About

International Festival of Orthodox Music

Archaion Kallos 2024

Once again, the Philokallia association invites you to the Archaion Kallos International Festival of Orthodox Music. Join us for a beautiful spiritual and musical experience. In its literal sense, the Greek expression “archaion kallos” means “ancient beauty,” but in the vocabulary of the Holy Fathers of the Eastern Christian Church, “archaion kallos” speaks of a certain archetype, an “original beauty;” that is to say, the beauty which man beheld in Paradise and which he experienced after Creation.  The Philokallia Association (philokallia, a word of Greek origin meaning “love of the beautiful”) gave this name to the first and only festival of Orthodox music in Prague because we perceive every act in sacred music, whether of composition or interpretation, as a kind of conscious or unconscious search for this pristine beauty, the Archaion Kallos.

The festival is held under the auspices of
the Minister of Culture, Mgr. Martin Baxa,
the Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus,
the Embassy of the Hellenic Republic,
the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria,
the Councillor of Prague 2, Ing. Jaroslav Šolc

and with the blessings of
His Eminence Michal, Archbishop of Prague and the Czech Lands.

We look forward to seeing you and trust that this year’s festival will take us all a step closer to Archaion Kallos.