Home – Cathedral of Thorns

The Cathedral of Thorns

The Cathedral of Thorns is a full 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 consciousness of the similarities between religions, the design includes symbols of today's world religions and ancient nature-based religions. The walls have niches containing objects of contemporary art by guest artists, expressing 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 in 2016, and was 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.

Dear Friend of Bloemhof,

Landhuis Bloemhof will temporarily close to the public starting Tuesday, March 17. All upcoming programs are cancelled or postponed.

This decision was taken due to the recent developments with the Corona virus on our island. Landhuis Bloemhof is a gathering place for many people and we are taking this precaution because the health and well-being of our staff, community, and visitors is our number one priority. We are closely monitoring the situation and will inform you via social media, our website and our mailing list.

We apologize for the inconvenience but feel we have to act responsible on behalf of all.
We hope to welcome you back to Landhuis Bloemhof soon. And please take all necessary precautions to keep you and yours safe.

Team Landhuis Bloemhof

I was officially celebrated, honored, inaugurated, all my sumpinas in a row, adored, beloved, admired. And after the great opening, which felt my prickly fingers reach out to artists, performers and musicians, the magic kept on coming. No longer am I merely the backdrop for nice pictures, a décor for humans doing what humans do. No, I sang! And the whole month of February, I was filled with musical vibrations, high frequency performances, of the dark and the light. I saw humans losing themselves in my labyrinth, and finding themselves in eachothers’ arms. It’s a great gift, to see the world from my perspective.

February was a peak month for me. I don’t often address you directly, as an entity, and many of you may not be aware that I have a life and consciousness of my own. But, yes, as the Cathedral of Thorns, I am my own being, with my own unique perspective.

As February changes into March, my creator Artist, who many of you know as Herman, and his partner in crime, you call her Daisy, keep the fire burining. The Work continues, so I can reach ever higher, my arms ever stronger, like the sumpiña filled wings of the Angel rising up to my third eye during the Inauguration. I hope to see you again, I hope you’ll keep coming to me, supporting the Work.