The Portuguese city of Evora is a popular travel destination. It was once a Roman stronghold and is well known for its Chapel of Bones. Located in the church that is home to the Chapel of Bones is an interesting museum which includes a variety of historic religious art and sculptures, and a special collection.
The Canha da Silva Nativity Collection consists of 2600 nativity displays originating in about 80 countries. The collection was assembled over many years by Major-General Fernando Canha da Silva and his wife Fernanda. The couple has a fondness for Christmas and the Nativity, culminating in this collection.
The Canha da Silvas collection was first displayed in Evora in 1999 and in 2015 the collection found a permanent home in the San Francisco Museum. The collection is so large that only about a quarter of it can be displayed at any time.
My wife and I enjoyed exploring the Canha da Silvas collection. It is unusual, colorful and interesting -- studying the various materials used, different ethnic and national interpretations, etc. Within this blog post is a limited sampling of what we saw:
Separate from the main collection was a large Nativity scene located directly across from the entrance to the Chapel of Bones (see three photos below). It features the city of Evora as the setting for the Nativity.
Comments (0)