{"id":414927,"date":"2026-04-28T14:05:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T14:05:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/414927\/"},"modified":"2026-04-28T14:05:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T14:05:08","slug":"holy-see-pavilion-at-venice-biennale-the-ear-is-the-eye-to-the-soul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/414927\/","title":{"rendered":"Holy See Pavilion at Venice Biennale: ‘The ear is the eye to the soul’"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Holy See\u2019s Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale, inspired by the life and work of Saint Hildegard of Bingen, is presented at the Holy See Press Office.<\/p>\n

By Eugenio Murrali and Paolo Ondarza<\/p>\n

The Holy See\u2019s Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale is centered on the concept of listening and is inspired by the work and figure of the German Saint and Doctor of the Church, Hildegard of Bingen.<\/p>\n

The exhibit is a part of the Biennale’s 61st International Art Exhibition, which will take place from May 9 to November 22, 2026. The concept behind the Pavilion, articulated in two separate spaces, was presented on Monday, April 27, during a press conference at the Holy See Press Office.<\/p>\n

Cardinal Jos\u00e9 Tolentino de Mendon\u00e7a\u2014in charge of the Pavilion and Prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education\u2014described it as \u201can observatory of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

He explained that Pope Leo XIV\u2019s words during the Rosary for peace on April 11 are at the heart of the Pavilion’s concept: \u201cWe must not allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by the pace of a world that does not know what it is chasing. Rather, we must return to serving the rhythm of life, the harmony of creation and healing its wounds.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Holy See\u2019s participation in the Venice Biennale, Cardinal Tolentino de Mendon\u00e7a added, is \u201can opportunity to immerse oneself in contemplation and listening. From interiority\u2014an essential dimension\u2014we hope fruits of peace, encounter, and future can emerge.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a world marked by conflict and tension, art has much to offer: \u201cWe need artists to speak. We must listen to them as we listen to prophets. Art offers us new visions of the world,\u201d he emphasized.<\/p>\n

\"Those<\/p>\n

\n Those participating in the press conference presenting the Pavilion \u00a0 (@VaticanNews)\n <\/p>\n

An invitation to slowness and contemplation through St. Hildegard <\/p>\n

Slowing down, listening, contemplating, and caring are key themes of the Pavilion, titled \u201cThe ear is the eye of the soul\u201d, curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Ben Vickers.<\/p>\n

According to Cardinal Tolentino de Mendon\u00e7a, \u201cour time needs new masters,\u201d and Saint Hildegard\u2019s \u201cpolyphonic profile\u201d can serve as an antidote to the excess of monotony.<\/p>\n

He explained that she can inspire new visions and introduce us to a \u201clingua ignota\u201d (an unknown language), as in \u201ca creative force that encourages more inclusive social paradigms and fosters communal and fraternal practices.\u201d<\/p>\n

The project draws on the chants, writings, and visionary images of the Benedictine abbess, who was canonized in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI. \u201cShe may seem distant as a 12th-century mystic, but her voice is strikingly contemporary, capable of illuminating present-day questions,\u201d the Cardinal pointed out.<\/p>\n

A long-term project <\/p>\n

The Pavilion creates a harmonious relationship between works by 24 artists and the spaces in which they are held: the Mystical Garden of the Discalced Carmelites in the Cannaregio area of Venice and the Santa Maria Ausiliatrice complex in the Castello neighbourhood of the city.<\/p>\n

Obrist explained that this latter complex had already been a part of the Holy See\u2019s Pavilion for the Biennale’s Architecture Exhibition last year, and said the spatial continuity\u00a0allows the project to grow sustainably without dismantling previous work.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

\n The press conference presenting the Pavilion \u00a0 (@VaticanNews)\n <\/p>\n

A holistic experience <\/p>\n

For Obrist, the project has developed over time and was shaped by memories and instances in which he came into contact with the cultural heritage left by Saint Hildegard.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor Saint Hildegard, sound was a form of knowledge. Music becomes a link between the self and the world, between the microcosm and the macrocosm,\u201d he said, emphasizing the holistic experience awaiting visitors.<\/p>\n

