Online Tours

  • Tabernacle Model

    What does the Bible really say about the Tabernacle of Israel? How have people interpreted its meaning through the ages? The last third of the book of Exodus (the second book of the Bible) concerns the construction of a unique tent, the Mishkan, or Tabernacle. Here is the glory of God descended to live and communicate with the Children of Israel. The instructions for building this tent were so detailed and meticulous that readers of the Bible have long felt that in order to understand it properly they need to build it. The model of the Tabernacle housed at Glencairn Museum is one outstanding example. We invite you, in exploring this site, to learn more about the unique history of this model, as well as the Biblical context of the Tabernacle and its interpretation by Jews and Christians through the ages.
    Take the online tour.

  • Nativity Online Tour

    The art collections at Glencairn Museum, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, contain many examples of depictions of the Nativity and infancy of Jesus Christ, including paintings, illuminated manuscripts, sculptures, and stained glass windows. Many of these works date to the Medieval period, although a few were created as recently as the last century, including a large three-dimensional Nativity scene produced in Bryn Athyn in the 1920s.

    In 2009 the Museum began an ongoing initiative to collect three-dimensional Nativity scenes made by artisans from around the world for its annual exhibition, “Follow the Star: World Nativities.” This website is intended to provide visitors to the exhibition with additional cultural, historical, and art historical information. Although Nativity scenes can be enjoyed on purely aesthetic and spiritual grounds, we believe that to fully appreciate a Nativity it is necessary to understand the origins of the imagery and the context in which it was created.
    Take the online tour.