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Pilgrimage to Transylvania before ITO 2026: Young Germans and Austrians discovered the Romanian Orthodox traditiontranslated

September 3, 2026 · 1 min read

Young Orthodox from Germany and Austria participated in a pilgrimage to Transylvania on the way to ITO 2026, where they discovered the Romanian Orthodox tradition through prayer, monastic life and visiting several religious establishments.

The pilgrimage took place between August 24-31 and was organized by the Association "Orthodoxe Jugend" (OJ). For a week, the participants were hosted at the "St. John the Evangelist" Hermitage in Găbud, Alba county, where they took part in the liturgical program and public hearings.

The young people got involved in the household activities of the hermitage, from tending the sheep and working in the orchard to helping in the kitchen. Also, a Byzantine chant course was organized in German, after which the participants offered the responses to the Holy Liturgy.

"A great gift from God" Young Germans and Austrians learned to sing Byzantine music in their own language. Photo credit: Archdiocese of Alba Iulia Casiana Forga, aged 19, from Leipzig, confessed that the time spent at Găbud contributed to the rapprochement between the members of the group.

"At first we knew each other very little, but...

Source: Агентство Basilica (română) · Read the full story →

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Ilie Stoica

Bine că au lucrat la oi și la livadă, asta le arată cum arată viața de obște cu adevărat. Cursul de cântare bizantină în germană mi se pare o idee bună, mai ales că au și răspuns la Liturghie. Casiana zice că s-au apropiat unii de alții – normal, când stai o săptămână la schit și muncești împreună.

Φωτεινή Παναγιωτοπούλου

Good thing they put them to work with the sheep and in the orchard, that's how you really learn what the community means. The Byzantine chant course in German seems very practical to me, especially since they also have an answer to the Liturgy. Casiana is right, a week at the hermitage connects people more than anything.

Julia Wagner

It was nice that the young people from Leipzig and Austria not only watched, but also really helped out with the sheep and in the orchard. The Byzantine singing course in German sounds practical, especially because they immediately sang along with the liturgy afterwards. Casiana from Leipzig is right – a week together in Schit brings more together than any weekend getting to know each other.