Matthew 28:18 All Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." (NIV) Jesus approached and, breaking the silence, said to them, All authority (all power of rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. (AMP) And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. (KJV)

Christian Oberammergau - Germany's Passion Play Village.

Oberammergau is a small village but a magnet for tourism in southern Germany. Oberammergau is renowned for its history and its wonderful selection of painted houses - most of the visitors arrive in the summer drawn by the sights and the selection of woodcarving and Christmas shops oberammergau germany pilgrimage.

Germany Oberammergau Pilgrimages, Christian Passion Play Pilgrimage.

From May through October, the imposing 4,800 capacity Passion Play Theater offers English guided tours for individual travelers twice a day. A tour is a great way to find out more about the fantastic history of the Play and to stand on the stage on which innumerable generations have portrayed the life of Christ. In Oberammergau, the traditional art of woodcarving is celebrated for its history and vibrant present, with religious figures and Nativity scenes from many centuries on display. About 120 wood sculptors work there today, selling carvings ranging from figures of saints to household goods.

The picturesque houses decorated with so called "Lüftlmalerei" (wall paintings) have also contributed to Oberammergau's popularity. From the peaks of the local mountains visitors can enjoy a spectacular view of the fabulous "King-Ludwig Country" with its fairy tale castles of Neuschwanstein and Linderhof. Oberammergau is also located near many pilgrimage sites, including Cloister Ettal (Kloster Ettal), a Benedictine Abbey with magnificent Baroque architecture. Just a short, half-hour drive away is the Rococo Wieskirche (a UNESCO World Heritage site).

The Story of the Passion Play Bildbeschreibung: In 1632 the pestilence, a plague, had infested Oberammergau and by 1633 nearly every family had come to experience death. People, brought down with the pestilence, vowed to perform every ten years at the towns cemetery, a Passion play depiction the suffering and dying of Christ if there would be no more deaths by the pestilence.

On Pentecost 1634 the population of Oberammergau performed for the first time the “Play of suffering, dying and revival of our lord Jesus Christ”: on a stage which has been built at the pestilence cemetery, over the graves of those who had dies of the plague.

The Context originated from two other plays, a Passion Play from the second half of the 15th century and a Christian Reformation “Tragedy” by the Master Singer Sebastian Wild of Augsburg. In the 5th year, in 1674, the context has been upgraded with the use of scenes of the Passion Play of Weilheim and in the 6th year, in 1680, the community decided that, after that Staging of the Play, the performances should take place every ten years thereafter. In the 18th century the ideas of the rationalism found the way in the story of Passion Play.

The Benedictine Ferdinand Rosner of Ettal turned the Play to a “passio nova” and makes use of all the skills of the Baroque Theater. In the 32nd year of the Play the architect Raimund Lang replaced the historic stage with a new, monumental and ascetically pleasing stage and at the same time enlarging the audience hall up to 5,200 seats, whilst his brother Georg produced the first modern performance of the Play. In 1990 there was surprise when the youngest ever Director was elected - the 27 years old sculptor Christian Stückl. Furthemore for the first time married and older women could perform the Play – a right secured after the woman of Oberammergau appealed to the highest regional court .

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