Holy Martyr Vasily Arkhangelsk

The persecution of Soviet power to the Russian Church was such that it was not to say about their faith, but even silently follow it as a feat. The new martyrs and confessors, glorified in the face of the saints did not come: believed, prayed and meekly went to their Calvarys.

“Polit.ru” recalls those who gave their lives for faith and by whose prayers the Russian Church is alive - even if almost nothing came to us besides the name.

Publications were prepared by Kirill Kharatyan (included by the Russian authorities in the register of foreign agents).

Icon Cathedral of the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russian

Vasily Arkhangelsky - the son of a priest from the village of Zhokhov Podolsky district of the Moscow province. At the end of the second-class school in the village of Chashnikov, the 19-year-old Vasily Arkhangelsky, a teacher, entered the school in the village of Mushetsky of the Moscow district, was transferred to a school in the village of Petrishchevo by the Veresky district in the village of Chashnikov.

In 1913, he was ordained a deacon to the Ilyinsky Church in the village of Sinkov, Dmitrovsky district.

In January 1919, he was mobilized in the Red Army for defensive work near Serpukhov, where he stayed before the end of the year.

In 1920, he was ordained a priest to the same Ilyinsky Church.

In 1926, he was transferred to the temple in the name of the icon of the Mother of God “All Sorrowing Joy” in the village of Assaurov Dmitrovsky district.

On November 27, 1937 he was arrested on charges of anti -Soviet agitation and questioned on the same day.

“The investigation has data that you are conducting anti -Soviet agitation among the population,” said the investigator.
“I do not lead anti -Soviet agitation among the population,” the priest answered.
- Among the population, you conducted anti -collar agitation, urged collective farmers to refuse to work on a collective farm? Give testimony.
- I did not conduct anti -color agitation among the population and did not call collective farmers to refuse to work in the collective farm.
- Do you find yourself guilty of the essence of the charges against you? - The investigator asked the last question.
“I do not admit guilty of myself in the accusation, since I did not conduct anti -Soviet agitation of the population,” the priest replied.

On November 29, an employee of the Dmitrov branch of the NKVD asked witnesses. One of them, the secretary of the Assaurovsky village council, showed: yy

- During the religious holidays, Arkhangelsk was working among believers so that they would not go to collective farm work, but go to church. On this occasion, during the 1937 harvesting campaign, he said: “We, Orthodox, should not change religious interests to anything - nor to our personal or collective farm, but should read the Lord God and pray to Him.” Regarding the income tax, Arkhangelsk said: "The Soviet government completely drove faith to Christ, it strangled its servants, thereby ensuring that the priests refused to service in the church." Regarding the elections to the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Arkhangelsky said: “We should not take part in the elections to the Councils, because the Soviet government, although it says that everyone can be elected, but in fact there will be the same gifts who are now in power and drink folk blood. Our business is only to listen to and fulfilled what they say, and not to power to climb. ”

On November 29, the investigation was completed, and Vasily's father was transferred to Taganskaya prison in Moscow. He did not plead guilty. According to the Decree of the Troika of the UNKVD in the Moscow Region of December 3, 1937, he was sentenced to 10 years of correctional labor.

He died on January 20, 1939 in a camp in the Sverdlovsk region and was buried in an unknown grave.