Caravaggio’s Two Suppers at Emmaus - Public Lecture
Saturday 23 May 2026, 1030-1200 at St Augustine's Abbey, Chilworth
Caravaggio’s Two Suppers at Emmaus - Public Lecture
A fascinating public lecture at St Augustine's Abbey, Chilworth will explore one of the most dramatic moments in Christian art through the work of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio.
In this illustrated talk, Father Raphael Daley will compare the two celebrated paintings of the Supper at Emmaus, examining how Caravaggio revisited the same biblical moment at different stages of his turbulent life and artistic career.
Reflecting on the paintings, Fr Raphael explains:
“In reflecting upon these two important paintings, it is hoped that a more complete understanding of the post Resurrection event may be gained, looking at how the great master painter of the early 1600s loads his work with significance and how his emphasis shifts in portraying the same event after the dramatic turn in his own life.”
The lecture will explore how Caravaggio’s mastery of light, gesture and symbolism reveals the instant when the disciples recognise the risen Christ. By placing the two works side by side, the talk will uncover how the artist’s interpretation becomes deeper, quieter and more reflective after the dramatic upheavals that marked his later life.
The talk will be given by Father Raphael Daley, currently resident at the Abbey. His theological studies at Durham University, Blackfriars Oxford and the Pontifical Athenaeum of Sant’Anselmo in Rome were complemented by graduating from the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome in Painting and History of Art, giving him a rare combination of theological and artistic insight.
Saturday 23 May 2026, 10.30am–12 noon
Assisi Room, St Augustine’s Abbey, Chilworth, Guildford GU4 8QR
Tickets: £10 per person
After 4 May: £15 per person
A small booking fee applies.
Advance booking essential via www.ticketsource.co.uk (search “Chilworth Abbey”). Spaces are limited owing to the room size.
Visitors will also experience the peaceful setting of St Augustine’s Abbey in the Surrey Hills, a living Benedictine monastery where guests are warmly welcomed to encounter the quiet rhythm of prayer and reflection that has shaped monastic life for over 1,500 years.
Image credits: Caravaggio, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
