Friends of Borges

"He who reads a line of Borges
(re)discovers the best library..."

The International Foundation Can Mossenya - Jorge Luis Borges

"Du projet à la chose
long est le trajet"
Molière

Jorge Luis Borges and his
friend Jacobo Sureda, circa 1920

The creation of this Spanish foundation started in the year 2000 and was completed by August 2002. Its goal is the restoration and development of the historic estate of Son Mossènyer (meaning "Residence of Monsignor" in Majorcan language, and also known as Can Moseña, in the Castilian spelling or Ca´n Mossenya in the Catalan one).

Under any variation of name, Can Moseña is the same historic part of the Royal Chartreuse of Jesus of Nazareth , located in Valldemossa, which was an ensemble of buildings and land founded in 1300 by the Carthusian monks, the Christian Order of Saint Bruno, to find silence and peace to consacrate their lives to God, in autonomy from earthly powers. From its seven centuries of precious spiritual, historic and artistic heritage, let us outline the hospitality and the inspiration that the idyllic landscape has offered, over the centuries, to many young people of talent, including: Jorge Luis Borges (with his friend Jacobo Sureda whose family bought part of the estate after the confiscation and sale of Church properties by the Spanish Prime Minister Mendizábal) at the beginning of his immortal trajectory in the craft of verse.

As part of the Royal Chartreuse of Jesus of Nazareth, Can Mossenya was clasified in 1971 as National Heritage of the Kingdom of Spain, on the study and recommendations of the Spanish Royal Academy of Beaux Arts, which has the constitutional duty to care for the historic and artistic patrimony of the estate. This historic status was recognised to protect the whole artistic estate from the foreseeable commercial egoisms which would, as the turism increases, threat the integrity of this national heritage, as it is in fact the case now due to what the investigative press call the "cement pact" (or cement mafia) between the "Popular Party" founded by the interior minister of Franco's dictatorship and the owner of a local cement enterprise who, against the vote of the large majority of citizens as a politician candidate, got, because of this cement pact, the presidency of the Majorcan administration [to learn more visit our page Winter in Majorca, in the News section of this site]

The foundation´s goal is to protect, recover, consolidate and renew the infrastructures in order to resume the life of this rich spiritual and artistic heritage as an idyllic support for the education and promotion of new talents in the artistic, intellectual and civic fields.

We are thus working (without any political support, rather the contrary because the local authorities are greedy politicians in the cement business) to make reality the dream of protecting the cultural and spiritual legacy of Can Mossenya by developing its potential into the following infrastructures:

a Castle of Poets [dedicated to William Shakespeare],
a City of Arts [dedicated to Adolfo Bioy Casares] with
a Library of Babel [dedicated to Plato] and equipped with
a Theatre ["The Well of the Quixote"] dedicated to modern authors from Shakespeare and Cervantes onwards;
a Panoramic Auditorium, multifunctional [dedicated to Socrates];
a Centre for Classic Humanities & Greek Theatre [dedicated to Homer and performing arts from the Greek and Latin authors]; and
an Ecumenical Auditorium for Cultures [an space namely for the three monotheist cultures and their Heights of Inspiration: Averroes, Maimonedes, St Augustine, etc. and dedicate to the dialogue of cultures from around the globe]; Gardens dedicated to Poetry and Music; etc.

The aim is to employ the renew infrastructures to support new generations of artists and intellectuals, offering them shelter in an oasis of inspiration where they can find the quality of time to deepen their personal education and to develop their talents supported by the companionship of the greatest contemporary masters in their own vocational field.

A Charterhouse is a heaven of peace protected by creation's beauty

The Grand Chartreuse, France, founded by St Bruno in 1200
The Chartreuse Massif, designated in 1995 as the Parc Naturel Régional de Chartreuse, stretches north from Grenoble towards Chambéry and, like Vercors, is not easy to visit without your own vehicle. The landscape, however, is spectacular, and very different to that of the Vercors: precipitous limestone peaks, mountain pastures and thick forest. he main local landmark is the Grande Chartreuse monastery, situated up the narrow Gorges des Guiers Mort, southeast of St-Laurent-du-Pont, and some 35km from Grenoble, one of nineteen Carthusian monasteries still functioning worldwide. The Carthusian Order, dating from the eleventh century, was the last great monastic reform movement, and was founded in answer to the degeneration of the Cistercian Order. Practising a strictly hermit-like existence, its members live in cells and meet only for Mass and a weekly communal meal, eaten in silence. Since 1605, however, the Carthusians have been better known as the producers of Chartreuses – powerfully alcoholic herbal elixirs, ranging from the better-known green and yellow variants to a number of gentler fruit liqueurs. The monastery is not open to the public, but near the village of ST-PIERRE-DE-CHARTREUSE, 5km back on the Grenoble road, you can visit the Musée de la Grande Chartreuse, formerly La Correrie monastery, which illustrates the life of the Carthusian Order.

The following picture shows the building of The Grand Chartreuse Museum near Grenoble, France

Watch the trailer of Into Great Silence (Die GroBe Stille) by Philip Groening

Chartreuse of Reposoir, founded in 1151 by Jean of Spain
located between the town of Cluses and the top of the Colombière, in the Aravis mountains, France

Chartreuse de St Croix en Jarez, France,
in the Regional Natural Park of Pilat

Charterhouse of St. Lawrence in Padula, Italy

St Hugh's Charterhouse, Parkminster, England, UK

Chartreuse of Vallbonne, France
It is located at 50kms of Avignon, is an historic monument own and managed by a Protestant association
Set in the heart of a magnificent thousand-year-old forest, the Chartreuse de Valbonne, historic monument dating from the 13th century , is located between the gorges of the Ardeche and the Ceze river valley. The site offers, in an exceptional environment, hotel-seminar services, concerts, and a complete range of Cotes du Rhone wines. A nationally recognized non-profit association now manages this monastery, which has always had a calling for hospitality, solidarity and sharing.