Dobri Dimitrov Dobrev ( bg, Добри Димитров Добрев, ; 20 July 1914 – 13 February 2018), better known as Grandpa Dobri, Elder Dobri ( bg, Дядо Добри, translit=Dyado Dobri) or The Saint of Bailovo, was a Bulgarian ascetic who walked over each day to sit or stand in front of the Cathedral of Alexander Nevsky in

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and h ...

to collect money for charitable causes. Dobrev donated all the money he collected to charities, orphanages, churches, and monasteries. He turned 100 in July 2014. In

Bulgarian Bulgarian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Bulgaria * Bulgarians, a South Slavic ethnic group * Bulgarian language, a Slavic language * Bulgarian alphabet * A citizen of Bulgaria, see Demographics of Bulgaria * Bul ...

, his name translates as "good" or "kind".

Early life

Dobrev was born on 20 July 1914 in the village of Bailovo. His father, Dimitar, died in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and his mother, Katerina, had to raise their children by herself. Dobrev did not remember his youth and school years.

Adult life

Over the years, Dobrev became detached from the material aspects of life and devoted himself entirely to the spiritual world, specifically in the Orthodox faith. Around the year 2000, he decided to donate all his belongings to the Orthodox church when he began to live very modestly in a small extension to the

Saints Cyril and Methodius Cyril (born Constantine, 826–869) and Methodius (815–885) were two brothers and Byzantine Christian theologians and missionaries. For their work evangelizing the Slavs, they are known as the "Apostles to the Slavs". They are credited wi ...

parish church in his native village of Bailovo. About that time, he embarked on his mission to raise funds for the restoration of churches and monasteries across Bulgaria. It is this new direction in life and the example he gave with his asceticism that led many to call him ''The Saint of Bailovo''. Over the course of his lifetime, Dobrev donated over 80,000 Bulgarian lev (40,000 euros) to churches, monasteries and other noble deeds. Among his biggest donations are: * 10,000 Bulgarian lev (5,000 euros) to the

parish church in his native Bailovo * 25,000 Bulgarian lev (12,500 euros) for restoration of the Eleshnishki Monastery ''

Mother Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

'' located to the east of Sofia, and the local church in the village of Gorno Kamartsi. * 35,700 Bulgarian lev (17,850 euros) for the Cathedral of Alexander Nevsky in Sofia, which is the biggest donation in the known history of the over 100-year-old cathedral.

Personal life and death

Dobrev married around 1940, as

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

joined

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. In one of the bombings of Sofia, a bomb fell near him and he lost almost all his hearing. Dobrev and his wife had four children, two of whom he outlived. Dobrev was an Orthodox Christian and commonly talked about Jesus to others whether they donated or not. He was usually very thankful to those who donated. Dobrev died on 13 February 2018, at Kremikovtsi Monastery. He was 103.

References

External links

Elder Dobri Dobrev of Bailovo, Bulgaria

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20140228085421/http://www.trueactivist.com/gab_gallery/he-can-no-longer-hear-but-that-doesnt-stop-him-from-doing-this/ Nothing stops him from doing this
99 Year-Old ‘Beggar’ Fool-For-Christ

A online tribute to Dobri
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dobrev, Dobri 1914 births 2018 deaths Beggars Bulgarian philanthropists People from Sofia Bulgarian centenarians Bulgarian deaf people Deaf religious workers Bulgarian war casualties Eastern Orthodox Christians from Bulgaria Men centenarians 20th-century philanthropists