Over 5,000 Faithful Celebrate Easter at the Bigorski Monastery

The revered and ancient Macedonian sanctuary, the Bigorski Monastery, was once again filled with the faithful during the days leading up to and on the holy feast of the Resurrection of Christ—Easter. This year, however, saw an unprecedented number of pilgrims.

Known for its solemn and majestic Easter celebrations, the monastery welcomed more than 5,000 believers for the Easter Vigil alone—double the attendance of previous years. Pilgrims came not only from Macedonia but also from neighboring countries, drawn by the spiritual radiance of this sacred place.

“In the brilliance of this night, brighter than all days, when all creation stands in silent reverence before the glory of the Unconquerable Light, the Holy Bigorski Monastery was once again illumined by the uncreated beauty of Christ’s Resurrection. At the moment when the triumphant exclamation ‘Christ is Risen!’ echoed across the land, the entire monastery complex became aglow with Paschal light, a celestial radiance that enlightens hearts and transforms souls,” the monastic community declared.

As every year, the Holy Fire arrived from the Holy Land, a living testament to the ongoing miracle of the Resurrection—a flame of hope that never extinguishes. This year, too, the faithful received it with trembling hands, with tears, and with a love that burns brighter than any fire. The church and its courtyard were filled to the last corner with hearts in prayer, longing to taste the eternal Pascha.

The festal celebration was led by His Grace, Bishop Partenij of Antania, whose Easter joy overflowed into every soul present. With heartfelt love, sacred silence between the words, and a thunderous proclamation of the eternal victory, he addressed the multitude. Around him stood the entire monastic brotherhood and sisterhood, and a sea of faithful—united as one soul, one heart, one Body of Christ—in a majestic Easter symphony.

“Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life,” resounded the Paschal troparion, echoing between heaven and earth. “This is not an ordinary day. This is not merely a remembrance. It is a reality that shakes the foundations of death and time. Christ is risen, and nothing is the same anymore. Hell has lost its prey. Fear has dissipated. Death is vanquished. The freedom of the children of God now shines in the darkness.”

In the mystical night of the Unending Day, amid the mountain air, the hymn of life spread like an angelic song. Hearts crucified by the burdens of daily struggles descended into the tomb of humility and there found the radiant Pascha—Christ, who rises, who liberates, who renews all things. As He Himself says: “Behold, I make all things new.”

In his homily, Bishop Partenij declared, “May the joy of the Resurrection on this unsetting Day of the Lord’s Pascha forever resonate in our souls. May it be the beginning of a new life, a victorious life, a life rooted in Love—a Love which neither time nor death could conquer.”

“On this Feast, many words are not needed. The day itself speaks. Pascha, the Feast of Christ, sends the strongest message—if only we have the heart to hear it. This message, beloved, is not silent. It breaks bones, awakens hearts, shatters stones. For the Resurrection is not a theory, nor an ideology—it is an event. It is Light entering into darkness, Life entering into death. Christ is risen—and nothing remains the same. Open your hearts. Be freed from everything dead within you—from illusion, from sinful habits. Become a new creation! Do not be sleeping Christians who only bear the name. The world is tired, as are we and our loved ones, of Christians without Christ, of life without light, of faith without transformation. But Christ brings exactly that—transformation, new life, a new beginning,” the Bishop continued.

He further added that to be a Christian means to be light in the darkness, warmth in the coldness of the world, and a bearer of hope where others see despair.

“May God bless you all, beloved. May God bless our homeland. May He bring comfort to this world, so torn by unrest and war. May Christ, the God of peace, bestow His peace upon your hearts, homes, and nations. And above all, I wish you a true, living, and grace-filled union with the Risen Christ. Every Liturgy is Pascha. Every Communion is Resurrection,” Bishop Partenij concluded.

It is worth noting that the tradition of bringing the Holy Fire from Jerusalem to Macedonia began precisely at the Bigorski Monastery in 2009. Organized by Bishop Partenij of Antania, the flame was first received through friends in the Greek Church and brought from Thessaloniki.