Stock Photo - 09 April 2023, Saxony-Anhalt, Gernrode: Visitors stand in the early morning hours at the entrance to the collegiate church of St. Cyriacus in Gernrode. Traditionally, the Holy Easter Play has been performed in the collegiate church on Easter Sunday. Since Easter 1989, the Holy Easter Play has again been performed in the collegiate church of Gernrode. In doing so, the 22 performers follow exactly the instructions of the medieval mystery play, which was rediscovered in 1979. In the 11th century, the manuscript in which the Easter texts and the sequence of events of the Easter play were preserved was written in the free-world convent of the ladies. Around 1500, a copy of it was made in the former sexton's office, which can be found in the regional church archives. Latin chants alternate here with scenic representations, and on the basis of ""stage directions"" even the design of the vestments is described. The Holy Sepulchre, which was built in the 11th century, is considered one of the oldest replicas of the Jerusalem Holy Sepulchre north of the Alps and plays a leading role in the Easter play. Photo: Matthias Bein/dpa. - Gernrode/Saxony-Anhalt/Germany