Evdokia Peteva-Filova is a Bulgarian scientist ethnographer. She was born on 21 March 1901 in Shumen, in the family of Vasil Petev and Neda Papazova /Papazoglu/. Her father was part of the military retinue of Prince Ferdinand since 1896 and later he was a military educator of the future Tsar Boris III.
Evdokia Peteva graduates with honors First Girl`s High School in Sofia. In 1918 – 1922 she studies History of Arts and Philosophy in Munich and Würzburg. She gets PhD. At first she works as a teacher in Third Exemplary Girl`s School and in 1925 she is appointed as acurator at the National Museum of Ethnography.
She is the author of dozens of scientific papers. Focus of her work are folk art and ornaments in Bulgarian fabrics, embroidery and jewelry. She co-authored with Stefan Kostov the book "Rural life and art in Sofia region" (1935). She successfully tested her pen and in criticism of modern art in Bulgaria, performed in the press with articles and reviews of works of Bulgarian artists. Author is of the first monography of the painter Ivan Milev.
In 1932 she was elected as a corresponding member of the Bulgarian Archaeological Institute. For many years she donates hier salary from the Ethnographic Museum for charity.
Evdokia Peteva married in 1932 for the famous scientist and politician prof. Bogdan Filov. After the 9 September coup d'état he was arrested, and their property was confiscated by the new government. Evdokia Filova was fired from the Ethnographic Museum. In May 1945, together with all relatives of the condemned and killed by the People's Court, she was hastily "deported" from Sofia. She was first interned in Dulovo and then in Ruse and Lovech.
In 1957 she was moved to Samokov, where she lives until her death. Here she wanted original documents and archives of the Bulgarian Renaissance artist and painter Nicola Obrazopisov. Her book about his work and personality was published posthumously by the Bulgarian Academy of Arts in 1994.
Only at the end of her life she received permission to live with her relatives in Sofia. She died at the beginning of March 1973.
