Sacred Places and Cultural Memory on a Triple Border: Revitalizing Veneration of the Hermit Saints at Osogovo Monastery

Abstract

This article presents the results of fieldwork at Osogovo Monastery, that took place during the major Christian Orthodox holiday the Dormition of the Mother of God (Mac. Golema Bogorodica), as well as on the day of the patron saint of the monastery, St. Joachim of Osogovo. The article observes and analyzes contemporary rituals and pilgrimage practices related to local religious beliefs and cultural memory in the border area between Bulgaria, North Macedonia, and Serbia, as well as the existence of transborder religious tourism.