Iskrets: Where Time Gathers
At Iskrets Monastery, time does not pass so much as it gathers.
In a small Orthodox community at the foothills of the Balkan Mountains, Easter unfolds through enduring rituals shaped by village life around the monastery. At its center stands Archimandrite Yanuariy, whose presence sustains continuity among the faithful.
On Good Friday morning, worshippers gather quietly for the liturgy. The shroud symbolizing Christ’s body is placed at the center, and people approach in silence-bowing, crossing themselves, and passing beneath it in a gesture both communal and deeply personal.
Throughout the services, a sense of intimacy prevails.
Though shared, each act feels inward, as if privately experienced within a collective space. The same rituals continue in the nearby village church, linking monastery and community.
By evening, the tone shifts during the memorial service: flowers are distributed, names of the dead are read, and a procession circles the church. Late Saturday, darkness yields to candlelight as flames pass from one to another, illuminating faces and courtyard alike.
Across these days, ritual guides a quiet passage from sorrow to light, held together by shared belief and intimate gesture.
Archimandrite Januarij, abbot of Iskrets Monastery, sits on a chair inside the church in Iskrets, Bulgaria on April 10, 2026. The scene follows the morning Good Friday liturgy and the procession of the Holy Shroud, marking the Orthodox commemoration of Christ’s burial.
A woman sits with her head bowed and hands clasped during the morning liturgy in the monastery in Iskrets, Bulgaria on April 10, 2026. The scene is part of the Orthodox Good Friday service, reflecting prayer, humility, and personal devotion.
Archimandrite Januarij holds a lit candle from which worshippers light their own candles with the Holy Fire in Iskrets, Bulgaria on April 12, 2026. The scene is part of the Orthodox Easter service, symbolizing the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the sharing of sacred light among the faithful.
Archimandrite Januarij performs the ritual of censing before an image of Jesus Christ crucified placed on the Holy Shroud during the morning liturgy in the church in Iskrets, Bulgaria on April 10, 2026. The act of swinging the censer symbolizes prayer rising to God, purification, and reverence.
Worshippers walk in procession around the church after lighting their candles with the Holy Fire in Iskrets, Bulgaria on April 12, 2026. The scene is part of the Orthodox Easter service, symbolizing the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and the shared celebration of faith.
A woman holding flowers and a candle kisses the Holy Shroud raised by a priest and his assistant before passing beneath it in Iskrets, Bulgaria on April 10, 2026. The ritual is part of the Orthodox Good Friday service, symbolizing the burial of Jesus Christ and the devotion of the faithful.
Believers sit holding flowers after they have been distributed while listening to the liturgy in Iskrets, Bulgaria on April 10, 2026. The scene is part of the Orthodox Good Friday service, reflecting mourning, prayer, and remembrance of the burial of Jesus Christ.
A woman bows her head to kiss a gilded book of sacred texts placed above the Holy Shroud laid upon a table before passing under it during the morning liturgy in Iskrets, Bulgaria on April 10, 2026. The scene is part of the Orthodox Good Friday service.