The Art of Living in Season

A santon is a small, handcrafted clay figurine, used throughout Provence to populate the manger scene. The term comes from the Provençal santoun meaning “little saint.” The santons represent not only the Holy Family and other traditional figures (e.g., angels; shepherds) but all the townspeople in a typical 19th century Provençal village, like la femme à la lavande, the woman with lavender, featured in the chapter 7 of my book.
The santons first appeared a few years after the French Revolution (1789), when the revolutionaries appropriated churches and church property and prohibited worship services and public religious representations.
(See more details in The Art of Living in Season, and my upcoming book The Art of Living in Advent, IVP, 2025 )


The santons quickly gained popularity, and their fabrication continued and have multiplied ever since. Today there are over one hundred registered santon makers (santonnier) in the south of France. The great majority of these local artisans continue to use the original nineteenth-century traditional settings, creating figures engaged in normal village occupations and dressed in the traditional costumes of the day. The quality and cost of santons vary, as do their sizes.
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There are three types of santons that rub shoulders in the typical family crèche. Two of them have strong and intimate links with the people’s cultural roots and Provençal identity.

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First, there are the characters who represent particular vocations: fishermen, basket makers, coopersmiths, chestnut roasters, and more. Each one brings his or her humble gift, related to their particular métier. ​​​​​​​​​​
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The second type of santon features characters taken from a pastorale (nativity play) or a noël (carol), who have gradually become incorporated into the crèche scene. Santons in this second group have proper names and, thanks to the pastorales, each one has not only their own métier but their own story that, over time, has become well-known and beloved .

The third and last type of santons are, of course, the biblical characters themselves: the holy family, shepherds, and Magi. And, if you look closely, you will see that Mary and Joseph are wearing “biblical” clothes, not peasant smocks from Provence!