“O living flame of love”: Sisters Ines Maria and Sonia of the Monastery of Conversion share their thoughts on the Observatory of the Invisible at El Escorial

A fire that consumes, a living flame of love, “an opportunity to share with others what has been contemplated: Jesus.” From July 21 to 26, the fifth edition of the Observatory of the Invisible (OI) took place at the Royal College Alfonso XII and the Royal University College María Cristina in El Escorial, Spain.

This summer course in art and spirituality gathered more than 150 participants, who experienced firsthand how beauty becomes a pathway both to encounter others and to encounter God.

Painter Antonio López, musician Ignacio Yepes, and flamenco singer El Niño de Elche —together with Bishop Luis Argüello, president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference —joined “the observers” and the artists leading the ten workshops that made up the OI, in a week brimming with moments of prayer and shared creation.

Our Augustinian sisters Inés María and Sofía, from the Monastery of the Conversion in Sotillo de la Adrada (Ávila), were privileged witnesses of this fifth edition of the Observatory.

We spoke with them.

Sister Sofía, how did you experience this OI?

This year was different for me. I had the opportunity to take part in last year’s OI, held at the Monastery of Santa Espina in Valladolid. I did not experience it so much in the light of novelty, as I did then, but rather as an opportunity to reconnect with many who had already been “observers.” Our participation at the Observatory is essentially this presence. It was a week of simply being there among all the participants, as witnesses of consecrated life, but also as young women. I would say that for us the Observatory is a great space to see how God becomes visible in so many restless hearts who seek Him through beauty.

And Sister Inés María, in what way did the OI speak to you? What has resonated most deeply and what do you carry back to the monastery?

(Sister Inés María) What struck me most was how close the participants were to each other, the simplicity with which they approached us, their curiosity about consecrated life, and the joy with which they welcomed us. All of this was accompanied by His presence in the daily Eucharist, in the polyphonic prayer of the afternoons, in the blessing of meals together, and in countless other simple gestures that made God palpable among us.

(Sister Sofía) Personally, I was especially moved by meeting Miguel Coronado, the artist who guided our painting workshop—a man who is a living witness to life in Christ. Beyond the formative aspect—which I look forward to applying in our own crafts workshops at the Monastery of the Conversion—what resonated most deeply was his way of living art in harmony with faith, even when it is not explicitly sacred art.

“The Invisible” revealed itself among all the workshop participants, and I would say in all the workshops as well, not as something to be represented, but as a Presence that touched us through everything we experienced.

Why do you consider these summer courses in art and spirituality important?

(Sister Inés María) They offer a precious opportunity to bring together two complementary paths: spirituality and art, the life of faith within the ecclesial community and the gift that God has given us to manifest beauty. The Observatory of the Invisible is concentrated into a single week, a time of sharpening the five senses, refined by spirituality.

(Sister Sofía) I believe the Observatory of the Invisible is significant because it offers a space for silence, contemplation, and creation. It is a beautiful opportunity to seek God from within a community experience.

What can the Order learn from this type of initiative?

(Sister Inés María) We can learn to recognize the grandeur of Creation. Art is a vehicle that leads us to the transcendent, fostering a contemplative gaze. The sensible dimension of art becomes a pathway, a road that leads to the deepest core of our being, which is God Himself. It is, I would say, an inseparable unity.

(Sister Sofía) This kind of initiative is deeply connected with the Augustinian spirit because it bears the mark of Augustine’s restless heart. Saint Augustine was ever in search of Truth and Beauty. In his Confessions, he recounts how he discovered God through interiority, wonder, and contemplation of creation. These initiatives put into practice that very search which Augustine himself lived.

What has it meant that an event of this kind was hosted at the College Alfonso XII and the RCU María Cristina, both Augustinian institutions?

(Sister Sofía) The Monastery of El Escorial possesses a unique beauty that shows how human beings are capable of great projects for the glory of God. It is therefore the perfect place to host such an initiative of art and spirituality. It was a very comfortable space in which to live this week. I believe we can all say that we felt at home.

(Sister Inés María) It has been a very special gift to walk through the cloisters, to contemplate the paintings on display along the corridors, to be part of such a beautiful architectural structure. To behold the grandeur contained within the College Alfonso XII has been deeply enriching. It has added an extra dimension to the Observatory of the Invisible, while at the same time reinforcing its inherent spiritual tone. And being welcomed at the RCU María Cristina gave us the chance to take in the privileged setting of El Escorial, a place where beauty unfolds at every turn.

About the Observatory of the Invisible

The Observatory of the Invisible is an initiative promoted by the Fundación Vía del Arte, where established artists live alongside and collaborate with student-artists, fostering an experience of creation, learning, prayer, encounter, and dialogue.

This year, the school held its activities at the Royal Monastery of El Escorial, thanks to the hospitality of the Augustinian community of the Monastery and the mediation of the General Curia. The program revolved around ten workshops:

• Niño de Elche | Fire in the Mouth

• Ignacio Yepes | In the Warmth of the Cantigas

• Javiera de la Fuente | Song of the Divine

• José Mateos | Writing Poetry to Become Poetry

• El Primo de Saint Tropez and Raúl Marcos | The Three Ways of Mysticism

• Miguel Coronado | The Idea of Beauty as a Stimulus for Painting

• José Castiella | Painting and Re-enchantment

• Rosell Meseguer | From Flame to Photon

• Matilde Olivera | Subtleties of Volume

• Alicia Ventura | Curatorial Practices in the 21st Century

Alongside exploring and creating within their chosen workshops, participants also had the privilege of attending masterclasses and discussions in an environment of prayer and shared creation.

At the close of each day, students and teachers together built an art evening where every workshop presented the fruit of its labor, sparking fascinating exchanges among the different artistic disciplines.