Rome doesn’t have the same attacks on Christmas that you get in the United States. There’s no ACLU to complain about Nativity scenes in public places. In fact, the scenes are all over the city.

But back in 1994 something happened that simply shocked the residents of Rome. Someone stole the Baby Jesus. The most famous statue of the Child Jesus in the city was taken from a small chapel in the Church of the Ara Coeli, near Piazza Venezia. The Bambino Gesu, or Bambinello, has never been returned, and it appears that police have run out of leads. There’s a copy in its place right now, and children from all over the world still send their letters to the Child Jesus at the church.

The Bambinello was originally carved by a Franciscan friar in the Holy Land. To learn more about the history — and the mystery — of the image, I spoke with art historian Liz Lev. Take a look at the video below:

done

Liz, by the way, is a kind of walking history book/catechism. When I asked her about the statue’s special powers (it has supposedly been instrumental in a lot of cures of sick Romans) she gave me a warning about idol worship, saying it wasn’t the statue’s powers, but rather God’s, that were responsible for the healing.

Then, I guess to get me ready for the Christmas season, she added: “When you love an object per se, whether your shoes or your jacket, or whatever, it’s called idolatry”. Glad she set me straight before I get all those cool Italian gifts.