The flow of tourists and Romans who have been flocking to St. Peter's Square to visit the International Exhibition "100 Nativity Scenes in the Vatican" continues unabated.

The exhibition, which opened last December 8, has already attracted more than 100,000 visitors from all over the world to its base under the left colonnade of Bernini.

The special edition of the exhibition to mark the 800 years since the first Nativity scene created by Saint Francis of Assisi in the Italian village of Greccio was erected, has on display more than 120 nativity scenes, each one a genuine work of art and craftsmanship, created with faith by expert crib  makers from 22 different nations.

The joy that shines on the faces of the children and families who visit the exhibition is a clear sign that Christmas still brings with it a message of peace and serenity.

The wish of the Saint has been fulfilled year after year for 800 years: namely that the nativity scene, the image of the birth of Jesus the Savior, might give people a sense of hope and serenity, gifts which are more necessary than ever in our times.

Archbishop Rino Fisichella, Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, which organized the exhibition, said: “St Francis had a great intuition. Arriving in Greccio, on his way back from Rome, he didn't want to do anything other than re-propose what the Church had always proposed, but he wanted to do it in a different, more direct way, involving people. Because this is what Christmas is about, involving people.”