Our tradition of setting up nativity scenes began with Saint Francis of Assisi and the first creche. In the year 1223 AD, Saint Francis, a deacon, was in the Italian town of Greccio to celebrate Christmas with the Franciscans. However, the Franciscan chapel was deemed too small by Francis and so he would find an area in a rock to construct his own altar and hold the Midnight Mass. There, Saint Francis worked to construct a nativity scene, after receiving clearance from the Pope, such that his construction of the nativity would not be seen as playful. Saint Francis brought together all of the aspects of the nativity scene: animals, hay, a manger and of course, a replica of the child Jesus. St. Francis constructed this scene because he wished
