Nativity set, now restored, returns to cathedral

IC photo/Marie Mischel

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The Cathedral of the Madeleine’s crèche has been professionally restored and will be on display this Christmas season.

SALT LAKE CITY — If the figures of the Cathedral of the Madeleine’s Nativity scene seem to glow brighter this year, it is not simply superior lighting or innovative placement. The entire set, from the baby in the manger to the dog pressed against the shepherd’s legs, has undergone a complete restoration.

Exactly when the crèche came to the cathedral has been long forgotten but it is thought to have joined the cathedral for its first Advent season in 1909, if not long after. Despite being cared for, decades of use took its toll, and repairs to the nativity were not included in the cathedral’s 1991-93 restoration.  

“Over the years it started chipping,” said Theresa Bell, who became familiar with the set over the last several years as she has cared for the cathedral’s flowers. “You know, it’s just wear and tear; it’s wear and tear on the set, taking it down, putting it up, storing it away. Over the years, it progressively just gets rough.”

Some minor repairs had been done, and the set was repainted several times, but it started to show its age. Last year, as the figures were being put away, Father Martin Diaz, rector of the cathedral, determined the set needed professional work. Bell and her husband Russ, who are longtime parishioners, volunteered to coordinate the restoration. Unable to find local restoration experts to work on the project, they reached out to the original makers of the nativity set, Daprato Rigali Studios in Chicago, Ill.

The studio was founded in Chicago in 1860 by the four DaPrato brothers, immigrant statue-makers from the Tuscan town of Barga, Italy. It has been continually operated by generations of the family ever since.

The Bells sent extensive photos of the nativity set to the studio, where the artisans determined that they could take on the project. Because records of the original set were practically non-existent, and the well-intentioned efforts of caretakers did not maintain the original luster, the Bells relied on copies of early catalogs from the studio to learn what the nativity originally looked like.

After obtaining a price quote for the repairs, Fr. Diaz found a patron willing to cover the cost of the restoration and a restoration plan was developed — with one marked deviation. The set had originally been painted in pastel colors, but because the cathedral walls have a more dynamic palette, Fr. Diaz, the Bells and the studio determined vibrant colors would be more suitable for the figurines.

Having made those decisions, the Bells were faced with another challenge: how to get the set of figures, which are about half life-sized, to the studio in Chicago. Among the options they considered was renting a van and driving the nativity back east. Then Deacon John Kranz, who ministers at the cathedral, offered his help. A branch manager at the transport and logistics company DSV Air & Sea, Deacon Kranz and his team soon had the pieces crated, transported to the airport and flown to Chicago.

This nativity’s story even includes a “lost sheep.” After the set was sent to Daprato Rigali Studios, one of the original lambs was discovered under a table in the rectory’s vesting room. No one knew how long the little statue had been there, but it had been many years since it had joined the rest of the set in the cathedral, Russ Bell said.

Getting the lamb to Chicago to join its partners was an adventure in itself, he said.

“There was this fiasco where we couldn’t get ahold of the transport company, and we had to go get it ourselves and take it to the trucking place,” he said.

The newly restored nativity set, lamb included, was shipped back to Salt Lake City on Aug. 30.

Uncrating the various pieces was an awe-inspiring experience, the Bells said.

“They are stunning; they’re striking,” Theresa Bell said of the figures. “The expressions on their faces, the way that they did their eyes, especially, it’s just so tender. It really encompasses what they’re witnessing, which is the birth of Christ.”

Fr. Diaz decided not to put the restored nativity on display until Christmas Eve, which is when the cathedral traditionally sets up the crèche in the alcove west of the altar.

“After we opened them up, we were just stunned at how beautiful they are, but we decided, ‘Okay, we’re going to wait until it’s time,’” he said. “I think it will be a magnificent display; I’m looking forward to seeing them where they belong in the cathedral.”