Priest-martyr Alexander (Petrovsky), Archbishop of Kharkov brooklyn - church.org

Holy Martyr Alexander Archbishop of Kharkov  Education Priest-martyr Alexander (Petrovsky), Archbishop of Kharkov Priest-martyr Alexander (Petrovsky), Archbishop of Kharkov Alexander Feofanovich Petrovsky was born on August 23, 1851 in the city of Lutsk, Volyn Province (formerly Poland) in the family of a deacon. After graduating from the 4th grade of the Volyn seminary, he entered the law faculty of the university, where he received an excellent secular education. He lived with his mother, whom he loved very much. After her death, the young man received complete freedom and some means. Spree. He led a life that often came home at three or four in the morning. Then one day, returning home, he lay down in his room. Only one curtain separated his room from the room of his late mother, where everything remained as it was. And he sees: the curtain opens, his mother enters and says to him: “Leave it all and go to the monastery!” This vision influenced the young man so much that he drastically changed his way of life, and soon, in 1900, he really took the veil in the Moscow Donskoy Monastery, where he was ordained a hieromonk. Later he was appointed governor of the Donskoy Monastery and elevated to the rank of archimandrite. Since 1903, performing the housekeeper and treasurer of the Turkestan episcopal home, he was a member of the Turkestan Teachers Council, the Consistory and the Imperial Palestinian Society. In 1906, Archimandrite Alexander accepted an appointment as treasurer of the Zhirovitsky Assumption Monastery, and in 1910 became the prior of the Lubensky Monastery. In 1911, after the glorification of St. Ioasaf of Belgorod, he organized a procession from the Lubensky monastery to Belgorod, in which several hundred people participated. From 1917 for two years, he reigned at the Pskovo-Pechersky Monastery, and in 1919 became the head of the skete church of the former Kozelschansk nunnery on the River Psel in the Poltava province. A skete was formed when the Kozelschansky monastery itself and all the temples nearby were closed. 12 priests served in the skete who found refuge here after the closure of their churches. There were wonderful people among them - devotees, singers, preachers. When the church existed printing house, icon-painting workshop. The headman with great difficulty managed to defend the monastery, and in fact a lot of people gathered here from the whole area. The service was performed fervently, according to the statute, the vigil lasted for at least four hours and passed with great enthusiasm. Father Alexander was especially concerned with the improvement of folk singing. “Sing it all!” He addressed the people, and all those praying along with the choir sang the famous prayers of the all-night vigil or the Liturgy. The father himself possessed an excellent tenor, loved singing and knew how to inspire people. The witness writes that it is impossible to forget how an akathist served in the hermitage of the Life-Giving Tomb of Christ the Savior. The chorus resounded in a powerful chorus: "Rejoice, Life-giving Tomb, from which Christ is risen!" In 1932, after the temple was closed, Fr. Alexander went to Kiev, where on October 30 he was consecrated as bishop of Uman, vicar of the Kiev diocese, and on August 25, 1933 he was appointed Bishop of Vinnitsa. In 1934, he was a member of the Temporary Patriarchal Holy Synod under the Deputy Patriarchal Locum Tenens Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodsky). On May 20, 1937, Metropolitan Konstantin (Dyakov) entrusted Vladyka Alexander to administer the Kharkov Diocese. Here he quickly gained universal love. He was a man unusually lively, sociable and affectionate, he knew how to combine his resilience with an amazing endurance, which was manifested in everything. So, for example, he was not satisfied with the routine he found in Kharkov. He was used to inspired solemn service, but did not break anything, and once, at Easter, he gave a demonstration lesson. On the first and second day they served, as usual, and on the third service they did not expect it - everyone was at work. Vladyka appealed to the people and the choir not to depart from the holy custom established by the Church — to celebrate the festive services all three days: “Let us rejoice in the Lord.” Despite the working day, the church turned out to be overcrowded with people. The festive service began, but the chorus, as usual, began to sing quickly, did not repeat all the festive chants. Vladyka addressed the people: “Sing it all!” - and all the people began to sing the Easter canon. And the choir, at first being taken aback, picked up the singing and began to lead it, so that the service passed with such a prayer enthusiasm as never before. After the service, Vladyka especially thanked the choir members, and those (some with 30 years of experience) later said that there had never been such a blessed service in their lives and never the bishop expressed gratitude to them so warmly. ... One after another began to close the church in Kharkov. Finally, only the Nicholas Church on Cold Mountain remained open to the entire Kharkiv region. She was on the outskirts of the city, people