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As the world turns...
The Secret of Silence. The Hidden World of the Carthusians of Roermond

From Friday 27 March 2009 until Sunday 21 June 2009, a special exhibition will be held in Roermond on Carthusian life in the Netherlands, highlighting this order from a national and international perspective. The exhibition will not only pay a lot of attention to the range of Dutch monasteries, buildings, and their history, but also to the wealth of art objects and artefacts that were used here throughout the centuries. Several outstanding works of art from national and international collections, therefore, will be on display in Roermond especially for this occasion.

To experience these treasures afresh and to do justice to the importance of Carthusian life in the Netherlands over the past 800 years, there is not a more suitable venue than the former Carthusian monastery Our Lady of Bethlehem in Roermond. This complex, now the offices of the diocese of Roermond, symbolizes the enormous asset the Carthusians have been for the town of Roermond and its environs, as well as for other Dutch towns. A leading part here is played by Dionysius of Rijkel (1402/03-1471), who was a long-time resident of the Roermond monastery and is probably the most famous Dutch Carthusian.

The former Carthusian monastery Our Lady of Bethlehem in Roermond, therefore, takes pride of place in this exhibition. Its famous Carolus chapel and cloister, which, throughout the centuries, have been part of the Carthusian monastery, the Roermond seminary, and the diocese of Roermond, will now serve as the contemporary backdrop of this large-scale exhibition for a number of months.

Several events relating to Dutch Carthusian life have been tied in with the exhibition. These include:

• An international conference in collaboration with the University of Tilburg, where an array of top-ranking specialists will give lectures on a variety of aspects of Carthusian life
• A showing of the impressive film Die Grosse Stille from 2003 by the German filmmaker Philip Gröning, who has produced an intimate impression of Carthusian life in the mother monastery in Grenoble
• Interesting pictures and presentations on a variety of topics relating to the Roermond monastery, concerts, and related events
• A genuine scriptorium, where children can learn to write like real medieval Carthusian monks