What is Heliopolis Social Café?
Heliopolis Social Café celebrates the legacy of historic gathering places. Whether you’re enjoying a lively conversation, or a quiet moment of reflection, know that you are part of a tradition that spans centuries.
In ancient times, agoras, forums, and houses of life served as hubs of intellectual exchange, trade and commerce, and philosophical inquiry.
In the 17th and 18th century, Paris cafés and London coffeehouses became the gathering places for enlightenment thinkers, artists, and politicians.
In the 20th century, Paris cafés were the central hub for the Existentialist movement. Across the ocean, writers, philosophers, and poets, from the Beat Generation gathered in New York cafés to explore and discuss their literary movement.
In the 21st century, in downtown Calgary, Heliopolis attempts to revive such places where your conversations and interactions contribute to a vibrant community of knowledge and creativity.
Penny Universities and Big Money
London Coffeehouses
In 1652, the first coffeehouse was opened in London by an eccentric Greek named Pasqua Roseé. It didn’t take long before coffeehouses became a part of London’s culture.
These new establishments became fashionable spots for the chattering classes to meet, conduct business, gossip, exchange ideas, and debate the day’s news.
Polite conversation led to reasoned debate on politics, science, literature, poetry, commerce, and religion, earning London coffeehouses the nickname ‘penny universities,‘ as that was the price of a cup of coffee. Influential patrons included Samuel Pepys, John Dryden, Alexander Pope, and Isaac Newton. Several great British institutions can trace their roots back to these humble coffeehouses.
The London Stock Exchange had its beginnings in Jonathan’s Coffee House in 1698 where gentlemen met to set stock and commodity prices.
Auctions in salesrooms attached to coffee houses were the beginnings of the great auction houses of Sotheby’s and Christies.
Lloyd’s of London had its origins in Lloyds Coffee House on Lombard Street, run by Edward Lloyd, where merchants, shippers and underwriters of ship insurance met to do business.
In 1726 Voltaire went to England to live in exile. Here, Voltaire found the coffee spaces that the British contemporaries honored as “Penny University”. He met and became friends with British intellectuals such as Alexander Pope, Jonathan Swift, John Gay, Edward Young. During the debates, he approached the ideas of the enlightened founders Francis Bacon, Isaac Newton, John Locke, William Shakespeare.
Café society is a late 19th century description of bohemian aristocrats and artists who gathered in fashionable cafés and restaurants in New York, London, and Paris. Members attended each other’s private functions, and took holidays in exotic locations.
Chess, Art, and Philosophy
Parisian Cafés
Parisian cafés have long been the epicenter of intellectual and cultural exchange. In the 18th century, the cafés were frequented by the Encyclopédistes, a group of philosophers, writers, and scientists who contributed to the creation of the Encyclopedia, the monumental work that aimed to compile all human knowledge. Figures like Denis Diderot and Jean-Jacques Rousseau would gather in these bustling venues to debate, write, and share ideas, influencing the Enlightenment and spreading revolutionary thoughts that would eventually shape modern Western philosophy and society.
In the 20th century, Parisian cafés became the breeding ground for existentialist thought, spearheaded by Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir. These intellectuals, along with their contemporaries, would engage in deep philosophical discussions at renowned cafés. Their exploration of freedom, existence, and the human condition resonated globally and left a lasting impact on literature and philosophy.
Interestingly, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, while in Paris, frequented these same cafés and engaged in discussions and debates.
Before Parisian cafés allowed women inside, French women of nobility would “park” their carriages outside of the cafés, and had their own rendez-vous and discussions, while cafés served them drinks on silver platters.
Iconic Paris Cafés
Chess at Café de la Régence
The famous chess match between Howard Staunton and Pierre Charles Fournier de Saint-Amant.
Painting by Jean-Henri Marlet in 1843 at Café de la Régence.
Café Procope
Founded in 1686, Café Procope is considered the oldest café in Paris and a cornerstone of Parisian intellectual and literary life. Located in the Latin Quarter, it quickly became a meeting place for the Enlightenment thinkers who shaped modern Western thought. Philosophers like Voltaire, Rousseau, and Diderot were frequent patrons, engaging in lively discussions about philosophy, science, and politics. The café also played a significant role during the French Revolution, with revolutionary figures like Robespierre, Danton, and Marat using it as a hub for planning and discussion.
