The History Of The Oberammergau Passion Play
A solemn promise made in a time of threat from plague forms the basis of the world-famous Oberammergau Passion Play. In 1632, during the Thirty Years War, the Black Death swept through Europe, killing thousands and claiming the lives of 84 people in Oberammergau alone.
In July 1633 the village of Oberammergau got together to pray for deliverance from the plague, vowing that if God could stop the spread of disease they would perform, every tenth year, a play representing the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.
From that day no further Black Deaths were recorded, prompting the first performance of the Oberammergau passion play in 1634 and subsequent enactments every ten years. In 1674 it was decided ithe passion play would be held at the beginning of each decade, and from 1680 to 2000 the Oberammergau passion play has been performed in almost unbroken sequence. 2010 will see the 41st staging of the play, and as always we look forward to this momentous theatrical tradition.
