Mission
Our mission is:
- To offer an enriching and inspiring experience that touches the visitor’s soul and spirit through exhibitions and programmes involving art, architecture, music, and digital and audio/visual media;
- To educate and to share with visitors the beauty of Christian art and to learn about the story of Christianity, its teachings and its relevance to people’s lives today;
- To offer opportunities to study the art collection and to conduct academic research; to build partnerships with researchers in such fields as art history, social teaching, and theology, in order to advance the knowledge and understanding of Christian art;
- To be present in the community, local as well as global; to be welcoming and inclusive, and to live the Christian faith.
Objectives
The foundation aims to manage and sustain the “House of Leyden”, a hospitable institution for Christian art where Christianity, with its emphasis on faith, hope, and love, is brought to life through the beauty of art, architecture, education, and music.
It provides a space where individuals can contribute to bringing Christianity to life through study, education, publications, and the creation of art and exhibitions.
Additionally, visitors can become acquainted with and interested in the message of Christianity and the significance it holds for them.
Furthermore, the foundation undertakes to organize all activities that aim to promote these objectives, provided they serve the public interest.
Policy
To achieve its objectives, the foundation vows:
- To preserve, manage (including the acquisition and sale of items), conserve, restore, and document a collection of Judeo-Christian art and historical objects.
- To research, collect and make accessible its collection and related Christian art, teachings and history, educating the public by means of presentations, performances, exhibitions, and continually evolving digital offerings, geared in particular to young people.
In line with its mission and objectives, HvL aspires to be an institute that exerts a cultural and spiritual influence on the city of Leiden, by means of the following:
- Housing a staff that curates, conserves, and documents the collection and directs the programming;
- Organizing musical performances connected with the mission of HvL;
- Hosting lectures aligned with the mission of HvL;
- Furthering research on objects in the collection and the associated iconography of the art from a theological or art-historical perspective;
- Developing charity initiatives that focus on the residents of the city of Leiden.
- Maintaining a team that builds and preserves a digital presence with the agenda of important Christian themes.
The institute aims to serve the public interest and hopes to contribute to society in the broadest sense of the word and to Leiden in particular. We hope that our presence (both physical and digital) will touch visitors and foster the desire to learn more about the message of Christianity and the treasures it holds for each of us. Those who visit HvL will experience our care and love for everyone, and our efforts to touch the heart, soul, and spirit of every visitor.
Stichting HvL has assets that enable it to realize its ambitions, but these do not exceed reasonable bounds, meaning what is necessary to ensure the continuity of our activities. We are supported by gifts, legacies, and other income. The management of these assets is the responsibility of the board.
