On October 1 (September 18 on the Julian Calendar) we commemorate Saint Alexei Kuznetsov, priest and martyr of the Communist yoke, who reposed in the Lord in 1918.
Hieromartyr Alexei Kuznetsov was born in 1873, graduated from a teachers' seminary and initially taught at a public school in the village of Gorbunovsky in the Kamyshlov district. In February 1898, he was ordained a deacon by His Grace Christopher, Bishop of Yekaterinburg and Irbit, and sent to serve in the Vysko-Nikolaevsky Cathedral of the Nizhny Tagil factory.
This church was built in the first half of the 19th century in memory of one of the members of a famous Ural mining family – Nikolai Nikitich Demidov. The idea of building the church belonged to his sons; later, the Vysko-Nikolaevsky Cathedral became the Demidov family burial vault. In the lower church, consecrated in the name of the Venerable Theodore Sykeot, there were luxurious marble tombstones, bronze monuments were installed over the burial plots of some representatives of the Demidov family, and their tombs were surrounded by elegant bronze grilles. The cathedral housed an icon of the Mother of God painted by Saint Demetrius of Rostov, with which he blessed the founders of the Demidov family – Nikita and Akinfiy – when they left for the Urals in 1702. Personal belongings of the family members were placed in special display cases in the church. The Vysko-Nikolsky Church, magnificent in its interior and exterior decoration, was one of the main attractions of the city.
During his service at the Vysko-Nikolsky Church, Father Alexei taught at the church parish school of this church. In the report of the Yekaterinburg diocesan observer on the state of church schools of the diocese for the 1900-1901 academic year, this school was noted among the best in terms of teaching success, and the name of Deacon Alexei Kuznetsov was listed among teachers who were distinguished by "special devotion to school work and experience and the most successful activity."
In September 1909, Father Alexei was ordained to the priesthood by His Eminence Vladimir, Archbishop of Yekaterinburg and Irbit, and assigned to serve in the second priestly position at the Church of St. John the Theologian of the Verkhne-Saldinsky factory. From that time until his martyrdom, Father Alexei served in this church, the rector of which was another future holy martyr, Father Peter Dyakonov.
The Verkhne-Saldinsky Ironworks was founded in 1778. Initially, its entire population was registered with the parish of the St. Nicholas Church in the Nizhne-Saldinsky factory settlement, but in 1836, after the St. Nicholas Church was moved to Verkhnyaya Salda and consecrated in the name of the Holy Apostle John the Theologian, the parish became independent. Half a century later, this wooden church, located in the center of the settlement, could no longer accommodate all the parishioners, and a new stone cathedral in the name of St. John the Theologian was built in the Verkhne-Saldinsky Plant. One of its chapels was consecrated in honor of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple, and the second, in honor of the Meeting of the Lord. The entire temple was magnificently painted by the artist V. Zvezdin, and the iconostasis was decorated with artistic carving. The outside of the church was surrounded by a granite parapet with an elegant metal grate. This temple was famous for its bell ringing, which residents from surrounding villages and even from Nizhny Tagil came to hear.
Since 1864, a solemn religious procession had been held annually in the Verkhne-Saldinsky and Nizhne-Saldinsky plants on May 8–9, the days of the holidays in honor of the Apostle John the Theologian and the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. It was established after a major fire broke out in the Nizhne-Saldinsky plant in 1864 on St. Nicholas Day, May 9, which destroyed half of the houses in the village. The fire was caused by drunkenness, so after it, the residents of both villages took a vow not to drink wine on this holiday and kept their vow for many years. They tried to finish all sowing work by this day and even sewed special shirts: parishioners of the Verkhne-Saldinsky Church in the name of the Apostle John the Theologian wore crimson shirts, and parishioners of the Nizhne-Saldinsky Church in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker wore white shirts. The procession was carried out with icons and banners from one village to another, which made the two Saldas very close. Clergy of the Church of St. John the Theologian, including Father Alexei, always took part in these processions.
