The New Temple

See All This invites you to an unforgettable Sleep Over: on January 19, we will host a mini-retreat in old monastery in the south of the country. Attend the opening of a special project, dine by candlelight and embroider yourself on The New Temple.

As we sat making plans, we came up with a crazy idea. It had to do with that sense of belonging that was created and that feeling of secretly wanting to figure things out when you see those monastery corridors. What are we going to do? We’re organizing a Sleep Over. We will attend the opening on January 19, dine by candlelight, and after a good sip of herbal liquor distilled by the monastery, we will stay in the monastery cells. The following day, we will embroider with many shades of gold thread well into the afternoon. Yes, I am there, the question is where are you? – Nicole Ex

On view for the first time on Jan. 19: Spirit + Matter = Essence, the first museum presentation of Ellis Schoonhoven’s monumental project The New Temple. It is a community art project: in the chapel of Museum de Schat van Simpelveld, everyone is invited to collaborate on the interior and exterior on the spot. Thus an embroidery and sewing workshop is once again created in the former monastery and The New Temple is taking shape. See All This is organizing a special program around this opening for readers. Read more below and reserve your spot in time (number of participants is limited!).

Prefer to embroider at home? Order an embroidery box here.

4 pm: reception
5 p.m.: opening Spirit + Matter = Essence, meet Anna Verwaal (known from From Womb to World), Nicole Ex (editor-in-chief See All This art magazine) and Ellis Schoonhoven (artist The New Temple)
6 p.m.: drinks
7:30 p.m.: dinner*

Saturday, January 20
08.00 a.m.: yoga or morning program (your choice)
09.00 a.m.: breakfast
10.30 a.m.: introduction Spirit + Matter = Essence by Ellis Schoonhoven
11:00 a.m.: embroidery workshop by Ellis Schoonhoven
13.00 hrs: lunch
15.00 hrs: conclusion, visit to the Museum de Schat van Simpelveld

* Catering during your stay vegetarian. If you have any other dietary requirements or allergies, please let us know.

‘Creating The New Temple is like a journey, a pilgrimage. A map of potential transformation where we connect with golden threads. We bring people together, and back to themselves. ‘If there is no connection with yourself there is no connection with the other,’ says artist Ellis Schoonhoven. ‘It will be a sacred place: in the sense of untouched, true, pure, enveloping, revealing, protecting, connecting. A light, transparent space full of universal symbolism in beautiful, golden embroidery and natural fabrics. An invitation to silently turn inward and reconnect from there. The power and energy of the universal symbols embroidered in gold – made with attention by hundreds of artisans – help you find your true natural nature and rhythm and attune to this frequency.’

The form and dimensions of The New Temple are based on universal forms, dimensions and symbolism: on Divine Geometry, the Golden Ratio and the Fibonacci sequence. Even more concretely, The New Temple has the basic shape of a Celtic Cross. The cross as a symbol of wholeness represents with its vertical line spirit (SPIRIT) and with its horizontal line matter (MATTER). The circle around the isosceles cross symbolizes harmony and wholeness (ESSENCE). The symbols embroidered in gold form the interior of The New Temple. Embroideries created during the period of the exhibition will be added on site.

Museum the Treasure of Simpelveld is housed in a monumental monastery building and has a special collection of highly refined embroidery – “painted with needle and thread” – from the 19th and 20th centuries that ranks among the absolute best in the world. In addition, the museum displays a magnificent collection of religious objects and provides a glimpse into monastic life in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

When in 1875 all monastic orders had to leave Germany, the “Congregation of the Sisters of the Poor Child Jesus” settled in nearby Simpelveld. Since moving into this complex of buildings, the worldwide congregation has been administered from Simpelveld. Children were also received, cared for and taught at this place. In the South Limburg workshops, the most beautiful paraments (all objects made of textiles used in the Catholic Church) and wax figures were made. The embroidery from this workshop was very popular worldwide. This made it possible to provide for a large part of the Congregation’s income. Eventually, the sisters remained active in Huize Loreto with great dedication until 2012 and then returned to Aachen.

Six years later, in 2018, the Museum opened the Treasure of Simpelveld, which exhibits the most impressive pieces in an appealing way. But it is also a place where the knowledge and skill of over a century of art production is passed on to a new generation. The sisters themselves play an important role in this, both in front of and behind the scenes.

NEW LORETO, SPA FOR THE SOUL

Under the name New Loreto and still in connection with the Sisters, the former convent complex in Simpelveld is getting a new destination. Shielded from the outside world by high monastery walls, without too much luxury, but comfortable, with a beautiful monastery garden and serene chapel, New Loreto is an ideal place for anyone who wants to nourish the soul. In the Tuscany of the Netherlands, the monastery is transforming into a Spa for the Soul; a place for peace and quiet.

New Loreto has a number of guest rooms, which are simply furnished. You stay in the rooms that originally belonged to the Sisters and use a shared bathroom, kitchen and living room. The rooms are furnished with one or two single beds.