Sanctificium

The Dutch Mystical Theology Lab

Theology of Mind straight out of the Hermitage

The Essence of Religion

Love for christianity has rather cooled in the west, probably because we have been abusing it to the brink of destruction. Why does religion, these days, always have to be about something other than itself: morals, politics, power, sex, to name but a few? Isn't it far too precious to waste on things like that? Isn't it, in fact, supposed to be about our deepest core? About experiencing the Divine? Isn't it about the loving relationship between the Absolute and the human soul? The mystery of consciousness? At Sanctificium we focus on exactly that: opening up testimonies of personal religious experience, and translating them for modern readers, Christian or not.   

Down-To-Earth

The bulk of our content takes a scholarly approach, even if our main lecturer is a Catholic priest and hermit. We like to think everybody can study with us, regardless of religious affinity.

Stroopwafel access

Having a Dutch teacher means having direct access to medieval Flemish and German mystical texts, which are arguably the pinnacle of mystical writing in the Christian west.

No Secular Sterility

Apart from the scholarly stuff we do also have an unashamedly devout department of spiritual pilgrimage. Just put on your headphones and hike to your inner sanctuary.
Programmes
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Heritage reclaimed

Mystical texts describe experiencing the ineffable, which by definition should be impossible. Most of our sources bypassed this problem by cleverly using philosophical language and poetic paradoxes. This, however, gave them the reputation of being incomprehensible mumbo jumbo. A pity, of course, because with just a pinch of knowledge of technical terms and a spoonfull of experience, they rapidly open up. In them, the core of Christianity sheds its moralistic, legalistic and dogmatic disguise and opens up in all its loveliness.
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Our Lecturer

Father Hugo is a priest and hermit of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Groningen-Leeuwarden in the north of the Netherlands. He studied Church History and Mystical Theology at KU Leuven in Louvain. For many years he has given well-attended courses on these subjects and presented a television series on mysticism for the Dutch public broadcaster (KRO-NCRV). He is known for his down-to-earth approach to the subject, his clear explanations and his typically Northern Dutch wit.