“And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.”

However, the Greek word for “inn” is “kataluma”, which also can be translated to “guestroom”. It is believed that Mary and Joseph are not trying to stay in a hotel-style inn. They are staying with family. When they get there, the guestroom is already full of relatives. Being that Mary is in her final days of pregnancy, the only space available that will accommodate a birth will be this cave where the animals are kept.

This scene will stay in the minds of Christian followers. People will have to create their own interpretation described in the bible with their own imagination, that is, until Christmas Eve in 1223. It is Saint Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) who has the idea of recreating the scene. In his own words, he wants to:

“represent the birth of that Child in Bethlehem in such a way that with our bodily eyes we may see what he suffered for lack of the necessities of a newborn babe and how he lay in manger between the ox and ass.”

So, Saint Francis requests and receives permission from Pope Honorious III (1148-1227) to recreate the event of the birth of Jesus. Wanting to be as accurate as possible, he finds a cave just outside the town of Greccio, Italy. He hires actors to portray Mary, Joseph, and even a newborn baby to play Jesus. On either side of the Babe of Bethlehem are a live donkey and an ox. As the crowds arrive carrying candles and torches, the scene is lit by fire. Hundreds of thousands of people make this pilgrimage to the site of the first nativity each year.

Saint Francis's first nativity scene places baby Jesus in a manger, or what is commonly known as a feeding trough for animals, in a stable-like setting. Over the years, this is interpreted as a barn, which is where our modern depiction of the nativity scene comes from.

Our story does not quite end there, however. Being the proud Philadelphian that I am, I have found the Philadelphia connection to the manger.

In 1882, there is an anti-Masonic journal known as “The Christian Cynsure”. Included in the “Children's Corner” section of the March 2, 1882, publication is a poem submitted by an anonymous author. The tile and introduction read as follows:

“Luther's Cradle Song:

The following hymn, composed by Martin Luther for his children, is still sung by many of the German mothers to their little ones.”

However, this tidbit is widely accepted as fact at the time but has since been debunked. There are a number of reasons that Martin Luther could not have written the hymn. In 1895, a collection of Christmas hymns is published under the title “Around the World with Christmas: A Christmas Exercise”. It features hymns representing various countries. Included in the collection is one under the title “Cradle Song”. Today it is known as “Away In A Manger”.

Who is the author of this collection of hymns? It is Irish-American William J. Kirkpatrick (1838-1921). Although he is born in Ireland, young William immigrates to Philadelphia in 1854 at the age of 17. As a hymn writer, he writes some very notable hymns such as “'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus”, “A Wonderful Savior is Jesus My Lord”, and "Lord, I'm Coming Home”.

In spite of writing all that, it's his writing of “Away In A Manger” that is most remembered today. After his death in 1921, William J. Kirkpatrick is laid to rest in the Summit section, lot 655 at Laurel Hill West Cemetery in Bala Cynwyd, Pa.

When I took this photo, selected a name, and researched the story in 2022, it was completely random. However, in the summer of 2023, my daughter, Savanna, and I began our journey of discovering Laurel Hill Cemetery and all of its historic permanent residents. It was by chance that I heard Dr. Joe Lex tell the story of Kirkpatrick's life and heard the mention of this particular hymn on his podcast "All Bones Considered: Laurel Hill Stories". I find it interesting how life comes full circle.

I never condemn anyone for what they believe. There is no right or wrong. I happen to find the actual history of things to be more interesting than what we are taught. Given what I have learned from this, I will continue to admire and adore the barn-style nativity for its beauty and legend. Knowing what I know now, I will keep all of it in mind while admiring the nativity each year.

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Photographer's Guide (EXIF):   
Camera: Canon Rebel T-6 
Aperture: F11 
Shutter Speed: 0.6 seconds 
ISO: 100 
Exposure Bias: -1.7 
Focal Length: 20mm 
Mode: Aperture
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All photographs by Keith J. Fisher 
©2022, ©2025
Grazie Santangelo.
All Rights Reserved.
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