Augsburg Passion Play

The Passion Play from St. Ulrich and Afra, which is no longer completely preserved, was probably written down in Augsburg towards the end of the 15th century; the manuscript probably served as a working manuscript for a planned performance. It has two alternative endings: While the first short one contains only the resurrection and the exodus of the gatekeepers, the second longer one contains the journey to hell, resurrection, appearance of Christ before Mary and their appointment as intercessor, escort of the fathers to paradise, Visitatio Sepulchri (visitation of the tomb) and awakening of the tomb guards in a dogmatically correct order rare for Easter and Passion plays.

The drama, which touches on the texts of the Tyrolean Passion Plays, is characterised by many Latin-liturgical songs, vivid stage directions and elements of everyday reality in the representation of the Passion. It has continued into later times as one of the few medieval sacred plays: besides the play by the Swabian Meistersinger Sebastian Wild, it became the basis for the Oberammergau Passion Play.

To the digitised copy