Best Passion

Johann Sebastian Bach's St Matthew Passion, BWV 244, is a large-scale sacred work recounting the arrest, trial, crucifixion, and burial of Jesus through chapters 26 and 27 of the Gospel of Matthew. It is written for vocal soloists, double chorus, and double orchestra, with an evangelist narrating th...

The St Matthew Passion is a sacred oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach, first performed in Leipzig in 1727. The work sets chapters 26 and 27 of the Gospel of Matthew to music, utilizing a double choir, a double orchestra, and vocal soloists. The text intersperses biblical narrative with devotional cho...

St John Passion, BWV 245, is a sacred oratorio composed by Johann Sebastian Bach, with its first version premiering in Leipzig on Good Friday of 1724. The work sets the biblical account of Christ's arrest, trial, and crucifixion from the Gospel of John, interspersed with reflective arias and chorale...

Johann Sebastian Bach’s St John Passion, BWV 245 is a profoundly moving Baroque choral work depicting the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ. Composed in 1725, it's notable for its dramatic musical storytelling and complex vocal writing. The piece utilizes a large chorus, solo voices, and orchest...

Johann Sebastian Bach composed the St John Passion, BWV 245, which received its first performance in Leipzig on Good Friday in 1724. It is his earliest surviving setting of the Passion story, presenting the biblical narrative of the arrest, trial, and crucifixion of Jesus according to the Gospel of...

The Edicule is the domed shrine housed within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem's Old City, enclosing the tomb traditionally identified as the burial place of Jesus Christ. The current marble-clad structure was built in 1809–1810 by the Greek architect Nikolaos Komnenos following a fire,...

The Descent from the Cross is an oil-on-panel painting made by Rogier van der Weyden around 1435, probably for the crossbowmen's guild in Leuven, and now held by the Museo del Prado in Madrid. Christ's curved body is echoed by the collapsing Virgin, while the mourners are compressed into a shallow,...

Giotto’s “The Kiss of Judas” (c. 1305) is a pivotal fresco within the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua. This Buon Fresco work depicts a profoundly emotional moment – Christ's betrayal – with stark realism for its time. Giotto’s innovative approach to narrative storytelling, anticipating the Renaissance pro...

Giotto’s Lamentation over the Dead Christ, painted circa 1305 in Padua’s Scrovegni Chapel, is a pivotal fresco showcasing early Renaissance innovation. Buon fresco technique creates vibrant color and detail depicting the Virgin Mary and John the Evangelist mourning Jesus after his crucifixion. This...

St. Matthew Passion BWV 244 by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) is a 1727 German Lutheran oratorio setting the Passion narrative from Matthew's Gospel, scored for double choir and orchestra and revived by Mendelssohn in 1829.

Johann Sebastian Bach's St. John Passion, BWV 245, is a setting of the Passion narrative drawn principally from chapters 18 and 19 of the Gospel of John. First performed in Leipzig on Good Friday in 1724, it uses an Evangelist tenor, vocal soloists, chorus, and orchestra. Biblical recitative and dra...

The Disrobing of Christ, commonly called El Espolio, is an oil painting completed by El Greco in 1579 for Toledo Cathedral, where it remains in the sacristy. The composition places Christ in a vivid red robe at the center of a compressed crowd of soldiers and onlookers, while figures preparing the c...

The Crown of Thorns is believed to be fragments of the crown worn by Jesus Christ during his crucifixion. It’s a significant religious artifact associated with the Passion and remains a focal point of devotion for Christians worldwide. King Louis IX acquired it in 1239, establishing its presence wit...

The Lamentation is a German Renaissance woodcut by Albrecht Dürer, included in his famous Large Passion series. The series was officially issued as a book in 1511 and features a collection of woodcuts illustrating the Passion of Christ. This specific scene depicts the mourning of Christ, showing the...

'Fire of Love' is a breathtaking documentary about the extraordinary love story between volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft, who spent their lives studying active volcanoes in Kamchatka, Russia. Shot entirely from their own footage, its an immersive experience filled with stunning visuals and a...

The Holy Blood Altar is a carved limewood retable made by Tilman Riemenschneider around 1499 to 1505 for St. James's Church in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany. Its shrine houses a relic associated with the Holy Blood and centers visually on the Last Supper, with Judas positioned prominently before...

'Christ in Limbo' is a woodcut by German Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer, part of his series 'The Large Passion,' which was published as a complete set in 1511. The print depicts the Harrowing of Hell, showing Christ breaking down the gates of Hell to rescue the righteous souls of the Old Testamen...

Ivan Vasiliev is a celebrated ballet dancer recognized for his extraordinary athleticism and dynamic interpretation of classic techniques. His performances demonstrate both rigorous physical skill – particularly powerful leaps – and profound artistic expression. He is primarily appreciated by audien...

The Flagellation is a woodcut by the German Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer, completed as part of his Large Passion series, which was officially published as a bound book in 1511. The image depicts the biblical scene of Christ being whipped, rendered with dense, animated linework that emphasizes t...

"The Last Supper" is a woodcut by the German Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer, included in his "Large Passion" cycle published as a book in 1511. The scene depicts the moment Christ announces his upcoming betrayal, capturing the emotional reactions of the twelve apostles. This print is celebrated b...

Seven Last Words from the Cross is a sacred cantata composed by James MacMillan in 1993 for mixed chorus and string orchestra. Its seven movements set sayings attributed to Jesus during the Crucifixion, drawing on the Gospel narratives and incorporating additional liturgical text. Written for the BB...

The Holy Lance of Geghard is a significant religious artifact held within the Etchmiadzin Cathedral in Armenia. Tradition holds it was used to pierce Jesus Christ during his crucifixion. It’s considered a sacred relic within Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Armenian Apostolic faith. The lance is b...

Albrecht Dürer's The Entombment is a woodcut from The Large Passion, a series of 11 woodcut prints plus a title page that Dürer completed between approximately 1497 and 1510 and published as a unified book in 1511. The print depicts Christ's body being carried toward the tomb, rendered with the deta...

The Crown of Thorns is a thorny wreath believed to be associated with Jesus Christ’s Passion. It was acquired by Louis IX of France in 1239 and has been preserved at Notre-Dame de Paris since then. This relic, dating back to the 1st century, is venerated within Christian traditions as an instrument...

The St. Luke Passion is a large-scale sacred work by Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki for narrator, vocal soloists, choruses, children's choir, and orchestra. Premiered in 1966 at Münster Cathedral, it recounts Christ's Passion chiefly through the Latin Gospel according to Luke while incorporati...

The Seven Last Words of Christ, catalogued as SWV 478, is a sacred work by Heinrich Schütz dating from around the middle of the seventeenth century. It combines an opening and closing chorus with a narrated account of Christ's words from the cross, assigning the central Gospel text to solo voices an...

Krzysztof Penderecki’s St. Luke Passion is a 20th-century Polish oratorio commemorating the 700th anniversary of Münster Cathedral. The work utilizes innovative orchestral textures and extended techniques to powerfully portray the events surrounding Jesus' crucifixion. It is notable for its groundbr...

Mamma Roma, directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini, is a 1962 Italian drama featuring Anna Magnani, Ettore Garofolo, and Franco Citti. The film explores themes within the context of post-war Rome, as depicted in Pasolini’s screenplay. It showcases the lives of individuals navigating social circumstances du...

The Detwang Altarpiece is a carved wooden Passion altarpiece associated with Tilman Riemenschneider and preserved in the Church of St. Peter and Paul at Detwang, near Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Created in the early sixteenth century, it incorporates a central Crucifixion scene flanked by reliefs conn...