A Conversation with Sister Efimija of the Bigorski Monastery on Monasticism, Spirituality, and the Contemporary European Cultural Scene
During the Paschal season, Sister Efimija from the Orthodox Bigorski Monastery in North Macedonia spent several weeks in Vienna on a research residency. She was a guest in the oasis of our abbey. In the following interview, she speaks about her academic work, her monastery, and her impressions of Vienna.
What is the interest of your research?
My research, conducted as part of my doctoral dissertation titled “The Place and Role of the Orthodox Church in Contemporary Democratic States”, lies at the intersection of Constitutional Law and Political Systems. I explore how modern democratic societies, founded on secular principles, can accommodate the deeply rooted spiritual dimension of human nature. This includes examining where tensions arise between theology and democracy and proposing balanced legal models that respect both: religious freedom and human rights.
How can we imagine your monastery?
Picture a place where the silence has a voice – voice of prayer and tradition. For more than a millennium, the Bigorski Monastery has stood as a meeting point between heaven and earth, where the eternal breathes within the present. At its heart is our Abbot, Bishop Parthenius, a spiritual father whose strength and boundless love bring to life the Beauty that, as Dostoevsky once wrote, will save the world.
What did you like most in our monastery and in Vienna?
I came to Vienna for academic research, but the true gift of that journey was the opportunity to stay in your monastery – a place that radiates Abrahamic hospitality. I was deeply moved by the monastic discipline and the gentle, unwavering rhythm of prayer, as well as by your work with youth and the heartfelt care you offer to every soul.
Vienna itself breathes beauty. While it proudly embraces modernity and invests generously in contemporary art and culture, what struck me most was the dignified respect its people show for their Christian heritage. It’s a living reminder that Europe, at its core, is built on profound Christian spiritual and cultural foundations.
Many things in Vienna left a lasting impression on me. I feel it as a gift from God, made possible through the prayerful support of my Elder, Parthenius. And, as with all truly meaningful experiences, the most profound moments are neither spoken nor displayed – they are quietly lived and gratefully remembered.
Source: Schotten Wien
