the holy new martyrs of eastern russia - Coptic Orthodox teaching

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7. HIEROCONFESSOR PHILARET, ARCHBISHOP OF
SAMARA
Archbishop Philaret, in the world Gabriel Nikolsky, was born on March 6,
1858 in the family of a reader. He finished his studies at the Kostroma
theological seminary in 1880, becoming overseer in the Kostroma theological
school in the same years. On October 11, 1881 he was ordained to the
priesthood, and served as a parish priest for seven years. On being widowed,
he entered the St. Petersburg Theological Academy in 1887, graduating in
1891. He was tonsured into monasticism on September 25, 1888. In 1891 he
became inspector in the Tiflis theological seminary, and in 1892 – rector of the
Kazan theological seminary in the rank of archmandrite. In 1895 he became
rector of Tiflis theological seminary. On December 20, 1898 he was
consecrated Bishop of Kirensk, a vicariate of the Irkutsk diocese, in St.
Petersburg. On January 30, 1904 he was transferred to the see of Glazov, a
vicariate of the Vyatka diocese, and on November 27 became Bishop of
Vyatka. On March 20, 1914, he became Bishop of Astrakhan and remained at
this post until May 24, 1916, when he retired. In 1918 he was temporarily in
charge of the Kostroma diocese, and in 1920 was appointed Archbishop of
Samara. In the spring of 1921 he was in the Taganka prison in Moscow with
Metropolitan Cyril of Kazan and other hierarchs. In 1922 (according to
another source, 1921) he froze to death while in exile in Archangel province.
Witnesses say that for a long time he was unable to die. Finally he
remembered that he had not given away all his money: somewhere in a box
or the pocket of his podryasnik there still remained two kopecks. The money
was found and given to the poor. Then Vladyka died.
(Sources: Protopresbyter Michael Polsky, Noviye Mucheniki Rossijskiye,
Jordanville, 1957, part 1, p. 179; M.E. Gubonin, Akty Svyateishego Patriarkha
Tikhona, St. Tikhon's Theological Institute, 1994, p. 996; Russkiye
Pravoslavnye Ierarkhi, Paris: YMCA Press, 1986, p. 79;
http://www.pstbi.ru/cgi-htm/db.exe/no_dbpath/docum/cnt/ans)
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