Christmas 2026: practical information
The 20th edition of Romain Rodriguez's nativity scene runs from 21 November 2026 to 17 January 2027 in Saint-Étienne church, Place Sadi-Carnot, Comps. Free admission.
Outside school holidays: Wednesdays, 14:00–17:30; Saturdays and Sundays, 10:30–12:00 and 14:00–17:30. During school holidays: daily, 14:00–17:30, with special hours on 24 December (14:00–16:30) and 25 December (15:00–17:00).
The Nuit des Santons evening openings are announced for Fridays 11 and 18 December 2026, 17:30–21:00. Free admission.
Sources: the official Comps nativity scene website and Comps town council.
Information checked on 30 October 2026. The photographs and report below show previous editions.
Comps, a village at the confluence of the Gardon and the Rhône, has the largest nativity scene in the Gard department. At 100 m², Romain Rodriguez's display is also one of Provence's largest. It occupies the whole left side of the nave in Saint-Étienne church, a space twenty metres long and five metres deep.
The large Nativity figures, fifty centimetres tall, belong to the parish. Around 300 other santons are from Romain's collection, ranging from nine-centimetre painted clay figures to thirty-centimetre clothed santons. The display was listed among the most beautiful to visit at Christmas 2019.
Romain has arranged lively scenes of old rural Provence: a market, washerwomen at the wash-house, a shepherd with his flock. It is a vivid, colourful picture of traditional Provence, including famous figures such as Frédéric Mistral and the painter Cézanne. To add to the magic, Romain has decorated the church and rolled out a red carpet for visitors.
Assembly takes eight weeks and involves two tonnes of materials. Throughout the year, Romain builds scenery — houses and a wash-house — and accessories such as carts, washing lines and wheelbarrows. He has included models of Comps church and town hall. He has installed his nativity scene in Saint-Étienne church since 2007, improving it every year. It has gained regional and even national recognition, with TF1 news cameras visiting in December 2015. More than 5,000 visitors were expected in 2019.
Comps stands where the Gardon meets the Rhône, within a triangle formed by Nîmes, Arles and Avignon. A dyke protects the village from frequent, sometimes devastating floods. Its church has two unusual features: the bell tower stands on the adjoining town hall, and the republican motto “Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité” is written on its pediment, a reminder of the conflicts surrounding the separation of Church and State in the early 20th century.
Romain Rodriguez has created a website about his nativity scene with plenty of information and news: lacrecheprovencaledecomps.com.
Romain Rodriguez, santon maker and nativity scene designer
Romain is a santon maker in his own right. Since 2014, he has shaped his own clay figures, giving them individual personalities inspired by Provençal and folk traditions.
Since 2018, Romain has also installed Avignon's municipal nativity scene in the Célestins church.
Photographs of Comps' Christmas nativity scene: slideshow
Christmas nativity scene in Saint-Étienne church, Comps (Gard)
Christmas nativity scene in Saint-Étienne church, Comps
Christmas nativity scene in Saint-Étienne church, Comps
Christmas nativity scene in Saint-Étienne church, Comps
Christmas nativity scene in Saint-Étienne church, Comps
Christmas nativity scene in Saint-Étienne church, Comps
Christmas nativity scene in Saint-Étienne church, Comps
Santons by Romain Rodriguez
Santons by Romain Rodriguez
Comps church hosts the Christmas nativity scene
Practical information
For dates and opening hours for the Comps nativity scene: Comps Nativity Scene website: lacrecheprovencaledecomps.com.
Romain Rodriguez's santon-making website: Romain Rodriguez, santon maker
Getting to Comps