07 Aug. Historical play with strong Gailtal connection -… 07.08.2026, 8:30 PM More Info

What's it about?

In the "Year of Literature/Leto literature 2026", the performance of the historical play "SANTONINO" in the ninetieth year of the author Engelbert Obernosterer's life forms one of the program highlights of the GailtalMuseum Cultural Summer. The "picture of manners based on Paolo Santonino's travel notes from 1485" will be presented in front of Möderndorf Castle near Hermagor and in the Spitalskirche/BORG Lienz. The play is a picture of manners from the late Middle Ages, based on the records of Paolo Santonino, the secular companion of Bishop Pietro con Caorle, who in 1485 undertook a journey from Aquileia into the areas of the Gailtal and Drautal afflicted by the Turks, to re-consecrate the devastated churches, administer confirmations, and visit the clergy. The core of the play is a topic still relevant today: violence by and against people, especially women. In his travel diary, Santonino also recorded all sorts of things about customs, clothing, food, individual personalities, and cultural peculiarities. These records correlate immensely with the time we live in and thus show a picture of what everyday life looks like today and what it looked like towards the end of the 15th century.