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Church of the Holy Protection (Pokrov) in Kazashko and Cossack Day
A small white church with blue accents and five bells. The church has been the heart of Kazashko since 1935, and its feast day is a celebration for the whole village.
A church of the old faith
The Church of the Holy Protection (Pokrov) was built in 1935, three decades after the village was founded. It is an Old Believer church. Services are held according to the pre-reform liturgical books, and worshippers cross themselves with two fingers and venerate the eight-pointed cross. The building was renovated at the beginning of the 21st century and is today the most recognisable building in Kazashko.
Why 14 October?
The Feast of the Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God falls on 1 October by the old (Julian) calendar. The Old Believers follow the Julian calendar, which is why in Kazashko the feast is on 14 October. This is also Cossack Day in the village, so the church feast and the community celebration coincide. The Old Believers in Tataritsa, whose church bears the same name, mark the same day.
The legend of the five bells
The ringing of the five bells in Kazashko is unusual, and their story is more unusual still. According to an account published in the newspaper Trud and repeated in other media, the bronze for them was collected partly from the cartridge cases of the local dolphin hunters. In the 1940s dolphin hunting was officially permitted, and eleven men from the village took part in it.
The legend is not historically documented, but it has been told in the village for generations.
The priests come from Romania
In the past the community in Kazashko was priestless: for a long time it had no priest of its own and services were led by lay people. Today Old Believer priests from the villages of Slava Cercheză, Sarichioi and Mahmudia and from the town of Tulcea in Romania serve in the church from time to time. These are the places the village’s founders came from. In 2022 the church was also visited by Bishop Alexander of the Russian Old Orthodox Church.
Visiting
The church is in the centre of the village, close to the community centre (chitalishte). The best times to visit are the feast days: 14 October and the morning service on the day of the Sailors’ and Fishermen’s Day festival in August. Modest dress is required when visiting. Women cover their heads, and photography during services is allowed only with permission.
Video
Frequently asked questions
When was the church in Kazashko built?
In 1935.
When is Kazashko’s church feast day?
On 14 October. This is the Feast of the Holy Protection (Pokrov) by the old (Julian) calendar and, at the same time, Cossack Day.
Published: 27 September 2026
Sources (7, mostly in Bulgarian)
- Казашко, Уикипедия (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Покров Богородичен (Казашко), Уикипедия (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- „Село Казашко е като магнит за руснаци и западняци“, Кр. Маринова, „Труд“
- „Кметица-атаман управлява с душа и сърце староверското село Казашко“, Д. Фархи, БратБг
- „За казаците от Татарица и за събратята им липовани“, Портал Силистра
- „Кметица атаман командва във варненското село Казашко“, Moreto.net
- Казашко - Варна, официална страница във Facebook