The spruce tree decorating St Peter’s Square in the Vatican for Christmas this year comes from Slovenia. The tree was brought in from the Kocevje Region in southern Slovenia which is known as the most densely-forested region in the country, as forests cover as much as 91% of its total area. Slovenia donated the Christmas tree as a symbol of gratitude for the Vatican’s support of the country’s independence movement on the 30th anniversary of Slovenia’s independence from Yugoslavia.
This year’s Vatican Christmas Tree is a gift from Slovenia!
Standing at 30 meters high, the massive 75-year-old spruce tree weighs 7 tons and has an impressive diameter of 67 centimetres. It is s adorned with handcrafted wooden Slovenian ethnographic ornaments made by people in Slovenia, including some young children, but the homeless in Rome and Slovenia were also involved in the craftsmanship.
Furthermore, Slovenia has provided the Vatican with an additional 42 smaller spruce and fir trees and a number of wreaths for doorways to be placed in the offices of Vatican City.
The tradition that a Christmas tree is displayed in St. Peter’s Square during the holiday season was first introduced in 1982 by the then Pope John Paul II. The tree is donated by a different country or region every year.
The tree will remain on display until the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord on January 10.
The massive spruce tree placed just off-center in Saint Peter’s Square was brought in from the Kocevje Region in southern Slovenia.
Kocevje is one of the best preserved natural areas in Europe with more than 90% of its area covered in forest, some of it a primeval virgin forest that has never been cultivated or interfered with by humankind. (photo: Ciril Jazbec, CJ STUDIO d.o.o., slovenia.info)
