Mitre by mitre: N. Macedonian nuns craft priceless holy headwear

The bulbous silk crown, now repaired, was again fit for a bishop. 

Nestled between mountains and overlooking a placid lake about 130 kilometres (80 miles) west of Skopje, Saint George the Victorious monastery produces unique headdresses worn by patriarchs around the world. 

"We are the only one in the world that works with this type of mitre," Sister Efimija told AFP, referring to her workshop of 10 nuns. 

- Sewing secrets - 

The sisters work as a team, helped by two novices, each nun perfecting a particular part of the technique.  

"Each of the sisters has her own assignment in the process," Efimija said, as she watched a colleague make the final touches to her repair work. 

Some elements of the handmade production are so secret they are known to only a small number of nuns, the 44-year-old said.

Originally a home to monks, the monastery was shut by the communist government after World War II and turned into stables. 

But since it reopened as a convent in 2001, its Christian Orthodox nuns have fashioned 1,700 incredibly detailed mitres, Efimija said. 

Although mitres are worn by the Catholic pope, and by bishops and some abbots from several Christian denominations, those made at Saint George are reserved for higher-ranking priests in the Christian Orthodox Church. 

Exceptionally, the nuns crafted a special headdress for the late pope Francis, which took five months to finish. 

It was gifted to Francis by a North Macedonia state delegation to the Vatican in 2016. 

He was "pleasantly surprised", Efimija said with pride. 

- 'Priceless' - 

Decorated with vibrant colours, gold embroidery and jewels, every mitre weighs between one and two kilograms (2.2 and 4.4 pounds). 

They take at least four weeks to produce. Some need six months to complete. 

According to Sister Efimija, the Saint George mitres follow the lavish style of the late Byzantine Empire.  

But her workshop, with its secret techniques, adds a unique flair. 

Despite its opulence, the mitre symbolises the crown of thorns that Christians believe was placed on Christ's head during the crucifixion and Sister Efimija said she hoped each would bring humility to its wearer. 

"If the bishop wears such a priceless object on his head and does not feel the burden of torments borne by contemporary man, then he wears the mitre in vain", she said. 

dd/al/gil