Monaco Nativity Trail celebrates 10th anniversary
The 'Chemin des Crèches' is set up as a non-profit, with Prince Albert II as Honorary President and Fabienne Mourou as Founding President - © Chemin des Crèches de Monaco
As every year, it can be seen on the ‘Rampe Major’, the staircase leading up to the Prince’s Palace and onto the Rock.
If you’ve been to Monaco-Ville lately, you will no doubt have noticed the different nativity scenes set up outdoors. They are part of the ‘Chemin des Crèches’ (Nativity Trail), which opened on 8 December 2023 with the blessing of the Archbishop of Monaco, Monsignor Dominique-Marie David, during the Procession of the Immaculate Conception.
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At the request of Prince Albert II, the Principality’s Nativity Trail was founded on the Rock in 2014 with the aim of “passing on the meaning, values and culture of nativity scenes from every continent,” as the Monaco Nativity Scene Trail’s organisers explain on their website.
Each year, from 8 December to 8 January, the nativity scenes are set up in specially designed chalets and in state buildings located on the Rock, following a specific circuit. “A moment of spiritual reflection,” as the Prince described it in 2015.
It is an opportunity for the people of Monaco and the Principality’s tourists to discover or rediscover the heritage of the iconic Rock of Monaco, with its typical narrow streets, beautiful buildings and splendid Palace, where the Sovereigns of Monaco have resided since the Middle Ages.