Birmingham, which was once infamously accused of trying to replace
Christmas with a non-religious “Winterval”, is to drop a Nativity trail
that has been staged in the city’s art gallery for the past eight
years.
Billed as illustrating the Christmas story through the eyes of some
of the world’s greatest artists, the trail used to run from the end of
November until Christmas Eve.
It covered 10 paintings in seven of its galleries, including the largest watercolour in the world, The Star of Bethlehem,
painted between 1887 and 1891, by Sir Edward Burne-Jones, a triptych
from the early sixteenth century by Adriaen Isenbrandt and The Rest on the Flight into Egypt, painted around 1620 by Orazio Gentileschi.
The trail was supported by Christian leaders in the city, and last
year’s formal opening was attended by civil and faith leaders.
The
Archbishop of Birmingham, Bernard Longley, told them the trail and the
traditional nativity scene in the square outside the gallery was “a
little sign of what it means to believe in Jesus in the market place”.
Archbishop Longley emphasised that the leaders of other faiths in
Birmingham all supported and respected the Nativity trail and the
Christmas crib, as Christians of various traditions respected the faiths
and festivals of others.
A spokeswoman for the independent trust that last year took control
of the art gallery and museums from Birmingham City Council blamed a
lack of funding for the decision to halt what had been a very popular
event.
The spokeswoman said: “We are not holding the nativity trail at
Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery this year, as we are currently
reviewing all programming across Birmingham Museums sites in light of
changing resources.”
No one was available for comment at the Birmingham archdiocese.