Stock Photo - 09 April 2023, Saxony-Anhalt, Gernrode: With a procession the 22 actors with pastor Andreas Müller from the collegiate church St. Cyriakus move through the village. Traditionally, the Holy Easter Play has been performed in the collegiate church on Easter Sunday. Since Easter 1989 the Holy Easter Play is performed again 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 Sepulcher, which was built in the 11th century, is considered to be one of the oldest replicas of the Jerusalem Holy Sepulcher north of the Alps and plays a leading role in the Easter play. Photo: Matthias Bein/dpa. - Gernrode/Saxony-Anhalt/Germany