Launched a decade ago by local Nativity scene enthusiast Fabienne Mourou, Monaco’s Chemin des Crèches is now a treasured Christmas event in the Principality that has attracted artists and creators from around the world.  

From a local initiative to an event now international in its scope, the Chemin des Crèches has grown into an enchantingly diverse exhibition presenting Nativity scenes built in Monaco and further afield. Each December, it lights the way up to The Rock from the Condamine neighbourhood with scene after scene of touching handmade creations. 

“When placing the first figurines made by Provençal artist Louis Del Rosso in the Place du Casino, the passionate collector Fabienne Mourou did not yet know the path that her little characters were going to take around The Rock,” says a spokesperson for the event of its origins. “The success [of the Chemin des Crèches] was indeed immediate and the years that followed welcomed an impressive number of Nativity scenes from all countries and continents.” 

The Rampe Major, the pathway leading up the hill to the Rock, is the main focus of the trail, though it spans a much larger area, from Port Hercule right up to the Palais Princier de Monaco. 

Among the special pieces on display this year are a selection from Monaco’s primary schools as well as a Provençal Nativity scene from the Museum of Monegasque Traditions, which was the focal point of last year’s event.  

The student-made crèches will all be presented in dedicated zone located between the second gateway of the Rampe Major and the access point to the Place du Palais. 

PRINCE RAINIER III DEDICATION

Another highlight, made specially to mark the centenary of Prince Rainier III, is a handmade Nativity scene constructed by the young people of the Foi Action Rayonnement (FAR), an association that teaches values to children through “play, friendship, joy and prayer”. The theme is a nod to the late Prince: the Circus of Monaco. It can be found beneath the Prince’s statue. 

A guided tour from Monaco Life’s Niki Borisova 

Start your journey next to the police station in the Condamine and keep an eye out for the small white Nativity scene featuring an illuminated trio of Jesus, Mary and a saint as this is where it all begins.  

Follow the trail uphill, stopping to pause and admire the scenes at the top of the rock gates. All along this section of the trail are different domestic and international Nativity scenes that tell their own festive tales. 

Once you reach the Place du Palais, the creativity of local schoolchildren is in full view, with a number of delightful scenes. Be sure to check out the crèche italienne to the left as well as the boat-themed scene too. 

The grand finale awaits on the other side of the square in a chalet that sums up the spirit of this relatively new tradition, which has evolved over the past 10 years to become a mainstay event on Monaco’s Christmas calendar. 

See more in our Instagram reel, click here. 

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Photo credit: Axel Bastello / Palais Princier de Monaco