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Magnificent Vigil of the Dormition of the Virgin at the Holy Monastery of Panagia Prechistatranslated

September 3, 2026 · 1 min read

There are nights when time seems to cease to be measured by hours and to begin to be measured by prayer; nights when the earthly gives way before the heavenly, and the human heart, freed even for a moment from the noise of the passing, feels that it stands before another, higher and sweeter reality. Such was this blessed night of the Dormition in the ancient holy monastery of the Mother of God - the Holy Monastery "Theotokos - Prechista" of the Archdiocese of Ahridos near Kitsevo. Under Her mother's roof, in the church that has been sanctified by centuries of prayers, tears and hopes, that silent and inexpressible presence of the Queen Mother was felt, Who even during Her solemn Dormition does not abandon the world, but embraces it even more strongly with Her embassies before the throne of Her Son and God.

With the blessing of the Professor of the Holy Monastery of the Holy Forerunner of Bigorski Theophilus, Bishop of Antania, Mr. Parthenios, the entire monastic family of Bigorski, Raichitsa and Precista gathered in Precista, together with a multitude of pious believers from various places,...

Source: Orthodoxia News Agency  ·  Read the full story →
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💬 Comments (2) 🌐 Show original
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Antoine Girard
I really liked the sentence about time being measured by prayer rather than by hours. It reminds me of the long Assumption vigils at the parish when I was younger. Do the local faithful still get there easily from Kitchevo?
M
Michael Smith
That line about time being measured by prayer instead of hours really stuck with me too. I remember similar all-night vigils back when our parish in Pittsburgh still had the old wooden church. The mention of the whole monastic family from Bigorski, Raitchitsa, and Pretsista gathering there makes it sound like it was a proper homecoming; hope the local faithful from around Kitchevo can still get up there without too much trouble these days.
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