Santons

---

A santon is a small hand-painted figurine cast in terracotta or a similar material that is used for building nativity scenes. Santons are a traditional product of the Provence region of southeastern France. A maker of santons is called a santonnier. The word "santon" comes from the Provençal "santoun," or "little saint." They became popular during the French Revolution, when the churches were closed and the larger, traditional nativity scenes in churches prohibited. Smaller figurines began appearing in homes, and quickly gained popularity. The traditional manufacture of santons is centred on Marseille, Aix-en-Provence, Arles and Aubagne. In the month leading up to Christmas, there are traditional santon fairs all over Provence where santons of all sizes can be acquired to decorate domestic creches. Apart from the standard figures and animals associated with the nativity (including elephants and camels), there are countless other santons depicting traditional characters from Provençal village life, including the motley fool, the miller and the blind man. Another common figure is a shepherd facing the mistral and the other winds of Provence, holding his hat, with his cloak blowing.

---

Article title : Santon (figurine)
"Commons has media related to Santons (figurines). "Christmas in France". World Book, Inc., 1995. ISBN 0-7166-0876-6. The Santons of Provence - The official..."
Article title : Davide Santon
"Davide Santon (Italian pronunciation: [ˈdaːvide sanˈton]; born 2 January 1991) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a left wing-back..."
Article title : Santon
"Santon may refer to the following people: Davide Santon, Italian footballer Thomas Santon, Member of Parliament for the City of York in May 1413 and 1417..."
Article title : Penny Santon
"Penny Santon (born Pierina Burlando, September 2, 1916 – May 12, 1999) was an American film, stage and television actress, who played the role of Mama..."
Article title : Thiago Motta
"Thiago Motta (Brazilian Portuguese: [tʃiˈaɡu ˈmɔtɐ]; Italian: [ˈtjaːɡo ˈmɔtta]; born 28 August 1982) is a professional football manager and former player..."
Article title : Santon Bridge
"Santon Bridge is a small village in Cumberland, Cumbria, England, at a bridge over the River Irt. The civil parish is called Irton with Santon. The population..."
Article title : Yūto Nagatomo
"he was sent straight out on loan to Inter Milan in exchange for Davide Santon also on loan, becoming the first East Asian player to sign with Inter Milan..."
Article title : Beast Wars II: Super Life-Form Transformers
"Matrix who can transform into a lion as well as combine with Skywarp and Santon to become Magnaboss as well as with Lio Convoy to strengthen him. Skywarp..."
Article title : Santon Downham
"Santon Downham is a village and civil parish in the West Suffolk district of Suffolk in eastern England. In 2005 it had a population of 240. The village..."
Article title : Figurine
"statuary – c. 800–1600 Staffordshire figures – England, 1720 to present Santons – Provence, France, 18th century to present Animal figurines Model figure..."

---