Course description

Theatre director Kalle Holmberg and writer and philosopher Torsti Lehtinen were familiar sights at the Valamo monastery, which they both considered their spiritual home. They visited there together and separately to lecture, discuss, walk in nature and attend church services. The masters, recognized as experts in their own fields, created a close relationship with each other and engaged in debates related to existence, faith, grace and competition. Dostoevsky, Tarkovsky, Kierkegaard and other well-known thinkers were recurring themes in their speeches. The Old Masters course remembers Holmberg and Lehtinen and sets up discussions according to their heritage. It strives for a gentle but uncompromising dialogue, which was a lifeline for Kalle and Torsti. During the course, a panihida, or memorial service, will be held in the memory of the masters in the main church of Valamo. The weekend is a tribute to the old masters, while also celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Valamo College.