The holy martyr Alexy Protopopov

Alexey Protopopov is the son of the psalmist of the village of Ilyinsky Bronnitsky district of the Moscow province. In 1896, 16-year-old Aleksei Protopopov graduated from the Perervinsky Theological School, in 1902-the Moscow Theological Seminary and was appointed teacher to one of the church-receipt schools in Moscow.

In 1903, Alexei Protopopov was ordained a deacon to the Epiphany temple in Moscow; In 1907, he was transferred to the Kazan Church in Sushveva, where he served before its closure in 1930 and was transferred to the temple of the Monk Pimen the Great. After the temple in 1934 was captured by renovationists, Deacon Alexy began to serve in the cathedral in honor of the Nativity of the Mother of God in the city of Orekhovo-Zuevo.

In 1935, he was ordained a priest for the temple in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in the village of Kazan Pavlo-Posadsky district, in which all his short-term pastoral ministry took place before the mass persecution of 1937.

On November 20, 1937, the NKVD officers interrogated three witnesses: the older, a member of the church twenty and one of the parishioners of the Kazan Temple. They showed that their priest often preaches - sometimes during the service, sometimes after the service, trying to fully reveal the content as much as possible and indicate the meaning of a particular holiday, and especially the throne - Kazan icon of the Mother of God. Witnesses also showed that the priest repeatedly turned to parishioners so that they should be financially helped the temple in which repairs had just been made, helped with money to purchase firewood for heating and paying for taxes to the state, and also raised funds for the maintenance of the patriarchy. During the ministry on the throne holidays, Father Alexy said that every parishioner should leave home with such a joyful feeling so that this joy through him became the property and his family, so that they would like to come to the temple. The witnesses showed that during the sermon, the priest complained that it was not enough to go to the Orthodox temple, that the state used to help the church, and now, under the Soviet regime, everything is on the contrary: the churches are destroyed, the bells are removed, church values ​​are removed.

Father Alexy was arrested on November 27, 1937.

- The investigation has materials that you are systematically conducting anti -Soviet agitation aimed at disrupting the events of the party and government. The investigation requires you frank and truthful testimony on this issue. What is your anti -Soviet agitation expressed?
- I did not deal with any anti -Soviet agitation and I can’t show anything on this issue.
- Give me what you said during the service in the religious holiday of the so -called Kazan?
- On November 4, during the service for the celebration of Kazan, I spoke at the request of the church council with the word that there were no firewood for heating. In order to perform worship, it is necessary to prepare firewood. Since we do not have funds for this, I asked the believers of the village of Kazan so that they would donate firewood and other church needs. After my appeal, a bypass with a plate was made, and who could sacrifice as much as he could.
- Give the testimony that you spoke to believers during a worship for a celebration on the so -called Nikolin Day?
- I spoke with the word during the worship so that the believers donate how much as possible, for the maintenance of our diocese. After my word, a round of the circle was made. I didn't say anything else.
- The investigation is known that you praised pre -revolutionary time and hostilely, in a counter -revolutionary spirit spoke of an existing system, accusing the persecution of religion and clergy. Do you find yourself guilty?
- Yes, I know that such values ​​as bells and others were seized, but I never condemned this and I never acted on the water from the amvon and I do not find myself guilty of this.
- You give false testimonies to the investigation. The investigation requires you of truthful evidence on the merits of the matter.
- I give true testimonies on the merits of the case and once again I deny my guilt in anti -Soviet activities.

After interrogations, Father Alexy was sent to Taganskaya prison in Moscow. On December 3, 1937, the Troika of the NKVD sentenced him to ten years in a forced labor camp.

He died in imprisonment on May 4, 1938 and was buried in an unknown grave.