It's here! Christmas tree arrives to St. Peter's! (Photos)

It’s here! Christmas tree arrives to St. Peter’s! (Photo gallery)

Giant fir donated by the city of Macra in the Italian northern region of Piedmont, lifted by cranes in St. Peter's Square

Antoine Mekary | ALETEIA

From the Diocese of Saluzzo in northern Italy, the beautiful silver fir is ready to cheer pilgrims and tourists from all over the world.

The Vatican’s Christmas tree is a silver fir from the Alps, from the municipality of Macra in the Piedmontese Diocese of Saluzzo in northern Italy. On the early morning of November 23, it arrived to the Vatican and was set up.

Christmas decorations will be unveiled on December 9 and will remain on display until January 7, 2024.

This year, the Nativity scene in the Square, from the Rieti valley in central Italy, will commemorate the 800th anniversary of when St. Francis of Assisi created the first live nativity scene in the town of Greccio, in 1223.

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