Church St. Teodor Tiron and St. Teodor Stratilat – Dobarsko

The old village of Dobarsko is situated at a distance of 180 km from Sofia and 15 km from the town of Razlog, in the south part of Rila Mountain.

The most popular tourist landmark in the village is the Christian church “St. Teodor Tiron and St. Teodor Stratilat”, built in 1614.

The church attracts the attention with its exceptionally valuable wall-paintings and icons, which distinguish by great mastery and by the use of untraditional motifs.

The unusual approaches, used by the icon painters, are the reason that some people see an image of Jesus Christ in a space ship in some of the painted walls.

A proof of the high value of the wall paintings and the icons is the fact that the two altar icons of Jesus Christ and the patrons of the church have traveled all over the world as a part of the exhibition “Bulgarian Medieval Cultural Inheritance”.

A typical peculiarity is the presence of the greatest number of female images in comparison to the other Bulgarian churches, as well as the predominating inscriptions in Bulgarian language.

The church was renovated in 1975, and the depositions on the walls were removed without using paints. There is a holy spring in the church yard. Its water is curable according to the legends.

The temple was declared a national monument of culture and one of the 100 national tourist sites of Bulgaria.

A visitor center which offers diverse services is established at the exit of the village of Dobarsko, in the direction of the National Park “Rila”. Information and advertising materials and souvenirs are also sold here.

The guests of the village of Dobarsko can be accommodated in the guest houses in the village and feel the hospitality of the local people.

Walks to Rila and Pirin with a tour guide are offered, as well as tours in the region around the village with mountain bikes.