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‘It’s an attack on the faith community’: Concerns raised over plans to move Aberdeen’s blessed Nativity scene from kirkyard

The scene - which has been repeatedly vandalised while in St Nicholas Kirkyard - could be moved to Union Terrace Gardens.

Jennifer Stewart at the Blessing of the Crib at the St Nicholas Kirkyard in 2021. Image: Aberdeen City Council.
Jennifer Stewart at the Blessing of the Crib at the St Nicholas Kirkyard in 2021. Image: Aberdeen City Council.

An Aberdeen councillor has slammed potential plans to move the city’s Nativity scene away from a kirkyard, describing it as an “attack on the faith community”.

The scene has traditionally been in St Nicholas Kirkyard, although was moved to a shop unit last year due to vandals.

Now it has emerged the scene could be shifted from the church grounds permanently, and put into Union Terrace Gardens.

Councillor Jennifer Stewart – who lobbied for the city to get a Nativity scene back in 2008 – was taken aback at the news at a community council meeting this week, as she had understood the council had planned to remove the display entirely following budget talks.

SNP councillor John Cooke mentioned the potential move during the meeting.

She questioned the “transparency” of a decision to make the move to Union Terrace Gardens.

“What I’d like to know is who made that decision,” she said. “Is it an officer’s decision, or is that the administration’s decision? It is the administration’s decision to cut the budget.

“They lack transparency in my view.”

She went on: “In many ways, I do feel it is a bit of an attack on the Catholic and wider faith community, and I’m not alone in that.”

Jennifer Stewart at the Blessing of the Crib at St Nicholas Kirkyard in her former role as Depute Lord Provost. Image: Darrell Benns / DC Thomson.

‘Important to keep it within kirkyard’

The Hazlehead, Queen’s Cross and Countesswells councillor first put in a motion to the council for the Nativity scene in 2008.

It started off with a few figures in a shop window but by the third year, it was moved to St Nicholas after the stable was built and grown, going “from strength to strength”.

The blessed scene has been housed on the grounds of the Mither Kirk since, however, it was relocated to a shop window on Union Street after being targetted by vandals last year.

Mrs Stewart believes it is “very important” that the Nativity stays in the kirk, despite the church being closed.

“At the end of the day, the nativity is about the birth of Jesus Christ,” she said. “For the Christians and the wider faith community it is very important it’s there.

“It is appropriate it’s on church grounds and St Nicolas Kirk is still the Mother Kirk, and it’s central to the city.”

The Christmas Village will remain on Broad Street, but councillors are considering spreading the festivities to the newly revamped Union Terrace Gardens too. Image: Chris Sumner/DC Thomson

UTG Christmas plans

On Wednesday – the day after Mr Cooke mentioned the proposal at community council – papers revealed plans to expand the Christmas Village into Union Terrace Gardens – including the nativity scene.

The market will remain on Broad Street but the local authority is keen to spread the festivities into the newly revamped UTG, potentially installing a QR code-enabled Christmas sculpture trail and holding carol singing and other performances.

The baby Jesus in his crib. Image: Darrell Benns / DC Thomson.

Mrs Stewart fears that if the Nativity scene is moved to an open space like UTG, it could be vandalised further. The kirkyard gates are locked from 4pm every day.

She added: “If you put it in Union Terrace Gardens, yes people will be able to see it, but there won’t be that same sense of serenity about the birth of Jesus that they felt when they went into the churchyard.

“I just hope they would be mindful in what they are attempting to do and where they’re actually going to locate it – well I really don’t know where they’re going to locate it, but they’d have to be mindful it’s not near a big carousel or a helter-skelter.

‘Christmas is about the birth of Jesus’

“It’s not all about rollercoasters, or Codonas, or any other things. Christmas is about the birth of Jesus Christ and I do believe that gets lost. And I do think that the Catholic, most certainly, the Christian community are being compromised.”

An Aberdeen City Council spokesman said: “The plan for the Nativity scene is to move it from St Nicholas Kirkyard to a fixed site within the city centre. We are exploring options for the scene for winter 2023, with an announcement expected, along with wider Winter Festival communications, later in the year.

“This decision was taken following a survey of the current Nativity scene, and due to the costs of repairing/replacing the structure which has housed the scene over a number of years.”

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