Obrist hopes that the Holy See Pavilion will help people rediscover the importance of listening.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Saint Hildegard as a bridge between heaven and Earth <\/p>\n

The other curator, Ben Vickers, described Saint Hildegard as a role model, as she knew how to connect heaven and earth through song, while highlighting the primacy of listening.<\/p>\n

The Soundwalk Collective, an international experimental sound art collective, played a central role in the creation of the first section of the Pavilion in the Mystical Garden. There, new sound works by musicians, poets, and contemporary artists engage with Saint Hildegard\u2019s legacy through voice, instruments, and silence.<\/p>\n

Visitors will be able to walk through the Mystical Garden, a space dedicated to contemplation and not usually accessible to the public, and that was inspired by Saint Teresa of Avila\u2019s book \u201cThe Interior Castle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thanks to the use of headphones, visitors will also be able to listen as they walk to compositions by artists such as Patti Smith, Brian Eno, Jim Jarmusch, and Meredith Monk, alongside Benedictine nuns from the Abbey of St. Hildegard in Germany and more.<\/p>\n

Visitors will immerse themselves in the sounds of the place, using a tool also created by the Soundwalk Collective to hear the voice of nature in real time, but also that of \u201cone\u2019s interior space,\u201d said Simone Merli, who works for the Collective.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn immersive experience, the Mystical Garden is a somewhat hidden gem, but one that is very dear to the hearts of Venetians,\u201d Merli explained. \u201cThe Carmelites have given us this wonderful opportunity to be part of their daily lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

\n The press conference presenting the Pavilion \u00a0 (@VaticanNews)\n <\/p>\n

Saint Hildegard and Saint Teresa: guides for the soul <\/p>\n

Father Ermanno Barucco, of the Order of Discalced Carmelites, described the Mystical Garden in Venice as a place of silence, beauty, zeal for God and contemplation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI imagine Saint Hildegard and Saint Teresa, with their different characteristics, accompanying people into the mystical garden within their souls, where God dwells,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese two saints teach us to care for others. Silence compels us to listen within ourselves, to listen to our own conscience, and to ask ourselves if we are building a good, beautiful world for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Listening as a path to understanding divine charity <\/p>\n

The Santa Maria Ausiliatrice complex, on the other hand, will become a contemporary scriptorium, meaning the place where books and manuscripts were once copied and illuminated.<\/p>\n

It will be divided into three parts: a living archive, a space with German author and film director Alexander Kluge\u2019s final work, and the liturgical chant of the nuns of the Abbey of Saint Hildegard.<\/p>\n

In the archive, curated in collaboration with Sister Maura Z\u00e1tonyi and the Academy of Saint Hildegard, visitors will find a library of Hildegardian texts, Portuguese artist Ilda David\u2019s artist books, and a new monastic architectural project by the architecture firm, Tatiana Bilbao Estudio.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

\n The press conference presenting the Pavilion \u00a0 (@VaticanNews)\n <\/p>\n

Creation, as an act of love <\/p>\n

As Pope Benedict XVI wrote in the apostolic letter accompanying the proclamation of Saint Hildegard as a Doctor of the Church, \u201ccreation is an act of love by which the world can emerge from nothingness. Hence, through the whole range of creatures, divine love flows as a river. Of all creatures, God loves man in a special way and confers upon him an extraordinary dignity, giving him that glory which the rebellious angels lost.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Holy See\u2019s Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale, inspired by the life and work of Saint Hildegard…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":414928,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[787,1503,195865,146,14656,85,46,195864],"class_list":["post-414927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-art","tag-culture","tag-culture-and-society","tag-entertainment","tag-holy-see","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-saints-and-blessed"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414927","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=414927"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414927\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/414928"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=414927"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=414927"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=414927"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}