In the Nativity scene from Cell 5, Fra Angelico presents a serene and deeply devotional vision of the birth of Christ. The composition centers on the Holy Family, Mary, Joseph, and the infant Jesus, surrounded by an atmosphere of quiet reverence. The Virgin Mary, draped in soft hues of rose and blue, kneels in adoration before her newborn son, whose delicate figure lies upon a simple cloth on the ground, radiating a gentle light that illuminates the humble stable. Beside her stands Saint Joseph, his expression tender and contemplative, hands clasped in prayer.

To the left, Saint Catherine of Alexandria gazes upon the divine child with a mixture of awe and devotion, her regal bearing softened by the sacredness of the moment. On the right, Saint Peter the Martyr, identifiable by the wound on his head, kneels in reverence, his Dominican habit linking the scene to the spiritual life of Fra Angelico’s own order. Behind them, the ox and the ass peer over the manger, symbols of the humble and the faithful who recognize divinity in simplicity.

Above the thatched roof of the cattle shed, four angels hover in adoration, their gestures and postures conveying celestial praise. These upper figures, likely painted by the master’s assistants, extend the sense of sacred harmony upward, linking the earthly scene with the divine realm. The entire fresco glows with Angelico’s signature luminosity and contemplative grace, transforming the moment of Christ’s birth into a vision of stillness, humility, and radiant faith.