What occurred during the mysterious night from the Nativity has, at all times, intrigued the men. By the feather or the scissors, on parchment or by the image, they gave many interpretations of them.

One allots to Saint François d' Assise (1182-1226), of Provence by his mother (Lady Pica Bernadone de Tarascon), the paternity of the first alive crib. In 1223, with the authorization of Sovereign pontiff, it had the idea to invite the population and the monks of Greccio, small village of the Abruzzi, to go in procession the Christmas Eve, in front of a cave in whom a crib (of Latin Gripia had been reconstituted: manger) alive together with an ox and an ass.

In XVIIè century, to make take again the way of the churches to the faithful ones, who had deserted them following the Protestant reform, one draws up cribs there who will proliferate at the next century. To the characters of the nativity will come to be added shepherds, then other observers. The subjects are initially drink some then out of gilded wood, cork, wax, paste board and even in wire (this last, matelassé, is used as support with true covered fabric statuettes). All in all, they are the ancestors of santons equipped whose mode did not cease growing.

In same time, the middle-class lords and rich person make install in their castle or their country house of the expensive cribs out of bread crumb or spun glass. These last are initially imported of Italy, like Santibelli (beautiful saints) plasters some representing only religious characters. But well quickly they will be worked in Nevers where glassmakers of Venice fixed themselves. They remain however accessible only to the rich person.

With the Revolution, a Marseilles figurist, Jean-Louis Lagnel, expert in art to mould the most beautiful statues to reproduce plaster specimens of them, have the idea to model small figurines representing the characters of the crib in a modest and inexpensive material: clay. Moreover, by the process of the moulding, it can multiply its model indefinitely. Thus are born the first santons (hear: small saints), with the range of all the purses. From now on, all the families will have the possibility of drawing up their own crib of Christmas. To the origin, made up mainly of the nativity and Kings, it quickly will grow rich by new characters popularized by public cribs the speaking, true puppet shows and soon Pastoral MAUREL, create in 1844, street Nau in Marseilles and recovery since, at the time of Christmas, on the majority of the cribs of Provence.

Today, the believed santon yielded the place to the cooked santon (with 1000 degrees). The subject is initially modelled in clay. The model is then moulded between 2 plaster shells. It can consequently be reproduced in as many specimens desired, then painted with the gouache after cooking, or equipped. Painted or equipped, the santon remained faithful to the costume of Provence which was carried at the time of the Restoration.

In 1894, the Great lady of clay, the santonnière aubagnaise Thérèse NEPHEW, sister of the ceramist Louis SICARD (inventive of the famous cicada of Provence) had the idea to reproduce, in clay, the features and the silhouette of a known person: Virginia de Garlaban. At a distance of three quarter centuries, it traced the way with the future Petit World of Marcel Pagnol whose creators do not cease, to length of year, to work with love, patience and talent our pretty let us santons of Christmas who, according to the poet Elzéard ROUGIER: “are flowers that one picking in winter”.