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Ivan DobroserdovArchbishop. He was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church in 2000.
Date of Birth: 22.01.1865
Country:  Russia |
Content:
- Early Life and Education
- Teaching and Priestly Career
- Moscow and Monastic Life
- Episcopal Ministry
- Post-Revolution Years
- Imprisonment and Exile
- Further Appointments and Retirement
- Arrest, Trial, and Execution
- Along with Dimitry, several others were arrested:
- Canonization
Early Life and Education
Dimitry (in the world, Alexey Alexandrovich Dobrynin) was born into a family of priests in 1861. He graduated from the Tambov Theological Seminary in 1885 and the Moscow Theological Academy in 1898, earning a degree in theology.
Teaching and Priestly Career
From 1885 to 1889, Dimitry served as a teacher in a zemstvo school in Tambov Governorate. In 1889, he became the priest of St. Nicholas Church in Mamontovo, Tambov Governorate, and later became the head and religious instructor of the Mamontov Church Parish School. After the deaths of his wife and children, he moved from Tambov to Moscow.
Moscow and Monastic Life
From 1898, Dimitry was a religious instructor at the 4th Moscow Gymnasium and the rector of its church. In 1899, he became the secretary of the Pedagogical Society for Religious-Moral Education and Upbringing. In 1908, he was tonsured into monasticism, consecrated as an archimandrite, and appointed as the synodal sacristan of the Moscow Church of the Twelve Apostles in the Kremlin. From 1909, he also oversaw the послуšnik schools of stauropegic monasteries.
Episcopal Ministry
In 1914, Dimitry became the Bishop of Mozhaisk, vicar of the Moscow Diocese. He headed theological pedagogical courses in Moscow and directed the publication of a scientific, artistic, and illustrated description of the Patriarchal Sacristy.
Post-Revolution Years
In 1917, Dimitry became the rector of the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery. In 1923, he was appointed Bishop of Stavropol, then Bishop of Baku, and later Bishop of Kozlov, vicar of the Tambov Diocese. He was actively opposed to Renovationism, returning all but one church in Kozlov to the patriarchal church. He was known as a gifted preacher and enjoyed great authority among believers.
Imprisonment and Exile
In 1925, Dimitry was arrested and forced to leave the Tambov Diocese. He lived in Moscow and served in Moscow and suburban churches. In the same year, he was appointed Archbishop of Donsk. In 1926, he was ordered to leave Moscow and moved to Pyatigorsk, where he became the ruling bishop of a new diocese established by Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodsky). He served at the Panteleimon Church in Kislovodsk.
Further Appointments and Retirement
On December 31, 1929, Dimitry became Archbishop of Kostroma. His appointment as Archbishop of Stalingrad in 1930 was later revoked. On May 13, 1932, he was retired from service. From June 27, 1932, he resumed his position as Archbishop of Pyatigorsk until his retirement on September 19, 1932. On June 16, 1933, he became Archbishop of Kaluga. From March 23, 1934, he was Archbishop of Mozhaisk, vicar of the Moscow Diocese.
Arrest, Trial, and Execution
On September 29, 1937, Dimitry was arrested and imprisoned in Butyrka prison. He was charged with anti-Soviet agitation and spreading rumors, including the execution of Metropolitan Peter (Polyansky). He pleaded not guilty.
Along with Dimitry, several others were arrested:
Archimandrite Ambrose (Aleksey Anikeevich Astakhov)Abbot Pakhomiy (Pavel Akimovich Turkevich)
Deacon Ivan Semenovich Khrenov
Monk Varlaam (Vasily Sevastianivich Efimov)
Nun Tatiana (Tatiana Nikolaevna Besfamilnaya)
Nikolai Aleksandrovich Rein
Maria Nikolaevna Volnukhin
Nadezhda Grigorievna Azhgerevich
On October 17, 1937, all but Monk Varlaam were sentenced to death by firing squad. They were executed at the Butovo proving ground near Moscow. Monk Varlaam was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment and later died in a labor camp.
Canonization
In August 2000, the Jubilee Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church canonized Archbishop Dimitry and those convicted with him.
