Paolo Santonino

In the "Year of Literature/Leto Literature 2026," the performance of the historical play "SANTONINO" in the ninetieth year of the author Engelbert Obernosterer constitutes one of the program highlights of the GailtalMuseum Cultural Summer. The "moral picture based on Paolo Santonino's travel writings from the year 1485" will be presented in front of the Möderndorf Castle near Hermagor and in the Spitalskirche/BORG Lienz.
 
The play is a moral image of the late Middle Ages, based on the records of Paolo Santonino, the secular companion of Bishop Pietro con Caorle, who undertook a journey from Aquileia in 1485 to the areas of the Gail and Drautal valleys ravaged by the Turks, in order to consecrate the devastated churches, perform confirmations, and visit the clergy. The core subject is the issue, which remains relevant today: violence by and against people, especially against women. Furthermore, Santonino recorded various aspects of customs, clothing, food, individual personalities, and cultural peculiarities in his travel diary. These records correlate immensely with the time we live in and illustrate a picture of what daily life looks like today and how it appeared towards the end of the 15th century.



santonino.at