The nativity scene of the Sanctuary of San José at the Antioquia municipality of Venice (Colombia), was inaugurated. This would be considered by many faithful to be the largest manger in Latin America.
The manger is the work of the architect Luis Fernando Betancourt and has more than 2,100 pieces. It covers an area of 250 square meters and is located in the right side aisle of the church.
The manger shows various scenes of daily life in the Colombian department of Antioquia, such as the train that carries coal from the mines, the producers of panela (traditional sugar cane candy, used in many preparations), people raising balloons with their wishes for Christmas, a common activity on these dates; the convent of Franciscan friars, and various activities such as the baker, the hairdresser, the butcher, among many others.
The source also has a “river” 25 meters long and you can see a total of 140 mechanical and water movements. The town also shows what a traditional town in the department of Antioquia, whose capital is Medellín, is like.
“We got together about 10 people from the family, it took us 20 days for it to be fully assembled. Now we have a lot of simple scenes from people’s lives, ”he added.
“This manger has been in the making for 14 years. Last year it could not be exposed due to the pandemic, but now with a little more openness, it could already be done. Every year it grows a little more and many people come to see it ”, explained this Monday Fr. Edison de Jesús Ortega, parish priest of the San José Shrine.