapel holds an exhibition of small scale but exquisite nativity scenes. Like this one on the windy top of a mountain:
The one created from pottery:
The one depicting Joseph as an active baby holding father when he and Mary are fleeing to Egypt: .
Several ones with non nativity scenes, in fact, like this Franconian Annunciation:
Or looking for an inn:
This stable is more realistic than most:
And there were several Bamberg-themed nativities, too:
About the only big nativity scene in Bamberg making a real effort for some semi antique depictions of Judea is the one in St. Martin (though some of the armory is less Roman and more medieval):
I have to say, the lady in front of the Menora holding a chain saw threatening the houseowner is a mystery to me, but compelling:
Also, behold the sword seller:
And finally, my overall fave, from Our Lady's, aka the Obere Pfarre. This year, they decided to go political again - they did a couple of years ago by including some Fridays For Future youths in Bethlehem but were advised to get rid of them again. This year, however, Franconian Bethlehem is suffering from inns closed to shortage of staff like many a restaurant and pub these days, and that was allowed to stay. Behold:
Like every year, there's a challenge to find the cat for the visitors. Can you spot it?
And that was it for this year. Now on to Yuletide readings!
no subject
Date: 2024-12-25 01:03 pm (UTC)No staff at the Inn added to no room at the Inn seems an appropriate comment on this past year!
Many thanks for one of my favourite picspams of the year. Enjoy the rest of your day xx
no subject
Date: 2024-12-25 03:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-12-25 07:36 pm (UTC)Wishing you lovely and peaceful (rest-)holidays. <3
no subject
Date: 2024-12-25 08:04 pm (UTC)(In the AIKO description, "Elektro- und Bürgermeister" is absolutely sending me. :D)
no subject
Date: 2024-12-26 03:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2024-12-30 07:17 pm (UTC)I also really liked all the others, though I confess I laughed at how your first pic of the Lutheran one I couldn't even see the nativity, so understated! But very cute! (It is an affectionate laugh, as I could totally see this happening at D's church or at his parents', if we had more of a Nativity culture.)
A chainsaw, wow!