Art and the Christian Faith
During August and September St George’s is planning to run a series of events on Art and Faith, culminating in an opportunity to visit an art exhibition in Iznajar.
People who join the programme will be able to watch the material in their own time at home and join with others online to share reflections and questions. This short summer series will conclude with a visit to the Campestre Arts Festival in Iznájar organised by Marijke Cazemier. If you would like to register your interest, contact Fr Louis by email or WhatsApp.
Encountering Scripture through Art
During August and September St George’s will be sharing an exciting resource called the Visual Commentary on Scripture, to enable us to engage thoughtfully on the nature of Jesus in the light of a number of well known and lesser known works of art. The objective is to stimulate fresh perspectives, help us think differently about what we think we already know and learn more about the rich tradition of Christian faith as expressed through the lens of the artist.
Each week a different video will be shared on a particular event in the life of Christ for you to watch in your own time. There’s a dedicated WhatsApp group that you’re invited to join to share with others in your questions and reactions. We are a diverse bunch and there’s room for everyone – regardless of how much or how little you think you know. We learn from each other. There will be an opportunity to meet with others online via Zoom to help deepen our learning for those who would value this. Simply click this link to join the WhatsApp group.
The summer group on art and faith has been organised as a result of the congregational survey last October in which members of St George’s identified five priorities for us as a church, which included Christian education provided in person and online. Our aspiration is to become more consciously a learning community and we hope this initiative we help us achieve this.
You can join anytime, but the sooner you join the more rewarding you will find the learning. Contact Fr Louis contact Fr Louis by email or WhatsApp for more information.
Professor Ben Quash, priest and academic at Kings College London and a key person behind the project describes the ethos of the Visual Commentary on Scripture: “The Visual Commentary on Scripture is a freely accessible online publication that provides theological commentary on the Bible in dialogue with works of art. It helps its users to (re)discover the Bible in new ways through the illuminating interaction of artworks, scriptural texts, and commissioned commentaries. The VCS combines three academic disciplines: theology, art history, and biblical scholarship. While the project’s main commitment is to theology, it is responsibly informed by the latter two disciplines. Each section of the VCS is a virtual exhibition comprising a biblical passage, three art works, and their associated commentaries. The curators of each exhibition select artworks that they consider will open up the biblical texts for interpretation, and/or offer new perspectives on themes the texts address. The commentaries explain and interpret the relationships between the works of art and the scriptural text. The virtual exhibitions of the VCS aim to facilitate new possibilities of seeing and reading so that the biblical text and the selected works of art come alive in new and vivid ways.”
Campestre Arts
The Campestre Arts Festival takes place 15th to 18th September 2026, It started life in 2023 at Fr Hilary´s cortijo, Casa Campestre, in the village of Fuente del Conde, in Cordoba province. Having expanded significantly, it will take place this year in the beautiful Caserío de Iznájar hotel.
The festival, which runs each day from 7.30pm – 11pm, supports St George’s partner, the charity Age in Spain – the first national charity in Spain dedicated to the welfare of English-speaking older people. More details here.
Campestre Arts can best be described as a pop-up art gallery, displaying paintings & sculptures by local artists. There is an opportunity to purchase their works, and a percentage of the sales goes to Age in Spain. Further details at the Festival website here.
We are hoping to arrange transport for people coming up from Malaga and the costas for the opening night, 15th September. Typically some 40% of the art is sold on that night, making it a very attractive night to visit. To manage numbers, we are asking people to buy a ticket for the first night in advance, for a modest €10. Not only does this guarantee entry, but it also covers the cost of a welcome drink, canapes, live music and entry to the raffle!
Details of transport options will be published on this page as they become available. In the meantime, you can book your ticket here.
