What to do at Christmas with the family in the Vézère Valley: discover the life-size nativity scene at Roque Saint-Christophe!

Please note: The Christmas nativity scene will be back in 2025!

In 2024, Roque Saint-Christophe joins the Association Visites en Périgord, and offers its visitors the opportunity to admire a life-size Christmas nativity scene. 7 sites in the Vézère Valley and the Dordogne also offer themed nurseries depending on the specificities of their location. La Roque Saint-Christophe has chosen to work with a visual artist to create life-size characters!

A natural, tailor-made nursery

We called on Carina Tornatoris, a visual artist who lives in Normandy. She is very talented and knows how to handle several materials. She suggested that we sculpt straw and hay, to create these characters in a natural material that offers a very beautiful rendering of light.

She enclosed the material in a mesh yoke and then sculpted the characters and animals by hand and with a few very simple tools. Mary, Joseph and Jesus also have a face made of clay, earth and straw to accentuate their expression. The 3 Wise Men are present, with their gifts, surrounded by the donkey and the ox. We installed this nativity scene in the old stable, on the tour route at the bottom of our fort (the first part of Roque Saint-Christophe).

Come and discover this scene illuminated by a soft halo of orange light. We have prepared, with Vanessa our historian guide who works at La Roque, an explanatory panel on the origin of nativity scene. You will discover that everything is not only linked to the Catholic religion! The origins of Christmas and the nativity scene are very ancient!

Take part in a new game

Come and meet Théobald the peregrine falcon of La Roque Saint-Christophe who needs you to solve the puzzles of a treasure hunt… We invite the whole family to come and discover the specificities of La Roque, its history, its geology , through this brand new game, made by our team! The prize is to save the cliff and win a gift to reward the bravery of each participant.

A visit from Santa and a raffle/competition to win trio passes!

Santa Claus is coming to Roque Saint-Christophe! He will come on December 26, 27, 30 and 31 from 3 p.m. He will have in his bag gifts and delicious chocolates from Chocolaterie Bovetti, Artisan chocolatier in Terrasson. A delicious Christmas and also full of surprises!! We invite children to fill out our special letter to Santa Claus “La Roque Saint-Christophe” and drop it in our mailbox for Santa Claus. At the end of the school holidays, one of the letters will be drawn at random, to win 2 trio passes to come and visit the Roque Saint-Christophe, the Maison Forte de Reignac and the Donjon, Manoir and Jardin de la Salle, from the Easter holidays to those of All Saints’ Day!

A Magical and Fairy Christmas at Roque Saint-Christophe!