Abbot of Varlaam: Madonna Came Seeking Spiritual Guidance

METEORA, GREECE — The abbot of the Holy Monastery of Varlaam in Meteora said Madonna’s recent private visit to the monastery was marked not by celebrity concerns, but by questions about faith, prayer, and ultimately the salvation of the soul.

Archimandrite Benedict Zacharakis told Orthodoxi Alitheia that Madonna arrived discreetly on August 14 and spent about three hours at the monastery. After viewing the katholikon and its frescoes, she spoke privately with the abbot at the monastery guesthouse. According to Fr. Benedict, she had “many questions” and “metaphysical and spiritual concerns.”

The abbot said Madonna was particularly interested in prayer and asked about his prayer rope. He explained that the shortest and most important prayer is, “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me,” which acknowledges Christ’s omnipotence. Madonna reportedly responded positively but later expressed regret that she had not been able to remain longer. “I wanted to stay longer; I needed more time here,” she told her associates.

Fr. Benedict emphasized that he deliberately treated Madonna no differently from any other visitor. “I welcomed her in exactly the same way as I would welcome the simplest person,” he said. “She was a human being like everyone else. A person came seeking spiritual guidance, and I did what I had to do.”

The abbot also distinguished Madonna herself from the circumstances surrounding her public life and from the people who have helped shape her highly recognizable public image. “What I have come to understand is that much of what we see these people doing is not always entirely their own choice,” he explained, pointing to the influence of those who surround and advise public figures. “You see one person, but behind that person there may be ten others who encourage, direct and organize things and, in one way or another, influence them.”

Asked what particularly interested Madonna during their conversation, Fr. Benedict said the focus went beyond the monastery’s architecture and artistic treasures. “Our conversation constantly revolved around the salvation of the soul. She seemed genuinely interested; that was what she wanted to focus on,” he said.

Madonna’s spiritual history has included her Catholic upbringing, later conflicts with the Catholic Church, and periods of interest in Kabbalah and Jewish mysticism. Fr. Benedict, however, approached her not primarily through the lens of her public controversies or religious background, but as a person who had come to a monastery seeking spiritual reflection.

The Varlaam Monastery, dedicated to All Saints, is one of the six active monasteries of Meteora and contains an important collection of post-Byzantine frescoes, icons, manuscripts, and relics. Its present brotherhood traces its organized history to the early 16th century, while the monastery experienced a major revival in the 20th century under the influence of Metr. Dionysios of Trikki and Stagoi and a group of young monks who later became prominent hierarchs of the Church of Greece.

Madonna’s visit also came more than four decades after the monastery attracted international attention during the filming of the James Bond movie "For Your Eyes Only." Unlike that episode, when monks objected to the use of the monastery as a filming location, Madonna’s visit was intended to remain private and centered on her personal interest in Orthodox spirituality.

Previously, the UOJ reported that the son of a former rabbi was ordained an Orthodox deacon.