Every six years the Easter season in Škofja Loka is something special. The streets and squares of the old town are flooded with performers wearing medieval and biblical costumes. The production of the Škofja Loka Passion Play, the oldest Slovenian dramatic text, is a real spectacle due to the mass cast and ambience. Its inscription on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage also shows how exceptional it is.
The Škofja Loka Passion Play is a penitential passion procession based on a text by the Capuchin monk Romuald Marušič from 1721. The oldest preserved dramatic text written in Slovenian, featuring appendices in Latin and German and directorial comments, is one of the greatest achievements of Slovenian literature in the Baroque period. It is also considered to be the only fully preserved director’s passion book in Europe from the beginning of the 18th century.
The text of the Škofja Loka Passion Play is based on the Slovenian penitent procession tradition. It consists of 869 verses and is divided into 13 scenes: Paradise, Death, The Last Supper, Samson, The Way of the Cross, Whipping, The Coronation, The Penitent St. Jerome, Behold, Man!, Christ on the Cross, Mother of the Seven Sorrows, Ark of the Covenant, and The Lord’s Tomb.
Today, as in Romuald’s times, the Škofja Loka Passion Play is performed during Lent and Easter in the form of a procession through the streets and squares of the old town of Škofja Loka. Groups of performers move through the town, performing individual scenes from the Old and New Testaments and various allegorical motifs.
The play features more than 1,000 volunteers, including more than 800 actors and more than 60 horsemen. Most of them are locals from Škofja Loka and the Poljanska and the Selška Valleys, while some of the volunteers are from neighbouring municipalities, places across Slovenia and neighbouring countries. Due to the complexity involved, it is only performed every six years. The next production will take place in 2026.
The Škofja Loka Passion Play is exceptional in many respects. It transcends the boundaries of locality and is gaining worldwide recognition by becoming a part of the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Its stories and scenes definitely make you think. It connects people, actors and spectators. Thus, searching for more interesting facts about this magnificent play will pay off.
Although the production of the Škofja Loka Passion Play takes place every six years, you can experience this exceptional play and the time in which it was created by means of an interactive online application. Here are some tips on how to indirectly experience the Škofja Loka Passion Play.
The more than 300-year-old Capuchin monastery with its Church of St. Anna hides a real treasure trove of Slovenian cultural heritage. In addition to the original text of the Škofja Loka Passion Play from 1721 and other historical works, the Dalmatian Bible is also stored in the monastery library.
MoreThe more than 300-year-old Capuchin monastery with its Church of St. Anna hides a real treasure trove of Slovenian cultural heritage. In addition to the original text of the Škofja Loka Passion Play from 1721 and other historical works, the Dalmatian Bible is also stored in the monastery library.
MoreAfter a walk through the old town, head to Loka Castle, which hosts an exhibition on the performances and background of the Škofja Loka Passion Play over time in the Loka Museum.
MoreAlthough the Škofja Loka Passion Play is staged only every six years, the spirit of passion can be felt in Škofja Loka at any time in the period leading up to its production. Every year, they prepare an extensive programme of various events, exhibitions, concerts, symposiums, lectures, workshops, tastings of Lent dishes, and various pilgrimages.
An interactive mobile application allows you to jump into the time of the Škofja Loka Passion Play by means of an interactive path, reveals legends from the Loka area, and revives lost motifs, while at the same time it invites you to visit other Loka sights.
MoreŠkofja Loka is a picturesque historical town at the crossroads of the Poljanska and Selška Valleys. The medieval old town is home to craftspeople and artisans, which are numerous in the Škofja Loka area. The picturesque surroundings inspire active travellers and artists who have poured the beauty of the hilly landscape on the threshold of the Alpine world on to paper and canvas.
The Škofja Loka Passion Play also presents craft guilds from the time the text was written. Nowadays, you can discover the modern creative soul of the people of Škofja Loka and admire a variety of products from their skilful hands in various locations around the city and in the surrounding area. You may also come across some Passion Play souvenirs.
If you are interested in what life was like in Slovenia in the past, it is worth visiting historical cities. Here you can learn about different stories from the past at every step and experience them in a modern way.
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