Church "St. St. Theodore Tyron and Theodore Stratilat "

The Church of "St. Theodore Tyron and St. Theodore Stratilat" is a small Orthodox church in the Tsigov Chark area of the Rhodope Mountains, beside the Batak reservoir. It is a resort-and-mountain-village church, a quiet place of prayer for locals and for visitors who come for the conifer forests, the clean air and the calm of the lake.

Its two patrons — St Theodore Tyron and St Theodore Stratilat — are soldier-saints much venerated in Orthodoxy, commemorated especially on the first Saturday of Great Lent. Inside, expect a simple, well-kept church with icons and an iconostasis in the natural manner of Rhodope places of worship. (The building year and patrons need to be verified on site.)

Practical You reach it by car, on the road skirting the Batak reservoir towards Tsigov Chark. It is an active place of worship — enter modestly dressed and keep quiet, especially during services. Summer and early autumn are the most pleasant, when the lakeside is ideal for walks, fishing and easy hikes. The town of Batak and its mountain surroundings are well worth seeing nearby.