Holy Martyr Vasily Smirnov

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 Smirnov - the son of a priest from the village of Kazyevka of the Narovchatsky district of the Penza province. In 1912, 23-year-old Vasily Smirnov graduated from the Penza Theological Seminary.

In 1913, he was determined by the psalmist and teacher of the Law of God of the 2nd Chembar Male Parish School and the Women's two-year-old parish school. In the same year he served as a psalmist in the village of Kulikovka.

From 1914 to 1917 - a law teacher in the enemy, Kurilov, Pyatinsky and Isaevsky parish schools.

Since 1914, he served as a psalmist in the village of Boli.

Married. At the time of arrest in 1937, he had two minor children.

In 1916, he was ordained a deacon of the temple. In the same year he passed the exam for the title of teacher of history and geography. In 1917, he was ordained a priest of the same temple. In 1919, he was involved in court for a “alarm ringing”.

On March 1, 1930, the priest was arrested, accused under Article 61 of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR. Details are unknown.

On November 25, 1930, he was again arrested on charges of "a/s campaign, the spread of provocative rumors about the imminent death of Soviet power."

On January 13, 1931, with a triple under the PP OGPU in the Middle Volga Territory, he was sentenced to 8 years in prison. He was serving on the construction of the White Sea-Baltic Canal.

Returning from the conclusion, Father Vasily in 1935 settled in Penza. He was well acquainted with the Penza Bishop Feodor (Smirnov) and the city clergy.

On October 18, 1936, Bishop Theodore, Vasily Smirnov and other priests were arrested and imprisoned in a city prison. They took place in the group “The case of Bishop Theodore (Smirnova) and others, Penza, 1937” And they were accused of "participating in the c/a of the organization of the reactionary clergy under the leadership of Bishop Theodore, a/s campaign."

Father Vasily did not admit himself guilty of accusations. April 4, 1937 the investigation was completed. On April 10, the Special Collegium of the Kuibyshev Regional Court concluded the lack of evidence of guilt and the need to return the case for the subsequence. The Presidium of the Kuibyshev court decided "to accept the case for a court examination, appointing him to hear in the city of Kuibyshev in a closed meeting, with the participation of the parties." However, after the publication on July 30, 1937, the secret order of the NKVD for No. 00447 on mass arrests and executions, the hearing in the court of Bishop Theodore and the priests was canceled. On August 7, 1937, a three at the USSR NKVD in the Kuibyshev region. Five of the six convicts in this case were sentenced to death, including priest Vasily Smirnov.

Shot on September 4, 1937, together with Bishop Feodor (Smirnov) and other priests. They are buried in a common unknown grave.