Heritage Moranduzzo – Landi Cribs – Year 2000
The Nativity Scene that Received the Blessing of Pope John Paul II
In 2000, the Landi Moranduzzo crib won the Caritas international competition for the world’s most beautiful statues and received a special blessing. The history of the line created in 1982 by sculptor Martino Landi.
Not all nativity scenes are the same. Some are decoration. Some are tradition. And some – rarely – become something more: objects that the Catholic Church recognizes as examples of artistic and spiritual excellence. The Landi Moranduzzo nativity scene is among them.
In 2000, the Jubilee year, Moranduzzo participated in the international competition organized by Caritas for the world’s most beautiful nativity statues. Landi’s nativity scene wins the award. And it gets the special blessing of Pope John Paul II – the highest recognition the Catholic tradition can bestow on a sacred object.
Martino Landi and the birth of a unique line
The story begins in 1982, when Moranduzzo acquired Cromoplasto and began an exclusive collaboration with sculptor Martino Landi. This is no ordinary business partnership: it is a meeting of two visions-the craftsmanship of Moranduzzo and the artistic vision of a sculptor who believed that every figure in the nativity scene should tell a true story.
Landi worked on each figure as an autonomous work of art: the specific weight of a cloak, the bend of a bowing knee, the expression of a face that carries real emotion. Not generic “nativity characters” – people, each with a posture and a face that tells who they are and what they feel.
“Italian craftsmanship lives in every face, every gesture, every brushstroke.”
The process: from sculpture to marble resin
Each Landi figure is created from an original sculpture by Martino Landi. Molds are made from that sculpture. Each piece is produced from marble resin-a composite material that combines the lightness of resin with the matte texture of stone-guaranteeing durability, fidelity to detail, and an ideal surface for hand painting.
The production process in 4 stages
- Original sculpture: Martino Landi models each figure by hand – proportions, expression, drape and posture defined at source
- Marble resin molding: molds made from the original sculpture reproduce every micro-detail – fabric wrinkles, wood grain, hair, fingers
- Hand-painted with enamels and patinas-each hand-painted piece. Enamels, patinas, and color finishes make each figure unique-no Landi figurine is identical to another
- Visual quality control: each figure individually examined before packaging. Only those pieces that conform to Moranduzzo standards are shipped
Landi figurines: realism in every line
Landi lines – from Micro to Prestige
The year 2000: the Caritas competition and the papal blessing
In 2000 – the Jubilee year – Caritas organized an international competition for the world’s most beautiful nativity statues. The Landi Moranduzzo nativity scene won the award and received the special blessing of Pope John Paul II. A gesture that in Catholic tradition is never formal: it is the recognition that that object carries something authentic and worthy of the tradition it represents.
Not all nativity scenes are blessed. Landi’s are – because the Church has recognized in every face, every gesture, every brushstroke the same devotion that animates those who look at them.
Landi today: Netflix and Italian popular culture
In 2022 and 2023, the family nativity figurines in the Netflix series “I Hate Christmas” – produced by Lux Vide, distributed in 190 countries – are Landi Moranduzzo figurines. A presence not agreed upon: the set designers chose those figurines because they perceived them as the very authenticity of the Italian nativity scene. The same figurines blessed by Pope John Paul II in 2000.
DocItaly International Award 2025
Awarded to Matteo Moranduzzo on December 15, 2025 at Palazzo Valentini, Rome. ANDI – 10th edition. The motivation cites “the very high realistic quality of the creations” and “the aesthetic and tactile fidelity obtained thanks to the exclusive use of high quality materials.”
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The figurines blessed by Pope John Paul II. Marble resin, hand-painted, 8 lines from Micro to Prestige. 24/48h shipping.