What is Passion play?
A '''Passion play''' is a religious drama of medieval origin dealing with the suffering, death, and Resurrection of [[Christ]]. Early Passion plays (in Latin) consisted of readings from the Gospel with interpolated poetical sections on the events of Christ’s Passion and related subjects, such as [[Mary Magdalene]]’s life and repentance, the raising of Lazarus, the [[Last Supper]], and the lament of the [[Virgin Mary]]. Use of the vernacular in these interpolations led to the development of independent vernacular plays, the earliest surviving examples being in German. Such plays were at first only preludes to dramatic presentations of the [[Resurrection]]. The introduction of Satan (which became typical of German and Czech plays), and thus of introductory representations of the fall of Lucifer and the Fall of man (as in the early 14th-century Vienna Passion), and of scenes from the [[Old Testament]] and of the [[Last Judgment]], led to development of cyclic plays similar to the Corpus Christi cycles. The great Celtic Passion cycles of [[Cornwall]] and [[Brittany]], and the St. Gall Passion play (which begins with the entry of St. Augustine, who introduces the Old Testament prophets and patriarchs, and also includes the marriage at Cana), exemplify this type of Passion play. The Tirol plays early formed a separate group, representing only scenes from the Passion and Resurrection. The [[Bohemia]]n plays, such as the St. Eger Passion, developed from a simpler version of the [[Vienna]] Passion, were also distinct in style and incident. The earliest Passion plays of [[France]] and [[Flanders]] are thought to have their source in a nondramatic narrative poem of the 13th century, the Passion des jongleurs. These plays became highly elaborated in the course of their development, culminating in performances ([[Mons]], 1501; [[Valenciennes]], 1547) lasting more than a week. Confraternities were founded for performance of Passion plays, the most famous being the Confrérie de la Passion (1402). Passion plays were also perfo