Man in Awe - Homme Ravi - Size #3 / Grande

Man in Awe - Homme Ravi - "The Delighted One"

The Man in Awe,– also referred to as the delighted one, the blissful one, awestricken, enraptured, naive, innocent, even the village idiot (in a fond and ever so nice way) – is always portrayed with arms raised to the sky, dumbfounded and overjoyed on hearing the news of the birth of Jesus’.  The word “ravi” comes from “ravissement,” meaning rapture.  He may be a simple lad, but not when it comes to his ability to recognize the joyousness of the Saviour’s birth.

Derived from the pastorals of the 19th century, he is a farmhand who comes to the manger with nothing more to offer than the sheer delight and wonder that he feels. He has a nightcap on his head and wears a flowery shirt or waistcoat. See the full blog post here.

Enjoy our blog entry on the Man in Awe, who is considered to be the No. 2 "Essential" Santons for a Provençal  creche.

Provençal Figurines by C. Galtier and E. Cattin, translated by John Lee (Editions Ouest-France, 13 rue du Breil, Rennes, 1996) provides a list of the top 20 Santons "essential" to the Provençal creche.