These figures were born in 1793 after the closing of churches and the suppression of every figures representing deite were ordered by the government of that age. Provencal reacted and instead of making the big Christmas crib at their parish, they made some familiar cribs composed by small figures modeled with clay and fired into oven. These figures commemorate what happened the previous years at the midnight mass on Christmas Eve where everyone bring a present and arranges it at the feet of the church crib. Today, Provencal ‘santons’ are well known all over the world and they immortalize the regional crafts. They are either dressed with cloth or are hand painted and reflect the know-how and the quality of the local arts and crafts.
