The Light Arches you will see in this section are all handmade in a region of Germany called Erzgebirge, which translates roughly as the 'Ore Mountains'. It is believed that Johann Teller, a mining blacksmith, made the first candle-holder of this type back in the 1720's. All of the Light Arches are hand carved.

The story handed down as to the origin of the arches, is linked to the miners who mined the ore from the mountains. On Christmas Eve, the miners would hang their lights in a semi-circle around the mouth of the tunnel leading to the mine. This was done on the last shift before Christmas, known as the 'Midnight Mass shift'