Churches / Dormition of the Holy Mother of God – Dolno Dupeni

Dormition of the Holy Mother of God – Dolno Dupeni

The Church of the Dormition of the Holy Mother of God stands above today's village of Dolno Dupeni, in the area the locals call Gorno Selo (the Upper Village). It is a 30–40 minute walk along a forest dirt road from the village.

The church celebrates its feast day on 28 August, the Dormition of the Holy Mother of God. It was built in the early 20th century and is an example of the church architecture, painting and woodcarving of almost a hundred years ago. According to the surviving inscriptions, the carved woodwork is the work of the brothers Nestor and Lazar Aleksievi from the village of Osoj in the Debar region, completed in 1908 and 1909. Stylised floral ornament dominates the carved decoration.

The painted icons on the iconostasis were also made in 1909, by the brothers Krste and Kosta Nikolovi from the village of Lazaropole. They also painted the large icons on the walls to the south and north of the iconostasis, and the icons of Jesus Christ and the Evangelists on the choir stall.

The church also holds several older icons, which point to the longer history of this place of worship.