It's not the set up of a joke, rather a unique take on the Nativity scene in the Vatican's ST Peter's Square.

Mary Joseph, the Three Kings and the Shepherds, a styled like cubic chess figures surrounded by animals, squat and square.

Reactions to the installation, both on the ground and on social media, have been mixed.

It made me think of bowling pins with the Baby Jesus as a ball e.

I liked it, but I preferred last years.

But it's not too bad.

I find it adorable, even if I was curious to see Baby Jesus.

The Vatican uses a different Nativity scene each year, which is usually donated by towns or artists.

This year's modernist display was made by students and teachers in Castelli, an Italian town famous for ceramics between 1965 and 1975 according to a description for visitors.

That's why the astronaut made an appearance representing the lunar landings of the late sixties and early seventies.