“Tu scendi dalle stelle”: the crib of the Diocese of Nocera Inferiore-Sarno in St. Peter’s Square
“Tu scendi dalle stelle” is the nativity scene of the Diocese of Nocera Inferiore-Sarno in St. Peter’s Square. A piece of Agro Nocerino-Sarnese-an area that includes 13 municipalities in the province of Salerno and Naples-has landed in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican for Christmas 2025. The scene is set in a rectangle measuring 17 meters by 12 meters with a maximum height of nearly 8 meters.
The outline of the Baptistery of Santa Maria Maggiore in Nocera Superiore, a house in the courtyards of our villages, and Christmas sung by St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori are just a part of the many spiritual, artistic and cultural references in the 18th-century Neapolitan-style work.
A journey that began a few years ago, after the exchange of letters between the bishop of the Diocese of Nocera Inferiore-Sarno, Monsignor Giuseppe Giudice, and the Governorate of the Vatican City State.
The Project
The project created by architect Angelo Santitoro, director of the Diocesan Office for Cultural Heritage and Worship Buildings, is developed for a 360-degree view. In particular, it proposes three architectural elements that are an expression of the territory: the early Christian baptistery of Santa Maria Maggiore in Nocera Superiore; the Helvius fountain located in Sant’Egidio del Monte Albino topped by the coat of arms of the Walnut tree symbolizing the University of Nocera dei Pagani; and a typical house of the courtyards of the Agro Nocerino, where the harpsichord with St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori intent on playing will be placed inside.
The Baptistery
The Nativity scene, which is the center of the entire representation, is set in a cutaway of the early Christian Baptistery of Santa Maria Maggiore (6th century) in Nocera Superiore. There are 12 columns supporting what remains of the dome, in front of it is positioned a part of the baptismal font with symbols and decorations of the time. The dome is in lapis lazuli blue with 1,600 LED light points to signify the magnificence of the starry sky, with a series of angels announcing the glory of God.
In the center are Joseph, Mary and the Child with the ox and donkey and the three magi adoring the Child. There is a shepherdess offering the riches of the diocesan territory: such first fruits as San Marzano and Corbarino tomatoes, nocerini onions, artichokes and other goodness of the land, many of which are recognized with PDO and PGI marks. They gladden the scene with two bagpipers.
The fountain
In the foreground is the Helvius fountain from which a woman draws the water of new life that flows from the Mystery of the Incarnation; on the pillar to the left stands the coat of arms with the walnut tree symbol of the University of Nocera dei Pagani. The scene is characterized by two staircases: a central one gives access to the wide scene, the second more imposing one placed on the left, enriched by a wrought-iron gate, symbolize the boundary between old life and new life in Christ.
The house of courtyards
The house is a representation of the many buildings found in the typical courtyards of Agro Nocerino Sarnese. Characterized by a wooden canopy under which animals rest, it is topped by a small semi-circular balcony.
A wide portal in gray Nocera tuff gives access to the interior room dominated by the painting of Mary Most Holy of the Three Crowns, venerated in the city of Sarno, which towers above a Neapolitan sideboard. The icon is made with stabilized flowers by the Infioratori di San Valentino Torio.
In the center of the room is a statue of St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori who, seated at the harpsichord, intones “Tu scendi dalle stelle” accompanied by two children. Completing the scene is a grandfather clock that recalls how the founder of the Congregation of Redemptorist Missionaries used to repeat a Hail Mary to the chimes of the clock.
The characters
A pastor in the likeness of the servant of God Don Enrico Smaldone, accompanied by two children, is about to climb the ladder pointing to Christ as the only Center of the educational process. This image expresses the Church’s attention to the educational world.
We then find a pastor in the likeness of the servant of God Alfonso Russo accompanying a sick person to the one and only true salvation. This character was chosen to signify the propensity that ecclesial pastoral paths should have for the world of suffering and volunteerism.
At the back of the scene is a fisherman with a large anchor on his shoulders, a symbol of Spes non confundit, who points to the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Behind the semicircular structure of the baptistery is an angel announcing to the sleeping shepherd and his little helper that “The Word was made flesh.”
The comet
The entire scene is dominated by the large bright comet with its tail bearing the anchor of hope: “As Pilgrims of Hope, we are invited to follow the star of faith that guided the Magi and continues to guide the Church, immersed in humanity and anchored in heaven, custodians of a hope that does not disappoint and builders, following another path, of the Civilization of Hope” (Monsignor Giuseppe Giudice, bishop of the Diocese of Nocera Inferiore-Sarno). The comet featured the diocesan logo that has accompanied the entire pastoral year 2024/2025 in preparation for the nativity scene in St. Peter’s Square.
Pastors
The shepherds were made by master Federico Iaccarino in the classic ‘700 Neapolitan style using innovative techniques. In fact, while the body remains straw, the fabric clothes are hand-sewn and the eyes are made of glass, the limbs and heads are made with 3D printers. The master crib maker has made small terracotta sculptures reproduced life-size through the intervention of new technologies, so the shepherds displayed outside will better withstand the weather and last longer over time.
Lighting and sound
LED spotlights illuminate the scene and the interior of the nave of the Baptistery from below; the house has interior lighting and 5 lanterns on the elevations. Another lantern is located under the canopy with a soft floor light.
Other LED devices are installed behind the fountain wall to illuminate the scene, as well as a pump to enable the fountain to be powered.
A sound system will broadcast in the background the melodies “They stopped the skies,” “You come down from the stars” and “Quann nascette Ninno” played on harpsichord by maestro Pietro Russo, interspersed with Christmas lullabies performed by pipers Candido and Carlo Maria Del Pizzo.
The workers
The sketch and general design are by architect Angelo Santitoro, director of the Diocesan Technical Office. The nativity scene is made by the company Seri…A Pubblicità of Nocera Inferiore, which has partnered with the carpentry firm Avella Concept of Nocera Superiore, the firm Elettroclima of Nocera Inferiore, EuroNoleggi of Angri, and the technical direction of architect and set designer Silvio Di Monaco, while safety coordination is by architect Massimo Imbriaco. The shepherds, on the other hand, are made in classic 18th-century Neapolitan style by master Federico Iaccarino of Meta di Sorrento.
The crib travels on the trucks of trucking company Michele Sole srl of Nocera Inferiore. Communication and promotional aspects are coordinated by Priscus Cooperative Society of Nocera Inferiore.
Construction techniques
The main construction technique considered is the coupling of shaped wooden panels to metal structures (pipes, joints, beams and lattice ribs) previously anchored to the ground by tie rods and especially by bolting to concrete ballasts. Special pieces such as columns, arches, capitals, basin and fountain details are made of EPS (sintered expanded polystyrene).
The entire surface that came out of the assembly of the paneling (masonry walls of the basilica, exterior walls of the house, interior walls of the harpsichord room, etc.) were plastered by the use of vinyl and powdered adhesives and by means of plastering mesh. Crucial is the use of vinyl, a material that gives elasticity to the plasters and prevents subsequent cracking considering that the structure is exposed to the weather.