About this episode
Christmas would not be complete without a nativity play: Baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph, all watched over by an ox, a donkey and assorted bystanders in the stable. St Francis of Assisi staged the very first nativity play way back in 1223, so like all the best things in life; it's medieval! Dr. Eleanor Janega is joined by Professor Tim Larsen to uncover how St Francis turned worship into theatre and how a single night in Italy transformed the way the world would celebrate Christmas forever. MORE Medieval Origins of Santa Claus: St Nicholas Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Medieval Midwinter Traditions Listen on Apple Listen on Spotify Gone Medieval is presented by Dr. Eleanor Janega. Audio editor is Amy Haddow, the producer is Rob Weinberg. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff. All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds. Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe . You can take part in our listener survey here : https://insights.historyhit.com/history-hit-podcast-always-on Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.