Below is a photo gallery and a video from the IX Annual Lenten Retreat sponsored by Holy Virgin Cathedral in San Francisco on Sunday April 17, 2016.

The retreat “Redeeming Modern Life” was centered on the theme of aesthetics in life and in the Orthodox Church. Attendees came from various Orthodox Jurisdictions.

Here is a video of a very engaging and timely lecture by Khouria Krista West entitled “Envisioning the Kingdom: the Why and How of Beauty in the Church.”

“Aesthetics is the contemplation and consideration of beauty, “ she states.

In ancient times, “the study of aesthetics was akin to the study of God, the beautiful God. The study of Theology would have been a sub-heading under the umbrella of the study of Aesthetics.”

Khouria Krista’s talk is divided into three parts:

1. The features of Orthodox aesthetics
2. Six aesthetic categories according to Panagiotis Michelis found in his book “An Aesthetic Approach to Byzantine Art”
3. In practice, how is beauty expressed in the Orthodox Church

Beauty is not intended to be merely observed. It is meant to be experienced, perceived through an integrated balance of all the senses. Beauty is experienced in unhurried stillness.