Mihail Bleyve Archpriest. He was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church in 2000. Date of Birth: 29.10.1873 Country: Russia

Content:

1. Priest of the Russian Orthodox Church
2. Early Clerical Service
3. Ordination and Parish Work
4. Service During War and Revolution
5. Service in Yuryev (Tartu)
6. Protopriest of Dormition Cathedral
7. Martyrdom
8. Sainthood

Priest of the Russian Orthodox Church

Childhood and Education
Father Mikhail

Mikhail Bliznyuk was born into a family of a psalm reader, Ivan Petrovich Bliznyuk, and his wife, Akilina Khristoforovna (née Leat). He had two sisters, Alexandra and Vera. Despite his family's financial struggles, Mikhail pursued his education with determination. He attended the Riga Theological College and graduated from the Riga Theological Seminary in 1894 with distinction.

Early Clerical Service

Psalmist and Chorister

After graduating, Mikhail served as a psalmist in Riga's Archpriest Choir and at the Church of St. John the Baptist. In 1896, he became a psalmist at the Riga Holy Trinity Women's Convent.

Ordination and Parish Work

Priest in Estonia

In 1899, Mikhail married Lyubov Fedorovna Lugovskaya, a priest's daughter. On January 1, 1900, he was ordained a priest by Bishop Agafangel of Riga and Mitava. Mikhail served at the Garjele (Laanemetsa) parish in the Verro (Võru) region. He dedicated himself to his pastoral duties, delivering moving sermons, teaching in schools, and assisting the poor.

Service During War and Revolution

Priest in Niggene

In 1908, Mikhail became the priest of the Niggene (Nõo) Church. He raised funds to renovate the church and beautify it with new furnishings. In 1910, he was appointed the rural dean of the 1st Yuryev District. Upon the outbreak of World War I, he conducted special evening services to intercede for soldiers at the front, consoling the bereaved mothers and wives.

Service in Yuryev (Tartu)

Second Priest of Dormition Cathedral

In 1915, Mikhail was appointed priest at the Ringen (Rõngu) Church. He later became the third priest at the Dormition Cathedral in Yuryev (Tartu). According to Professor Ivan Lappo, the cathedral's warden, "he was a quiet and humble man, with the mild and pure gaze of clear eyes, which is typical of people who live a deeply spiritual life."

Protopriest of Dormition Cathedral

In 1918, upon the request of the Dormition Cathedral's parish council, Bishop Platon (Kulbusch) appointed Mikhail as the cathedral's rector and elevated him to the rank of protopriest.

Martyrdom

Bolshevik Persecution

In December 1918, after the Bolsheviks occupied Tartu, Mikhail was arrested at the altar of the Dormition Cathedral. He was accused of violating a ban on religious services and was executed alongside Bishop Platon and Archpriest Nikolai Beznitsky. He was buried at the Dormition Cathedral in Tartu.

Sainthood

Canonization

In August 2000, Protopriest Mikhail Bliznyuk was canonized as a new martyr of the Russian Orthodox Church at the Jubilee Bishops' Council in Moscow.

Religious figure

Tselestyn	Yatsek Odrovonzh	Franklin Jones
Ilia II	Billy Graham	Charles Taze Russell