The Nativity Museum in Lourdes

Those who have been to Lourdes would probably still remember the Musee de la Nativite or Museum of the Nativity (Nativity Museum) as there were lots of things to see in this beautiful museum. Located at 21 Quai Saint Jean, 65100 Lourdes, the Nativity Museum was devoted to one of the most popular themes in Christianity, namely the birth of Jesus. Visitors to this museum were always busy taking photos because there were so many photos to take. It was an extremely interesting museum with so much to learn that being there for just one day would not be enough.

My tour of the museum began with the biblical scenes depicting the life of Jesus from the annunciation, visitation, the birth of Jesus, and the flight into Egypt to the finding in the temple. These scenes from the life of Jesus, as told by the New Testament, were beautifullly illustrated and displayed in the museum through a series of fourteen tableaux.

The Annunciation

In a dream, an angel appeared to Joseph to convince him that he should trust Mary

The Nativity of Jesus Christ

On the way to Bethlehem

The Flight into Egypt

The Finding in the Temple

Want to know what life was like in Palestine during the days when Jesus walked on earth? The Nativity Museum provided some good answers to this question through its scale model, a physical representation portraying the Jewish Palestine in the time of Jesus. It should be noted that during the days of Jesus, Palestine was part of the Roman Empire. During those days, Jewish Palestine was ruled by Herod the Great.

Life in Palestine as Jesus would have known it

Palestine in the time of Jesus

Workers and trades in the time of Jesus

How people made a living in Biblical times

Occupations and trades in Jesus' time

Life in Biblical Times

On the ground floor, there were a number of animated diorama automatons illustrating the daily lives of the inhabitants of the Pyrenees in the 19th Century. These realistic scenes of the Pyrenees could really take us back to the past. That was what Lourdes was like during the apparitions.

How the inhabitants of the Pyrenees made a living in the 19th Century

The Pyrenees at the time of the apparitions

Occupations and trades in the Pyrenees during the 19th Century

Life in the Pyrenees in the 19th Century

The Pyrenees in the 19th Century

Trades in the Pyrenees in the 19th Century 

My visit to the Nativity Museum ended with two beautiful life-size Biblical scenes, namely, the Nativity of Jesus and the Flight into Egypt.

The Nativity of Jesus Christ

The Flight into Egypt

It was a great privilege to visit the Nativity Museum because it was so unique and interesting with so much to see and learn. It has always been one of my favorite museums. However, I was shocked to learn that the museum has been closed permanently when I visited its website recently after reading the article entitled One in 8 museums may permanently close due to the pandemic - Insider.

Permanently closed? I can't believe it.

I do not know for what reason it shut down but I hope that it would reopen again one day. What is left now are the photos that I took in this museum and I am writing this article to tell the whole world that this beautiful museum once existed and will always live in our hearts. And I am also looking forward to its reopening in the future. Lastly, let us pray that the coronavirus pandemic would be over soon and everything would go back to normal again.

To find out more about the numerous museums in Lourdes, please read The Museum of Lourdes. To view the content page of this blog, please click here. There is a complete list of my articles about Lourdes on this page.