Spasen Siljanoski finds peace at Monastery of St. Prechista

Folk singer Spasen Siljanoski has shared emotional footage from a recent visit to one of North Macedonia's well-known monasteries, saying he finds spiritual calm there after a difficult period in his life.

Retreat to the monastery

Siljanoski posted several short videos and photos from the Monastery of St. Prechista in the Kichevo area, telling followers that the site is his favourite and that he recommends everyone who has not visited to do so. One of the images shows him standing beside his uncle, the brother of his late father; followers immediately noted a striking family resemblance.

The singer regularly emphasises the importance of family and uses every free moment to return to his native village of Popolzhani in the Kichevo region, where he says he rests and recharges away from the pressures of daily life and work.

Speaking about why he seeks these retreats, Siljanoski told Glamur magazine: "I know to escape to my village to isolate myself for a short period, to go to the Monastery of St. Prechista in Kichevo and with prayer to escape that social depression that we sometimes all suffer from in this urban jungle."

He has also said he likes visiting Orthodox Christian sites in general, naming the Monastery of St. Prechista and the Bigorski Monastery as spiritual homes for him. The recent visit came amid a painful year for the singer — his father died six months ago, a loss Siljanoski has described as deeply wounding.

Reflecting on his upbringing during a television appearance, he recalled hard times in his youth: "I grew up in an environment where we literally struggled to feed ourselves. There were hard moments when, at the time I finished high school and had to enroll at university, the same day my father was fired from work. We come home, we don't have bread. They tell me 'you go, we'll manage, we'll work the land, we'll pick forest fruits, mushrooms or I don't know what.'"

Photo: press material from the event