What is it?
Cover Letter
The art of Sean Scully, abstract and deeply interior, silent and contemplative, prompts us to make Santa Cecília de Montserrat a center for promoting artistic and human values similar to, yet different in many aspects from, the Rothko Chapel in Houston (Texas). For this reason, the Museum of Montserrat has created the Sean Scully Art and Spirituality Institute to foster spiritual and artistic values among artists, Fine Arts students, art history scholars, lovers and students of philosophy with a special interest in aesthetics, musicians and conservatory students, and in general, people who make art, music, and artistic beauty a central axis of inner growth in their lives.
When we speak of spirituality and religion, we do not refer to any specific religious denomination, but to the domain where aesthetic emotion, the inkling of the sacred, and religious feeling converge—understanding that among these factors there are no watertight compartments, but rather osmosis. We will never enter into religious matters or controversies of this kind. We always address the human person who questions the meaning of their existence, but we will never offer prefabricated answers.
The cultural humus in which we are rooted is that of Western humanity: Greco-Roman culture, Judeo-Christianity, and the paths and modalities of thought emerged from the Enlightenment—three traditions that we will not set in a dialectical and exclusive confrontation, but rather view as united at the foundation of an integral humanism. Believers and non-believers alike find a place in our space: Christians who live their faith peacefully and Christians who navigate a sea of doubts, people who feel alienated from the religious phenomenon, agnostics who are comfortable in their agnosticism, and agnostics who feel a restless curiosity and are open to transcendence without needing to specify it. We are convinced that only from our own assumed and structured identity can we open ourselves in a healthy and enriching way, without disfiguring eclecticism, to other valuable forms of wisdom, such as Sufism and Asian traditions in their various cultures: Hinduism, Taoism, and Buddhism in their variety of forms and schools.
The Sean Scully Art and Spirituality Institute, based at Santa Cecília de Montserrat, is an activity promoted by the Museum of Montserrat and its directorial team. It features an Advisory Council composed of top-tier artists such as Sean Scully himself, Bill Viola, Joaquim Chancho, art critics, art historians, professors of aesthetics and philosophy, established poets, musicians, musicologists, and composers. The function of this Council is to propose activities and ensure a high level of quality.
The Sean Scully Art and Spirituality Institute of Santa Cecília de Montserrat proposes to organize the following activities:
- Meditation / silent contemplation sessions
- Lectures on aesthetics and spirituality by specialists in these topics
- Readings or recitals of “spiritual” poetry
- Colloquiums on contemporary art
- Concerts
- Music listening sessions
- Lectures and colloquiums with musicians and composers
Registration
938 777 745
- Activities are free of charge and take place in the incomparable setting of the church of Santa Cecília de Montserrat, surrounded by Sean Scully’s paintings.
- The activities we program are neither purely recreational nor strictly cultural; rather, they are framed within the artistic and spiritual atmosphere that we promote from our Institute, all in an engaging and accessible environment.
- Santa Cecília is not a lecture hall or a concert hall, but a Romanesque church with capacity for around fifty people; therefore, we strongly request prior registration.
- You will notice that we mostly schedule activities on Friday afternoons, at the start of the weekend. We want to check with attendees whether this time is the most convenient.
- Usually, we conclude activities at Santa Cecília by 18:00. Those who wish may attend vespers prayer at Sant Benet de Montserrat or at the Monastery of Montserrat, both starting at 18:45.
- If anyone wishes to stay overnight at Montserrat or extend their stay as a retreat, you can request accommodation at the guesthouse of Sant Benet or Montserrat. If you prefer a more independent setting, you can use the facilities at Cel·les or Hostal Cisneros in Montserrat, with a 20% discount for registered participants in the Art and Spirituality Institute activities.
- Please bear in mind that Santa Cecília is located 4.4 km from Montserrat, so you must arrive by private vehicle or use a taxi service.