A living Tyrolean tradition: viewing the nativity scenes – Part I

In the Hall-Wattens region – more specifically in Tulfes, Hall and Thaur – there is a very special treasure to admire every year at Christmas time: The three oldest nativity scenes in the province – and indeed, probably even in Central Europe – are housed in the parish church of Tulfes (1608), the Jesuit church in Hall (1609) and the Maxnhof in Thaur (first half of the 17th century). Normally, these nativity scenes can also be admired at the ‘Krippeleschaug’n’ event.

The origins of these nativity scenes therefore date back to the Baroque period and the era of the Counter-Reformation. It is therefore hardly surprising that the Jesuit churches and monasteries in Hall and Innsbruck were the first to possess one.

These nativity scenes were created in the Tyrolean style; it was not until the first pilgrimages that nativity scenes in the Oriental style began to appear. Felix Zimmerling, a hermit from Thaur, was one of the first to undertake a journey that would take him to the Promised Land in 1852.

The earliest nativity scenes were also found in monasteries or churches. In aristocratic or upper-middle-class households, private nativity scenes were a rare occurrence. The oldest surviving private nativity scene is the one at the Maxnhof in Thaur, the pride and joy of the Huetz family.

For decades, the tradition of viewing nativity scenes has been upheld in Tyrol, usually drawing interested visitors from near and far into private homes between St Stephen’s Day (26 December) and Candlemas (2 February). Proud nativity scene owners welcome visitors into their parlours and explain how their nativity scenes came to be part of the household. In the process, you’ll learn a great deal about when they were made, their design, background, the mountain and the figures, their carvers and their significance. Over home-baked biscuits or stollen, and whilst singing ‘Gloria’ together, a toast is raised to everyone’s well-being. That’s how the tradition goes!

When discussing nativity scenes and Tyrolean customs and traditions, one must not forget a very special man and artist: Josef Bachlechner the Elder (1871–1923). Born in Bruneck, this South Tyrolean sculptor ran a large workshop in Hall (formerly Dietl); Bachlechnerstraße is still named after him today. The artist, who worked primarily in the Neo-Gothic style, brought the nativity scene into more or less every household in Tyrol.

As a deeply religious man, he is said to have begun every task with the words ‘In God’s name’. His future wife wanted to test Bachlechner and, during a Christmas stroll through Tulfes, told him that there was a five-year-old boy in the village who no longer had a mother. The young woman hesitated at first, but then said she would certainly be a good mother to the child. Whereupon Bachlechner is said to have led her to the high altar of the parish church, where the Baby Jesus, carved five years earlier, can be seen every year at Christmas.

If you walk westwards from Krippgasse towards Bachlechnerstraße, you will pass the residence of the Bachlechner family, where a remarkable Neo-Gothic crucifix can still be admired today.

When you enter the Parish Church of St Nicholas via the main entrance to the west, you can admire further works by the woodcarver whilst viewing the nativity scene: At the St Catherine’s Altar in the northern aisle, there is a nativity scene by the artist, which was restored by Michael Schretthauser in 2017: The Baby Jesus, swaddled in a nappy and lying in the manger, is protected by two angels, whose wings – modelled on peacock feathers – are particularly striking. In true Neo-Gothic style, the hair, curls and folds of the robes are rendered in a jagged manner.

Also well worth seeing is the wooden nativity scene by Andreas Crepaz (1923) at the high altar of the parish church in Hall. Wooden nativity scenes were created primarily in times of hardship and famine, often due to a lack of financial resources. The nativity scene by the Ladin artist is set up every year at the high altar of the parish church and consists of 11 parts. In addition to the Holy Family, the ox and the donkey, four shepherds and three sheep, five angels are also depicted. The 17 figures in total are painted on wooden boards and are still in very good condition.

In the Magdalene Chapel, situated south-east of the parish church and formerly Hall’s cemetery chapel, another gem of nativity scene art can be admired: The predella of the winged altar (second half of the 15th century) features Gothic woodcarving at its finest. Once Lent – which actually also includes the Advent season, during which the wings of the altar traditionally remain closed – has ended, the view of the Holy Family is revealed. The ox and the donkey emerge from the background in bas-relief. A male figure at the back on the right remains a mystery to this day. Could this be the figure of the altar’s patron? The Nativity is flanked by Saints Barbara and Agnes, recognisable by their classical attributes: the tower for Saint Barbara and the lamb for Saint Agnes.

Arguably the most valuable nativity scene in Hall, as it is the second-oldest Baroque nativity scene in Tyrol (1609), will be on display from 8 December in the Jesuit Church on Stiftsplatz. In the left-hand side chapel (second half of the 17th century) of the Church of All Saints, dedicated to St Francis Xavier, the nativity scene is set up every year by the Hall Sacrament Guard, the ‘Partisans’. The chapel, dedicated to the patron saint of plague victims, was even designed to fit the nativity scene, which was funded by a donation from the Marian Congregation of Gentlemen and Citizens.

The Holy Family is the oldest group of figures and dates back to the foundation’s earliest days. A notable feature is that the infant Jesus and the heads of Mary and Joseph were fashioned from wax. However, St Joseph’s head was broken in 1890 and was replaced with a wooden one. The nativity scene consists of 17 clothed figures and the Infant Jesus. The Baroque robes of the three angels are particularly elaborate. The depiction of altar boys gathered around a high priest is also rare. The fact that the servants are depicted as relatively small has less to do with the arrangement or positioning of the figures within the scene than with their minor significance. All the more magnificent and larger, then, are the figures of the Three Wise Men!