Misteri d'Elx

The Misteri d'Elx is a liturgical drama in two acts, sung entirely in medieval Valencian and Latin, performed on 14 and 15 August in the basilica of Santa Maria: the first act, the Vespra, shows the Virgin's death, the second, the Festa, her assumption and coronation. It survived the Council of Trent's ban on theatre in churches through a specific papal exemption granted in 1632 and has been performed continuously since the fifteenth century. Its machinery is part of the drama: singers descend from the dome in a pomegranate-shaped device, the mangrana, and in a cloud-frame, the araceli, using ropes and counterweights operated from above. All roles including the Virgin are sung by men and boys. UNESCO inscribed it in 2001.

What you actually see

• The aerial machinery - singers lowered from the dome in the mangrana and araceli.
• The two acts - the Vespra on 14 August and the Festa on the 15th.
• The medieval Valencian - the work sung in its original language.
• The all-male cast - every role including the Virgin sung by men and boys.

When to go

14 and 15 August, the fixed dates, with rehearsal performances in the preceding days that are easier to attend. Seats are free but allocated in advance and demand far exceeds capacity.

Honest expectations

Tickets are free but limited and allocated locally well ahead; casual visitors usually cannot get in for the main performances, though rehearsals are more accessible. The basilica is hot and packed in August, and the work is entirely in medieval Valencian.

Nearby

The Elche palm grove surrounds the city; Alicante lies twenty-three kilometres northeast.