In 1776 Procope, Benjamin Franklin prepared the project for an alliance between Louis XVI and the new Republic. It was there that America’s first ambassador forged alliances and discussed politics as well as philosophy and science. Along with Thomas Jefferson, Franklin is said to have written elements of the future Constitution of the United States there.
Café de la Régence
Established in 1681, Café de la Régence gained fame as a center for chess and intellectual discourse. Situated near the Palais-Royal, it attracted a diverse clientele, including philosophers, politicians, and chess enthusiasts. The café became renowned for its chess matches, hosting some of the greatest players of the 18th and 19th centuries. François-André Danican Philidor, a legendary chess player and composer, was a regular.
Café de la Régence also drew notable intellectuals and philosophers, who appreciated the strategic and intellectual nature of the game.
In the 19th century, the café continued to attract prominent figures such as Napoleon Bonaparte, who was known to play chess there during his rise to power. The combination of chess and intellectual debate made Café de la Régence a strategic hub for cultural exchange.
Café de Flore
Café de Flore was a favored haunt for writers, philosophers, and artists since the late 19th century, but it was during the 1940s and 1950s that it became a central hub for the existentialist movement, attracting luminaries like Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and Albert Camus. Sartre and de Beauvoir would spend hours there, writing and engaging in philosophical debates about freedom, existence, and human nature. The café also drew a diverse crowd of artists, writers, and intellectuals, including Truman Capote, Ernest Hemingway, and Pablo Picasso, who found inspiration in its vibrant atmosphere.
Les Deux Magots
Just a short walk from Café de Flore, Les Deux Magots was another key gathering place for Parisian intellectuals and artists. It dates back to 1885 and has hosted a similar array of influential figures. In the early 20th century, it was frequented by surrealists like André Breton and Louis Aragon. During the existentialist period, it, too, attracted Sartre and de Beauvoir, alongside other prominent thinkers and writers. Les Deux Magots also welcomed expatriate writers like James Joyce and Ezra Pound, who were part of the “Lost Generation” of American writers living in Paris.
Philosophers' Supper
A 1772 painting by Jean Huber depicting discussions at a Paris café (said to be Procope). In the painting:
- Voltaire
- Jean-Antoine-Nicolas de Caritat de Condorcet
- Denis Diderot
- Jean le Rond d’Alembert
- Jean-François de La Harpe
WISDOM OF THE ANCIENTS
Agoras, Forums, & Houses of Life
In Ancient Greek, the agora was the hub of political and commercial activity. A gathering place that was central to daily life and commerce in all Greek cities. From the sixth century BCE in Athens, the agora’s importance was that it was not only a commercial center, but also the focal point of religious and political life.
Buildings in the Ancient Agora of Athens housed philosophers such as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Diogenes and the famous Stoics and Epicureans.
In Ancient Rome, forums were vital centers of civic life, serving as the heart of political, commercial, and social activities. These open spaces were the epicenters where citizens gathered to discuss politics, conduct business, and participate in public events. It was in these forums that great philosophies were discussed and influential speeches delivered. They were the backdrop for the empire’s most critical functions and a symbol of Rome’s enduring legacy.
In Ancient Egypt, gatherings in temples were often associated with the term “pr-ankh,” which translates to “house of life.” These places were specialized institutions within temple complexes where various activities, including learning and commerce, took place. Houses of Life were beacons of wisdom, with a primary goal of preserving knowledge. Naturally, this attracted philosophers from around the world to engage in intellectual discourse.
Ancient Heliopolis
Heliopolis, one of the grand cities of the ancient world, was a center of culture, commerce, and learning. Known by various names, it was called Heliopolis (“City of the Sun”), the City of On (“City of Being”), and Iunu (“City of the Pillar”).
Existing since prehistoric times, Heliopolis held a significant place in ancient Egyptian mythology. It was believed to be the location where all creation began, as it housed the ‘mound of creation’.
During the Old Kingdom, Heliopolis was a center of astronomy, and its highest priest was called ‘Chief of Observers’.
By the Middle Kingdom, it had become a hub for learning in both astronomy and philosophy. The House of Life in Heliopolis was created to preserve knowledge, using written and pictoral forms.
