DOST-I
Dominican Study Institute Istanbul
(Dost-I)
in Istanbul, is to promote cultural exchanges and knowledge about the country, its art history and archaeological heritage. We intend to implement forum or training sessions both on an academic level and to cater to a wider audience.
By taking advantage of Istanbul’s extremely rich and diverse religious environment, Dost-I aims to develop a rigorous methodology based on the comparative study of shared issues in order to promote mutual understanding among people of different faiths. This approach is applicable not only to Turkey, but also for Africa and East Asian countries, where non-Arab Muslims and Christians live together.
From its inception, in the thirteenth century, the Dominican presence in Constantinople has been an international project.
Dost-I was established in 1996 after the death of Br. Claverie, when the MO Timothy Radcliffe called for greater efforts to increase intercultural dialogue and ecumenical relations between different Churches and rites.
From the December 29, 2019 to the January 5, 2020 Dost-I will hold a Winter School in Istanbul for all Dominican students.
The aim of the Winter School is to gain an understanding about the cohabitation of Christians and Muslims in Istanbul both historical and contemporary. The participants will discover some of the religious realities that shape the city, the strategies employed to achieve coexistence as well as the challenges, fallings and successes.
Under the guidance of scholars, the participants will discover rich Byzantine and Ottoman heritage through tours of some of the city’s monuments. They will also be introduced to contemporary experiences of faith and devotion through encounters with Muslim, Orthodox, Alevi, Armenian and Syriac communities and by witnessing their prayers/rituals.
The participants will be accommodated at the Dominican Priory of Sen Piyer.
If you are interested please write to info[at]senpiyer.org
SEMINARS
2004 Human Act according to Aristotle, Ibn Sina, Ibn Rushd and Thomas Aquinas
2008 Paul of Tarsus: witnessing the Gospel in mission “outside the walls”
2009 Urban Sociology, new borders: passing migrations and minorities
2013 Auctoritas and potestas in the West and the East
2015 Middle East turmoil between our springtime and the ISIS crisis
2019 Holiness: threshold of the “proximity” of the divine to the human and of the human to the divine (http://senpiyer.org/holiness)
CONFERENCE – EXHIBITION 2016
Dominicans in Constantinople before and after the Ottoman Empire. History, Images and Documents Archive
SUMMER SCHOOL 2009, 2010, 2012
Constantinople/Istanbul: meetings, discussions, insights …Between East and West
Istanbul is a significant crossroads from a historical, cultural and religious point of view, a stimulating environment in various research fields, offering many research facilities, like libraries and cultural centers. For this reason, Dost-I welcomes visiting friars and nuns wishing to conduct personal research.
Dost-I offers scholarships to Dominican Friars to enrol on an English Master Program in:
Byzantine Studies – Koç University
Ottoman or Turkish History – Şehir University and 29 Mayıs University
Islamic Philosophy and Cultural Studies – Istanbul University
Islamic Sciences – Şehir University and 29 Mayıs University
History of Art, Architecture and Visual Culture – Boğaziçi University