In 1914, on the day of Holy Easter, "for zealous and useful service to the Church of God," Father Alexei was awarded a nabedrennik. During these years, he was a member of the Nizhne-Saldinsky Missionary Committee of the Verkhoturye District. There were many sectarians and dissenters in the village, and therefore, apparently, a special Missionary Committee was created there. According to the definition of the Holy Synod of December 10, 1828, missionary committees were formed "in those dioceses where there are a large number of residents, some of whom entered Orthodoxy from another religion, but are shaken in it by false teachers, some of whom remain in unbelief, for the strengthening of the former in Orthodoxy, and for the conversion of the rest to it." As stated in the "Instructions for Missionaries," before beginning their service, they had to "prepare themselves for the impending feast through fasting and prayer." Their duties included preaching the Word of God to the unbelievers, conducting simple, accessible conversations for them, adapted "to the concept of the Christian faith and life in accordance with their still infantile age," performing the sacrament of Holy Baptism on those who wished, visiting their homes "with the Holy and Life-giving Cross and holy water." At the same time, the instructions noted, the missionary had to carefully delve into "their way of life in relation to the Orthodox faith" and in simple conversation convince them to observe the rules of the Holy Orthodox Church, "of which they become sons upon receiving Holy Baptism." If there were "those who persisted in the errors of paganism," then he had to "admonish them with meekness and patience, expounding the vanity of their pagan customs and instilling the saving fear of God's Judgment in those who depart from the Christian faith." It is obvious that for the performance of such a responsible position they tried to select clergymen who possessed a special zeal for the faith, had impeccable morality and were distinguished by their prudence, therefore participation in the work of the Nizhne-Salda missionary committee undoubtedly testified to the high spiritual qualities of Father Alexei.
The year 1917 arrived. About a month after the establishment of Soviet power in Petrograd, the Council of Workers, Peasants, and Soldiers' Deputies was created at the Verkhne-Saldinsky Plant, and soon the Socialist Union of Working Youth and the Union of Student Youth were also organized. At the very beginning of 1918, the metallurgical plant was nationalized.
Father Alexei and Father Peter watched the changes that were taking place with pain in their hearts. Seeing the departure of many of their parishioners, including the youth, from the Holy Church, they could not help but offer prayers before the throne of the Lord for their lost fellow villagers.
Meanwhile, Russia's withdrawal from World War I, the nationalization of property, and the dispersal of the Constituent Assembly by the Bolsheviks sharply exacerbated the situation in the country. In May, the Czechoslovak Corps began to rebel in the Urals; all those who disagreed with the Soviet government joined the Czechoslovaks. On May 27, Czech troops captured the Chelyabinsk railway junction, from where they moved in two directions: to Yekaterinburg and Omsk. Peasant uprisings against the Soviet government broke out one after another. Due to the growing tension, the Verkhne-Saldinsky Plant began to form Red Guard detachments. Workers and peasants were trained in military affairs under the guidance of former army officers. At the first stage, 200 wooden rifles were made for their armament. To cover the costs of maintaining these detachments, the Verkhne-Saldinsky Council confiscated some of the personal belongings of local entrepreneurs: short fur coats, pea jackets, cloth, and even hats. Local merchants were levied a contribution of 170,000 rubles, which they paid in cash. In April-May 1918, the first Red Guard detachments of Saldin were sent to fight Ataman Dutov and the Czechoslovaks; they also participated in suppressing the June uprising in Nevyansk. However, on July 25, Czechoslovak and Cossack troops had already captured the capital of the Urals, Yekaterinburg; the Reds were retreating in the direction of Nizhny Tagil; the front was getting closer and closer to the Verkhne-Saldinsky and Nizhne-Saldinsky factories. The Verkhne-Saldinsky detachments, formed at an accelerated pace, joined the regiments of the 3rd Army, including the 1st Peasant Communist Regiment. In September, the Czechoslovaks launched a decisive offensive in the Tagil direction.
There were no battles in the Verkhne-Saldinsky and Nizhne-Saldinsky plants, but many retreating Red Army troops passed through these villages, especially through the Nizhne-Saldinsky plant. At the end of September, the 1st Peasant Communist Regiment also passed through it. At that time, on the outskirts, near the dead-end railway station, the Reds shot many hostages, including clergy and church servants, whose bodies were buried there. On October 1, 1918, not far from the Nizhnyaya Salda station, the Verkhne-Saldinsky priests, Father Alexei Kuznetsov and Father Pyotr Dyakonov, were martyred at the hands of the Red Army soldiers. According to the recollections of contemporaries, the cruelty of the Reds was horrific. When, after their retreat, the residents came to this place, they saw a terrible picture: severed heads, mutilated bodies, blood mixed with earth everywhere...
On October 9, the day of the death of St. John the Theologian, the priests, along with other villagers killed for their faith, were given a funeral service and Christian burial: the remains of Father Alexy were in the churchyard, and those of Father Peter were in the parish cemetery.
And the very next day the Whites entered the Nizhne-Saldinsky plant. Most of the residents greeted them solemnly and joyfully – as liberators. It was as if pre-revolutionary times had returned to the plant settlement: private ownership of plants and land was declared again, zemstvo self-government was restored, all Soviet decrees were declared invalid. An investigative commission began its work, collecting information about the Red Terror, and a wooden cross was erected at the burial site of the Bolshevik victims, near the Nizhnyaya Salda station.
In 2002, Hieromartyr Alexei Kuznetsov was glorified at the Council of New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia from the Yekaterinburg Diocese.
