On Saturday, June 17, the Santa Candida Exhibition Space opened its doors in the emblematic Palacio Montellano, Salamanca. This initiative, framed in the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Congregation, seeks to update the charism and bring the present generations closer to the figure of St. Candida.
The Space began its journey in 1971 and in 2019, during a canonical visit to the Colegio Mayor Montellano, the Provincial Superior received a request from the Management Team and the community to renew it.
From this request, this new space was conceived as a place of reflection and observation, where visitors can immerse themselves in the inner world of Mother Candida and understand how her charism crystallized over time. Through immersive experiences that combine light and sound, the circumstances and motivations that inspired her work are revealed.
This project has taken shape thanks to the joint work of a dedicated and committed team. Its members include Rubén del Castillo and Daniel Sánchez, two professors with an extensive academic background and a shared passion for geography, history, and art. Their dedication and commitment have been instrumental in turning the vision of the Santa Candida Exhibition Space into a tangible reality.
After years of intense work, this space is now a reality and aspires to become a cultural enclave within the offer of the city of Salamanca. The inauguration ceremony, which was attended by the Superior General, Graciela Francovig, the General Government, the Government of Spain and Italy, and members of the Mother Candida Family, was followed by an exclusive tour of the different floors of the building.
Graciela’s words:
Beyond a journey into the past, 111 years after the departure of M. Candida, I would like for us, who are going to walk the corridors, staircases… through which she walked, that these spaces lead our inner look to the present and to what we wish to work with hope,
- that will awaken, more than our admiration and gratitude, the question of what can lead us, beyond ourselves, to improve our world;
- that will illuminate the searches that each one of us is making in our own time;
- to discover “contrasted” keys to face the present and even the future;
that would put us in connection with a vital trust capable of making us “saints”, men and women of God, open to the needs of those who are near or farther away;
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What is there? The second floor places you in the timeline of St. Candida, a courageous, Christian, and committed woman. In the current oratory In the room where Mother Candida died, we find a call to sanctity, an experience that ascends through the tower to enter into different places: first, the heart of St. Candida, a place that embodies the charism of the Congregation; then the call of the Spirit through the tower, a call to be a mother, a friend, an entrepreneur. And, finally, we will see how this charisma is still alive today.
The St. Candida Exhibition Space is open to members of the Mother Candida Family, and the general public, who wish to discover a fascinating story of faith, contemplation, and action. If you are interested in visiting it, you can request your visit in advance.
The legacy of Mother Candida awaits you in Salamanca, where past and present intertwine to inspire and nourish your spirit.
