Holy Martyr Mikhail Borisov

Mikhail Borisov - the son of a deacon of the village of Sukhaya Niva of the Demyansky district of the Novgorod province. In 1888, being 22 years old, he graduated from the Novgorod Theological Seminary and was appointed psalmist in the women's Pokrovsky animal Monastery in the Novgorod district.

On September 17, 1889, he was ordained a priest to the newly -built church in the village of Kipino Demyansky district. In 1891, he was transferred to serve in the Paraskevinsky Church in the village of Stroilovo. In 1902, he was transferred to the Kolnovsky Assumption Convent in the Demyansk district, and in 1906 - to the Borisoglebsky Church in Novgorod.

During his ministry, Father Mikhail had many obedience. For two years, he was the head and law teacher of the Kipinsky parish school, eleven years in the law teacher of the Stroilovsky Zemstvo School, two years of the Golovkovsky Zemstvo school, four years as the head and law teacher of the women's parish school opened by him in the village of Building; For three and a half years, Father Mikhail was an observer of church schools of the 1st Deannic District of the Demyansk district, for four years - the head and law teacher of the parish school at the Assumption Monastery, for ten years - the dean of the 1st district of the Demyansky district, for three years - a deputy to the diocese from the clergy of the 1st Demany Devonant Okrug. for three years - a member of the reign of the Novgorod Theological Seminary; Since 1907 - the head, law teacher and teacher of singing in the Borisoglebsk church -Pirotskoy school, from 1909 to 1914, Father Mikhail was a member of the Novgorod Diocesan Missionary Council, from 1909 to 1915 - a member of the Novgorod district department of the Diocesan School of Council, and since 1911 - an assistant to the arbitrariness of the Dean of the Dean 2nd Novgorod district. He took an active part in religious and moral readings, held in Novgorod, and in the church and public life of the city.

July 30, 1917 was built to the rank of Archpriest.

On June 6, 1917, at a meeting of the Union of Association of the clergy and laity of the city of Novgorod, Archpriest Mikhail made a report on the topic “To the reform of the arrival”; He then said that the main goal of the parish life - “lead a person to Christ, to eternal salvation” - were to serve: “The outfit service with the translation of liturgical books is not into Russian, but into the new -Slavic language, with the elimination of all incomprehensible words and expressions ... Conversations in the temple and outside the temple, the structure of school councils, societies of sisterhood ... The main thing in the parish is not the right to election, but not the head With sin, delegation of his salvation. " The loved ones of Father Michael recalled that parishioners loved and respected the priest for always helping them with joy.

In 1926 about. Michael was arrested in prison for twenty days. In 1931, the priest with his family was evicted from the house. He served in the Novgorod Peter and Paul Temple in Plotniki. He adjoined the Josephles.

In 1933, the Novgorod OGPU began the case against the religious and labor fraternity, which was headed by Bishop Macarius (Opotsky), who lived at that time in Novgorod in the position of the exile. The fraternity was unofficial and included a little more than twenty people who prayed together with Bishop Macarius, worked on their obedience, and some of the funds were transferred to the brotherhood, from where they were sacrificed as necessary - poor and in conclusion.

On April 20, 1933, all members of the Brotherhood, led by Bishop Makariy, were arrested and imprisoned in the Novgorod prison, and with them many authoritative priests of the city, although not part of the fraternity, but knew the bishop personally. Among them was arrested by Archpriest Mikhail Borisov; He was then sixty -eighth years old.

On May 3, 1933, Father Mikhail was called for interrogation and, answering the investigator’s questions, said: “I am hostile to the Soviet regime, because it arranges persecution of religion, the clergy taxes overwhelming taxes, ducks the last skin, generally does not give any life. The Soviet government put all the clergy outlawed. The Soviet government and generally put the believers innocently in prisons and refers to the north, forces to endure suffering, hunger and cold without guilt. The Soviet government gave us absolutely nothing, except for tears and suffering. Having such views, I could not sympathize with the Soviet regime and calmly, silently transfer everything. I expressed my views above among believers that now there was no life, there was a persecution of believers around the believers, the last piece of bread is taken away, the Soviet government began to rob the living and the dead. I also spoke anti -Soviet sermons during the church service that the Soviet government is the power of the Antichrist, who was sent by God for our grave sins, and that soon the time will come when Christ will go to earth and drive all these anti -Christ and devilish power. I have now remained the same beliefs that, how long, short, but the power of the Antichrist will have to be replaced by another, by God's power, or the Soviet government will have to change their policy in relation to the Church, that is, to stop persecution. I know that Bishop Macarius and my son provided material assistance to the families of innocently injured from Soviet power. As a dean, I collected money from parishes and sent to Tashkent the innocent Metropolitan Arseny, and in general, we financially helped the exiled clergy. In his personal conversations and sermons, he carried out anti -Soviet agitation, since I can’t reconcile with the existence of Soviet power. ”

On May 19, 1933, the Troika of the OGPU sentenced Archpriest Mikhail to deprive the right to reside in two metropolitan cities, their regions and in the border lane. And he left for the city of Uglich of the Yaroslavl region, where he began to serve in the temple of the Ascension of the Lord. On November 13, 1933, the wife of her father Mikhail sent a statement to the Novgorod OGPU, in which, in particular, she wrote: “Since we, painful old people, would very sorrowly die from each other, I am humblely asking the Novgorod OGPU to grant my husband the right to return to Novgorod ...”

This request of the priest’s wife was not satisfied, and Archpriest Mikhail was left in Uglich and continued to serve in the Ascension Church.

On October 28, 1937, Father Mikhail was arrested and interrogated on the same day.

- You are arrested as a participant in the counter -revolutionary church -monarchist group. Do you find yourself guilty?
- I was not a member of the group and I do not find myself guilty of this.
- The investigation has quite confirmed materials about your participation in the counter -revolutionary church -monarchical group for the conduct of counter -revolutionary terrorist activities. We offer to give the investigation true testimonies on the merits.
- I deny and declare that I never belonged to the counter -revolutionary church -monarchical group and did not conduct counter -revolutionary terrorist agitation.

On the same day, the investigation was completed, and on October 30, the investigator made an indictment in which he wrote that, although the priest "did not plead guilty, but the investigation materials are completely exposed in counter -revolutionary activity." After drawing up the indictment, Archpriest Mikhail was sent to expect a sentence to the Yaroslavl prison. On November 5, 1937, the Troika of the NKVD sentenced him to ten years in prison, but in old age and weakness he was left in a correctional labor colony in Yaroslavl.

Archpriest Mikhail Borisov died on June 4, 1942 in the Yaroslavl correctional labor colony and was buried in an unknown grave.