The largest nativity scene in SC is in this Catholic church. Take a look

Father Christopher Smith wanted something tangible to uplift his congregation at Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Taylors during the COVID pandemic as some members died and others struggled.

“I wanted to find something which could be a visible reminder of the light and joy of the Christmas miracle, that Jesus comes to dispel the darkness,” he said in a news release this month.

He settled on a nativity scene, like ones he had seen while he was a seminarian in Rome. Large artistic sculptures that attracted people from miles around.

What transpired is called The Great Nativity, life-size figures carved from polychrome Lindenwood by ALBL Oberammergau of Germany, a leading firm for sacred art and architecture in business since 1556.

The Prince of Peace nativity scene is the largest commission the company has had and is the largest such display in the state, and most likely the Southeast, said Kylee Heap. spokesperson for the church.

It is not the biggest in the world, according to Guinness World Records. That would be a nearly 60-foot-tall nativity scene in Spain installed by artist Jose Manuel Garcia in Alicante’s Plaza del Ayuntamiento.

It includes a 59-foot-tall statue of Joseph with smaller figurines of Mary and baby Jesus.

At the Taylors church, the camel is the largest figure at 9 feet and weighing 1,600 pounds. There are 13 figures in all. Besides Joseph and Mary and the baby there is an angel and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, shepherd, ox, donkey, sheep, lamb, and three wise men.

Last year was the first for the scene, which is located inside Prince of Peace Church sanctuary. The wise men are new this year.

The cost of the commission was not released, but all the money came from parishioners and through a book sale, Heap said.

“Maria Rauch, the parish secretary at Prince of Peace, took up the cause of raising money,” Smith said in the release. “She was overseeing the decoration of the church the night before Christmas Eve three years ago when her husband suddenly died, leaving her with eight children. This is very much a labor of love of bringing beauty and joy from sorrow and pain.”

The Great Nativity at Prince of Peace is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day until Feb. 2.

The church is located at 1209 Brushy Creek Road in Taylors.