Bogdan Lupescu
I never saw him again, but our meeting turned my life around. I started persistently asking the Patriarchate for a transfer somewhere deep in the mountains, to a remote monastery: “Anywhere! Anywhere where it will be more difficult and more secluded,” I asked.
The last three hermits arrived here in 1998 and have remained in the caves ever since. They haven’t seen anyone from the outside world except him, and even he sees them rarely, when he brings them rusks and Holy Communion.
Stepan Ignashev
Currently, according to my own observations, the people take less interest in the economic dimension than spiritual aspect. And this is very important; it seems as though we are gradually coming to the realization that even though money and the comforts of life do matter, there are other things that still matter more.
Mila Cerovic
Krsna Slava is an ancient Serbian custom, thanks to which for many centuries the spiritual memory of the Serbian people has been preserved and their national self-consciousness strengthened.
The wooden church, built by parish priest Ionuț Voicu in a style specific to the Romanian northern region of Maramureș, marks the Centennial of the Great Union of all Romanians in a single state.
Maxim Vasyunov
Initially, the monk slept right on the ground, went hungry, shoveled the debris, prayed, and tried to come to an agreement with the islanders.
Everything that is spiritual, if it is authentically spiritual, is never limited to one person or one nation.
The Turkish Association of Art Historians posted a picture clearly depicting the damage to the oak wood of the 15-century-old gate.
Researchers believe the elaborate looping ornaments they found on the long-hidden part of the slab indicate it was once the decorated front of a medieval high altar that took pride of place centuries ago in one of Christianity’s holiest sites.
Turkish authorities decided to reopen the mosque for Ramadan, the holiest month of the year for Muslims.
Maria Vasic
Not a great night if you lie down expecting a Molotov cocktail to be hurled your way. And what’s most important—you know for sure that not a single soul will come to your defense, there is simply no one left out there.
“It is impossible to love God ninety-eight percent—He must be loved one hundred percent.”
Metropolitan Nikolaos of Mesogaia and Lavreotiki
Everything that is given to you is given both to the monks and pilgrims as astonishment, as a hitherto unknown experience from which you cannot escape.
Here, on Mt. Athos, you see a life that is more reminiscent of the Kingdom of God, not a life governed by the visible world.
Jonathan Dunne
We have made a small selection of the best images to give people an idea of the riches hidden away in monasteries in Bulgaria that are often abandoned and can be difficult to get to.
Archimandrite Nektary (Haji-Petropoulos)
Trust is safety, the feeling that the Lord is always with you—as long as you allow Him to be with you, within you, and as long as you allow Him to guide you through life.
Deciding to seek God’s will, I travelled to other countries and eventually ended up in Jordanville, where I hoped to join the brotherhood.
Head of the Russian Orthodox Mission in Mexico on faith, life and the mutual support of the community.
The Armenian, Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches petitioned Israel’s environmental protection minister, whose department is in charge of the Parks Authority, in a letter last week.
Hieromonk Ignaty (Shestakov)
In honor of the 625th anniversary of Moscow’s Sretensky Monastery, a photo album, Saints Adorning an Ancient Cathedral, dedicated to the frescoes of the Cathedral of the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, built in the early eighteenth century, was published. The album presents the most vivid and expressive images, preserving a special artistic beauty.
