7 g, 300th anniversary of the Škofja Loka Passion 2021

The Škofja Loka Passion (Processio Locopolitana) was written in 1721 by the Capuchin Father Romuald – Lovrenc Marušič, and is the oldest preserved dramatic text in the Slovenian language. It stands as one of the greatest achievements in Slovenian literature of the Baroque era. It is also the only completely preserved directorial passion play in Europe from the beginning of the 18th century.

The text of the Škofja Loka Passion is composed of verse monologues, which are arranged into 13 depictions taken from the Bible. The aim of the Passion was to make stories from the scriptures more accessible to simple folk, and thereby help them overcome everyday troubles and steer them towards conversion.

The Škofja Loka Passion is performed during Lent and Easter in the form of a procession through the streets and squares of the old town centre of Škofja Loka. Groups of performers move through the town, enacting in dramatic form individual scenes from the
Old and New Testaments, along with various allegorical depictions. The entire performance involves the participation of around 1,000 volunteers and 80 horses.

The Republic of Slovenia is issuing collector coins to mark the 300th anniversary of the Škofja Loka Passion. The central element of the design is a cross, with the meeting point of the straight lines representing the centre of the events – the streets of Škofja Loka. Around the cross on the front side of the coin, three broken lines represent not just the auditorium but also the crown of thorns. Each of the 13 vertices of the crown represent one of the depictions in the Škofja Loka Passion. Despite this being just a partial depiction of the crown, it is perceived as a circle which in some way reflects the cyclical performing of the Passion.