Christmas greetings from the Ambrosiana

On the occasion of Holy Christmas 2025, we convey the Christmas greetings from the Prefect of the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Monsignor Marco Navoni, and the President of the Congregation of Conservators, Professor Andrea Canova.

The luminous panel by the Lodi painter Martino Piazza, created in the early sixteenth century, with the traditional nativity scene, allows us to express a threefold wish for our Christmas holidays. It is quite common in classical painting to depict the Nativity of Jesus with a ruined building in the background, just as in this painting: it is intended to represent the old pagan world that, at the birth of Christ, collapses in on itself in the face of the newness brought to us by the Lord Jesus. Hence the first wish: that the Christmas holidays may mark for everyone the beginning of something truly new in our lives, of some change for the better. The birth of Jesus on earth corresponds to the festive dance of the angels in heaven, which Martino Piazza paints among the clouds in golden tones: the second wish, never taken for granted, is that we may all spend these holidays in the serenity and not ephemeral but lasting joy that the Redeemer brings us with his birth and his message of peace. The last detail is rather curious: Saint Joseph appears aside, with a Thoughtful, but her attitude is not one of estrangement from the scene of the adoration of the Child Jesus; rather, it is one of reflection on the mystery of salvation unfolding in Bethlehem. The third wish that Martino Piazza’s painting sends us is that, during the Christmas holidays, we may find a break from the hustle and bustle of daily life, a moment of inner tranquility to thank the Father for the gift of his Son Jesus.

Monsignor Marco Navoni, Prefect of the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana

“During this Christmas season, the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana wishes to extend to everyone a wish full of serenity and hope.
Our tradition reminds us that knowledge is a bridge: it unites, enlightens, and opens paths of dialogue even in the most difficult moments. And Christmas itself offers us its most universal message. Almighty God chooses to incarnate himself in the most fragile and defenseless creature: a child, the son of a family far from home, forced to seek refuge in a simple cave. In that poor and silent scene, the world receives a call to peace, to acceptance, and to the dignity of every person.
The heritage we preserve and share—made of history and beauty—is a living testimony to how culture can be a seed of harmony. Every work, every page, every act of study and research reminds us that building peace is possible, and that it begins with recognizing the light that dwells within each of us.
May this Christmas find us capable of wonder, ready to welcome and to create bonds.”
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Prof. Andrea Canova, President of the Congregation of the Conservators of the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana