1870–1918
Archbishop of Perm who boldly denounced the Bolshevik decrees against the Church and was seized and martyred in 1918.
The Holy New Hieromartyr Andronicus, Archbishop of Perm and Kungur
New Martyr Andronicus, Archbishop of Perm, was a hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church who openly denounced the Bolshevik decrees against the Church and was martyred near Perm in 1918. Born Vladimir Aleksandrovich Nikolsky on August 13, 1870, in the village of Povodnevo in Yaroslavl Province, he pursued an extensive theological education and served the Church as a missionary, seminary rector, and bishop before his death during the early Soviet persecution.
Following the Bolshevik revolution he resisted the confiscation of church property, was arrested in June 1918, and was executed near Perm. According to the accounts of his death, he was forced to dig his own grave and was buried alive. He was glorified as a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church in August 2000.
By sharing in the ways of the Apostles,
you became a successor to their throne.
Through the practice of virtue, you found the way to divine contemplation,
O inspired one of God;
by teaching the word of truth without error,
you defended the Faith, even to the shedding of your blood.
Hieromartyr Andronicus entreat Christ God to save our souls.
Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).
Vladimir Aleksandrovich Nikolsky completed his theological education at the Uglich Theological Seminary (1885), the Yaroslavl Theological Seminary (1891), and the Moscow Theological Academy (1895), where he earned a degree in theology.
He took monastic vows in 1893, receiving the name Andronik (Andronicus), and was ordained a deacon that same year.
Andronicus held a succession of teaching and administrative posts in the Church. He served as assistant inspector at the Kutaisi Theological Seminary (1895–1896), inspector of the Ardoni Missionary Seminary (1896–1899), and then rector of the Ardoni Seminary (1899–1900), followed by rector of the Ufa Theological Seminary (1900–1906).
He was consecrated Bishop of Kioto (Kyoto) and vicar to Tokyo (1906–1907), during which his missionary work in the Osaka area is reported to have revitalized the local Orthodox community and significantly increased church attendance. He subsequently served as Bishop of Tikhvin (1908–1913) and Bishop of Omsk (1913–1914) before being appointed Archbishop of Perm and Kungur (1914–1918).
He held right-wing political views and served as honorary chairman of the Novgorod and Perm branches of the Union of the Russian People.
Following the Bolshevik revolution, Andronicus resisted the confiscation of church property and boldly denounced the decrees issued against the Church. He was arrested on June 15–16, 1918, and executed on June 20, 1918, near Perm.
According to the accounts of his death, the authorities forced him to dig his own grave before shooting him, and he was buried alive.
Archbishop Andronicus authored spiritual teachings encouraging an Orthodox Christian life. One teaching holds that to live a godly life one must know the will of God and the teaching of Christ, which can be learned through the Holy Gospel.
He emphasized attendance at church on Sundays and feast days, the reading of the lives of the saints and spiritual books, and the cultivation of inner spiritual virtue alongside external church-building activity. He pointed to Saint Seraphim of Sarov as an example of spiritual attainment and exhorted believers to occupy themselves with the lives of the saints in order to learn good and not evil.
Andronicus was glorified as a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church in August 2000, taking his place among the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia. His feast is commemorated on June 7/20, and he is also listed in the Orthodox liturgical calendar on June 4 (New Style).
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