The Cathedral of Thorns

The Cathedral of Thorns is a building-sized illuminated labyrinth on the Caribbean Island of Curaçao. Visitors are invited to walk through its corridors and experience an artistic journey through a troublesome history toward a bright future - both sides represented by the hostile yet beautiful thorns. To raise awareness of the similarities between religions, the design includes symbols of today's world religions and ancient nature-based religions. The walls have niches that hold objects of contemporary art from guest artists to express mankind's ability to change, share and collaborate through creativity. In addition, the labyrinth also functions as a stage for performances. The Cathedral of Thorns was designed by Herman van Bergen, winner of the prestigious Cola Debrot Award 2016, and is constructed by unemployed youth. This work of art (in progress) unites all themes of Van Bergen's previous thorn-art sculptures into one expansive project: a building honoring Mother Nature and the Free Spirit that achieves change through creativity.