Le cinque piaghe di Christo von Nicolò Minato und Antonio Draghi (1677) und die Verehrung der fünf Wunden Christi durch den Sternkreuzorden

Abstract

The musico-dramatic works to be performed in front of the Holy Sepulcher during the Triduum Sacrum (sepolcri) were very popular in the 17th and 18th centuries. They have their origin at the Viennese court and are not least widespread in the countries of the Bohemian crown. It is a paraliturgical form of devotion with direct reference to the context of Holy Week. It therefore seems worthwhile to ask about the connection between the content of these works and the piety of the viewers. This can be well understood by looking at Eleonore II. (1630–1686), the widow of Emperor Ferdinand III. (†1657). From 1660 to 1686 in Eleonora's chapel sepolcri were performed, usually dedicated to individual elements of the Passion of Jesus Christ. An example of this is Le cinque piaghe di Christo by Nicolò Minato and Antonio Draghi (1677). In the forms of piety practiced by or at least recommended for the members of the Star Cross Order, which Eleonore II. founded in 1668, the mystical veneration of the five wounds of Christ also plays an important role. In this way it is possible to show to what extent what maybe seems rather strange today was a religious matter of course in the 17th century, and thereby deepen the understanding of the work of Minato and Draghi.