The Pittsburgh Crèche is a large-scale, American

crèche Crèche or creche (from Latin ''cripia'' "crib, cradle") may refer to: *Child care center, an organization of adults who take care of children in place of their parents *Nativity scene, a group of figures arranged to represent the birth of Jesus ...

, or nativity scene, that is located on the outside courtyard of the

U.S. Steel Tower The U.S. Steel Tower, also known as the Steel Building or USX Tower (1988–2001), is a 64-story skyscraper at 600 Grant Street in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The interior has of leasable space. Standing tall, it is the tallest buil ...

in downtown

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. Since 1999, the crèche appears annually during the winter season from November's

Light Up Night Light Up Night is a family festival in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania coinciding with the unofficial start of the Winter holiday shopping season. Many retailers in Downtown Pittsburgh remain open late, and street vendors and other concessi ...

Epiphany Epiphany may refer to: * Epiphany (feeling), an experience of sudden and striking insight Religion * Epiphany (holiday), a Christian holiday celebrating the revelation of God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ ** Epiphany season, or Epiph ...

in January. It is the only authorized replica of the nativity scene in

Saint Peter’s Basilica The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican ( it, Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply Saint Peter's Basilica ( la, Basilica Sancti Petri), is a church built in the Renaissance style located in Vatican City, the papal en ...

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. It is sponsored by the ecumenical Christian Leaders Fellowship.

History

In 1989, local attorney

Roslyn Litman Roslyn Litman (September 30, 1928 - October 4, 2016) was an American attorney. In 1966 she negotiated a settlement with the National Basketball Association on behalf of blackballed player Connie Hawkins on the basis of antitrust. In her first appea ...

pursued a case to the Supreme Court, which banned a nativity scene displayed in the Allegheny Courthouse due to its religious implications (in violation of the Establishment clause) in '' County of Allegheny v. American Civil Liberties Union''. In the wake of this ruling, managers of the U.S. Steel Tower erected their own version of a crèche in downtown Pittsburgh, this time on privately-owned land. Louis D. Astorino, chairman of the architectural firm L.D. Astorino Companies, traveled to Rome and was inspired to recreate the nativity scene in Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Crèche Endowment Fund was created in 2006 to raise donations for the crèche construction and restoration each year.

Design

The crèche is a replica of the stable constructed by Italian architect Umberto Mezzana. It is 64 feet wide, 42 feet high, and 36 feet long. The human sculptures were designed by Pietro Simonelli.

Figures

The number of figures featured in the crèche has increased over time. The original 1999 display featured baby

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

, Mary,

Joseph Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...

, the

Three Kings The biblical Magi from Middle Persian ''moɣ''(''mard'') from Old Persian ''magu-'' 'Zoroastrian clergyman' ( or ; singular: ), also referred to as the (Three) Wise Men or (Three) Kings, also the Three Magi were distinguished foreigners in the G ...

, two shepherds, and an assortment of animals. The next year, Simonelli added an angel that hung over the crib and more animals. In 2001, a woman and child were added. In 2002, JE Scenic Technologies added a kneeling shepherd, and later, they created a reclining cow. Two more shepherds and two more angels were later included, bringing the total figures in the display to 20.

References

External links

Pittsburgh Creche Endowment Fund
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pittsburgh Creche Nativity of Jesus in art Christmas in Pennsylvania