"I learn to see" – Advent with Arts, Poetry and Spirituality under the sign of Rainer Maria Rilke

The service sheds light on two often overlooked aspects of Rainer Maria Rilke. Rilke chooses Dresden as a quiet place of return – less glamourous than Prague, Paris or Venice, but full of meaning. The Old Masters drew him to the city again and again. At the same time, Rilke, who did not see himself as belonging to any religious denomination, found an almost religious depth in his attentive view of the world. In the Old Masters Picture Gallery, the two lines come together: his love of Dresden and the religious experience that Rilke gained through his impressive eye contact.

In the face of masterpieces such as Raphael's Sistine Madonna and Correggio's Holy Night, the service enters into an intense dialogue between image, word and faith. Selected poems and prose texts by Rilke characterise the liturgy. Biblical readings, musical elements and impulses from Arts and literature take up the motto and unfold it in the light of Advent.

The ecumenical service, which will also be broadcast as a radio service by MDR, will be organised by Ulrike Irrgang (Dresden), Markus Engelhardt (Dresden), Karl Hecht (Dresden), Jörg Seiler (Erfurt) and Thomas Sojer (Hohenems) and will take place in cooperation with the Dresden State Art Collections, the Frauenkirche Foundation, the "Language Art and Religion" research centre of the Faculty of Catholic Theology at the University of Erfurt and MDR. Karl Hecht, Cornelia Heil and Christian Patzer will sing and play music. Jörg Seiler, Tom Sojer, Angelika Fischer and Thomas Martin will read. Ulrike Irrgang and Pastor Markus Engelhardt will lead the liturgy.

Admission to the State Art Collections is included with participation in the service. An event with the same schedule will take place as a dress rehearsal on the evening before, Saturday, 13 December 2025, at 5.30 pm. A registration is required for both events via the Catholic Academy.