WELCOME TO THE FRIENDS OF SOPHIA

Icon of Holy Wisdom, St George Vologda (late 16th century)

The Notre Dame de la Belle Verrière (The Blue Virgin)
12th century stained glass window in Chartres Cathedral.
We seek to develop the Friends of Sophia as a community of hospitality: many researchers and artists have great projects which do not always find an easy welcome in the academy, galleries and elsewhere.
The conferences combine the intellectual curiosity and strength of an academic seminar with the atmosphere of a retreat. We are rooted in a Christian centre, from which we engage in conversation with other spiritualities and faith traditions. Our approach is strongly holistic, involving the body and the performing arts as well as the intellect. We have found that this approach cultivates harmonious friendships across a wide variety of traditions and viewpoints. While avoiding all easy syncretisms, we are finding places, and spaces, for listening and exploring harmony and wisdom together, and are being surprised by many hidden and subtle connections.
On the Friends of Sophia website you will find -
Conferences – you can find the lectures and performances from our three previous annual conferences, as well as information on the 2021 conference.
Retreats - The flyer and booking for the 2021 retreat ‘The Hidden Vision of God: the Vision of Wisdom’ on Holy Island, Scotland, is available here.
Research/Arts and forthcoming events.
Conversation – As Wisdom is the one who joins together and delights to be with people, our NEW CONVERSATION PIECE is international: celebrating visual art and a poem by Ela Łazarewicz-Wyrzykowska, who is at home between Warsaw, Poland, and Cambridge, England.

Cosmic Cross, Mausoleum of Gallia Placidia, Ravenna, Italy.
Photo: Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P.