the holy new martyrs of eastern russia - Coptic Orthodox teaching

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gathered signatures for a petition for the release of his Reverence. This
thought also occurred to the citizens of Nizhni-Novgorod, and signatures for
a similar petition were collected in the parish churches.
"Of course, this movement could not go unnoticed by the authorities, who
were in no way inclined to grant the request. The anniversary of the October
revolution (October 24) and the triumph of Soviet power was approaching.
On the night of that day his Reverence Laurence, Protopriest Alexis
Porfirievich and Alexis Borisovich Neidgart appeared before a militaryrevolutionary
tribunal in the house of "the struggle against counterrevolution,
speculation and sabotage" on Malo-Pokrovsky street. It seems that
after giving a negative reply to the question: 'Do you recognise Soviet power?'
they were taken out into the garden of the house, where they were shot.
Rumours circulated in Nizhni-Novgorod that after his Reverence had been
shot he fell, but did not die, and by an instinct of self-preservation crawled
towards the gates, covered in blood. He was on the point of reaching them
when one of the sentries noticed him. He struck him with his gun-stock so
powerfully that the hierarch's head split and his brains came out. After
receiving a first volley, Protopriest Alexis Porfiriev moved around the garden,
but then he was shot for a second time - this time, for good.
"On the next day, which was the anniversary of the triumph of Soviet
power, all those in prison, including his Reverence Laurence and Protopriest
Alexis Porfiriev and the others, should have been released on amnesty. But
the evil spite of men had carried them all away from the stage of life some
hours earlier..."
Bishop Laurence and those with him were shot on October 24 / November
6, 1918.
According to another source, Bishop Laurence was mocked and cruelly
tortured, but said to his torturers:
"Do what you will, but I will not renounce my convictions."
Before his death he called on the soldier to repent, and declared that Russia
would be saved.
(Sources: M.E. Gubonin, Akty Svyatejshego Tikhona, Patriarkha
Moskovskogo i Vseya Rossii, Moscow: St. Tikhon's Theological Institute, 1994,
p. 978; Protopresbyter Michael Polsky, Noviye Mucheniki Rossijskiye,
Jordanville, 1957, vol. II, pp. 277-78; N.V. Ivanov, "Zapiski", Posev, no. 1, 1988,
pp. 60-63; Za Khrista Postradavshiye, 1917-1956, Moscow: St. Tikhon’s
Theological Institute, 1997, p. 27; “Vospominaniya o ep. Lavrentii (Knyazeve),
Nadezhda, 1985, Frankfurt: Possev-Verlag, N 12, pp. 59-63;
http://www.pstbi.ru/bin/code.exe/frames/m/ind_oem.html?/ans)
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