Description

In the foreground, there is a painting of the Holy Family surrounded by angels. There is a wonderful light emanating from the Child Jesus. He is looking at the gathered people with understanding because He is God. St. Joseph is accompanied by two animals, which also appear in the following frescos. They are an ox and a donkey, and the painter was inspired by a passage from the book of the Prophet Isaiah: The ox knows its master, the donkey its owner’s manger (Is 1:3). These animals appear consistently next to St. Joseph, symbolising the new nation which recognises its master - Christians. In the background, there are sleeping shepherds by the fire. The one keeping guard duty has his back turned and is illuminated by the moonlight. King David was also a shepherd, from whose lineage the Saviour was to come. The shepherds - representatives of a profession regarded by the Jews as unclean - are the first to receive the message of the coming of the long-awaited Messiah.