The Greek historian Herodotus noted that the priests of Heliopolis were the best-informed in matters of history. The city flourished as a seat of learning, and its schools of philosophy and astronomy attracted luminaries such as Orpheus, Homer, Pythagoras, Plato, and Solon. Strabo, another Greek historian, wrote about seeing the “residences of Plato and Eudoxus” in Heliopolis. These Greek philosophers believed Egypt, and particularly Heliopolis, was a source of ancient and profound knowledge.
As the site of the advent of “being” and the beginning of all existence, Heliopolis was designed to catch the first rays of dawn, representing the mythical “creation mound” tied to the sun. This connection also links to the city’s Egyptian name, Iunu, meaning “pillar,” giving Heliopolis the moniker “City of the Pillar.”
Heliopolis Creation Myth
In Heliopolis, atop the Benben stone, a primordial mound is where creation itself began.
The story begins with the Egyptian goddess Nun, who stirred the waters of creation and from these sacred waters Bennu, the soul of Ra, emerged. With feathers ablaze, Bennu soared above Heliopolis, the City of the Sun, and landed upon the Benben stone, the mound of creation. Bennu’s cry, the first sound of life, echoed through the universe, igniting the sun’s eternal flame. And through Ra, the sun, everything came to Be.
The fiery bird of rebirth was called Bennu by the Egyptians, and Phoenix by the Greeks.
Every five hundred years, the Phoenix returns to Heliopolis, builds a nest of aromatic herbs and spices atop the sacred stone. In a blaze of divine fire, she is consumed, only to rise anew from the ashes, reborn even more powerful and vibrant.
Heliopolis Social Café
By naming our space after this illustrious city, we honor its legacy as a cradle of enlightenment. And by defining it as a “social café”, we aim to invoke sociability, equality, and open communication that defined French and British intellectual hubs and penny universities (aka cafés!) of the 18th century.
Of Ancient Heliopolis, they wrote:
Heliopolis
By Joseph Ellis (1815–1891)
A shattered sepulchre, a wreck of shrines!
Here Cæsar, zealous, “This must we survey;
The hallowed spot where Plato and Eudoxus
Conceived new thoughts,—where Moses, legislator,
Derived his wisdom to instruct mankind,—
Moses, prime leader of a tribe heroic,
Who told of heaven and earth, in godlike words.
This city first-named On, whence Joseph took,
For wife, the high-priest’s daughter, Asenath;
Whence later Baruch, Jeremiah sang.
This seat of learning where sage Manetho wrote,
Which fostered Solon and Pythagoras,
Where somewhile dwelt sublime Euripides.”
So saw he vestiges of those grand temples
Built to the Sun-god Re; and obelisks,
Ancient when seen by Moses and by Plato,—
Transported now to European shores.
Heliopolis I, D 753
Heliopolis I
(Poet’s title: Heliopolis I)
Set by Schubert: D 753
[April 1822]
Im kalten, rauen Norden
Ist Kunde mir geworden
Von einer Stadt, der Sonnenstadt;
Wo weilt das Schiff, wo ist der Pfad,
Die mich zu jenen Hallen tragen?
Von Menschen konnt’ ich nichts erfragen,
Im Zwiespalt waren sie verworren.
Zur Blume, die sich Helios erkoren,
Die ewig in sein Antlitz blickt,
Wandt’ ich mich nun und ward entzückt.
»Wende, so wie ich, zur Sonne
Deine Augen, dort ist Wonne,
Dort ist Leben;
Treu ergeben
Pilgre zu und zweifle nicht,
Ruhe findest du im Licht.
Licht erzeuget alle Gluten,
Hoffnungspflanzen, Tatenfluten!«
In the cold, harsh north
News has reached me
About a city, the city of the sun.
Where is the ship now, where is the path,
Which is going to take me to those halls?
I was not able to ask any humans about this, –
They were in a state of confusion in their disputes.
Towards the flower that Helios chose for himself,
The one which eternally looks him in the face,
I have now turned myself towards that flower, – and I have been entranced:
“Turn, just like me, towards the sun
Turn your eyes! That is where happiness is,
That is where life is;
Truly devoted,
Set out as a pilgrim and do not hesitate;
You will find peace in the light;
Light engenders all fires,
Plants of hope, floods of deeds!”
Opening Hours
Mon - Thurs: 4:00 PM to Midnight
Fri - Sun: 1:00 PM to Midnight
Street Parking is available
Public parking lot at the back of the building. Click for Directions