The fresco was drawn in 1490 in the Trinity Church in Hrastovlje

The “dance of death” was a medieval artistic genre that was popular in France, but there is one outstanding example of it here in Slovenia. The fresco was drawn in 1490 in the Trinity Church in Hrastovlje, but eventually forgotten. It was uncovered in 1950. There are a few special things about it. It shows characters walking together with skeletons – ranging from the Pope to a small child – but normally they walk left to right. In the Slovenian one, they walk right to left. And one of the characters – the usurer – isn’t holding the hand of the skeleton. The skeleton is pulling him while he reaches into his purse to try to bribe death not to take him. A futile idea, of course. The fresco can still be seen in the town of Hrastovlje, in western Slovenia.