everywhere going there without much concern. Vladyka himself came by cab from the other end of the city 5 km away. Once, the order of the authorities to divide the church with renovationists came to the St. Nicholas Church, where Bishop Alexander served, so that the Orthodox bishop served with the clergy on one Sunday, the renovationists to another. The flock was strongly opposed. At the end of the messengers they decided to give one of the aisles to the renovationists, separating it with a wall from the rest of the church. After 2 weeks, the wall was erected, despite the outrage and prohibition of the authorities. No more than 40 people attended the “church-living” services - the organizers of this parish, although there were clergy and an excellent choir who received a decent salary. And there were so many people in the Nicholas church itself that the communion lasted several hours, and before the beginning of the vigil it was necessary to perform many baptisms (up to one hundred and twenty). People came from distant places and patiently idle long services. Vladyka often talked about singing during the pleading litany: “You will not even ask a person so that he will give, does it ask so coldly? Sing everything: “Lord, give me a hand!” And when the thousandth crowd with one mouth, with one heart, began to sing, such a prayer was heard in the temple, about which they now have little idea. Sociability, liveliness of character, heart gentleness were combined in the saint with wisdom, ability to easily resolve conflicts, reconcile and inspire people. The common fate of the adherents for the truth of the Church and Vladyka Alexander did not pass. He felt this and asked his spiritual children not to lose heart: “No matter what further, hold on, keep on holding yourself.” He told his friends that he was the last bishop in southern Russia. On June 20, 1938, Archbishop Alexander was arrested by the UNKVD on charges of counter-revolutionary propaganda and agitation, and on July 17, 1939, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison in Kholodnogorsk prison by a military tribunal of the Kharkov Military District. This was a great event for the prison when they brought him in - a tall, handsome old man. He was met with respect by the prisoners. But here he stayed for a short time: on May 24, 1940, at the age of 89, his life ended. How? God alone knows. From among the prison staff said he was strangled. The documents show that in May 1940, the old body of an old man’s corpse with the number on its leg and a document with the name Petrovsky, with the order to bury, was brought from the incurable hospital of the NKVD to the morgue of Kharkov. A former subdeacon of lord and doorkeeper who later became a priest (Archpriest Joachim Orekhov) who had worked in the morgue, immediately identified Archbishop Alexander. He was shaven and shaved, but his majestic look set him apart from hundreds of corpses miserable in his nakedness. But suddenly a prescription was received from the prison: the body of Petrovsky should be returned immediately, as it was sent by mistake. Having tied the number from the body of the Lord to the body of one of the rootless ones, they sent the latter with Petrovsky's documents to prison. At night, the monks and close devotees of the martyr clothed him in his bishop robe and performed a funeral service. The coffin was taken out in the early morning, but the whole street was crowded with people, mostly flashing white kerchiefs of the sisters of Kozelschansk monastery. With crying, with the sign of the cross, dropping to her knees, met the crowd with a coffin cart. The driver quickly drove the horses. Vladyka was buried behind the Cold Mountain in the cemetery of the village Zelutina. For many years, the tomb of the saint was a place of prayer and pilgrimage ... After the arrest and death of the Lord of the service continued. On Palm Sunday, the spring of 1941 was the last service. Already for the service of Lent imposed a tax of 125 thousand. Have paid. But in the "fifty," which was responsible for the church fell thieves and enemies of the Church. Announced that due to illness the service will not be. The priests were, but had no right to serve, besides who was officially assigned to the temple. They collected a new tax of 120 thousand for Passion Week. But, apparently, the money did not reach the destination. There was no service, but it was announced that there would be a service of the passions of the Lord on Thursday. An enormous crowd of eight thousand gathered. Police arrived. But the order was not broken. The church was closed. There was a service for live stockings, but there was no one there except the "forgings", none of those who had gathered went there. And now the full service of the twelve Gospels on the square was performed - secretly. Ahead stood numerous priests without vestments, surrounded by a close crowd of worshipers. They read the relevant Gospels about themselves, and then they heard: “Glory to Your passion, Lord,” and all the chants were sung by the people themselves. The voices were made to one another, the blessing was given in secret. People stood with candles. The weather was wonderful, quiet ... “Go home,” was said after the end of the service. It was immediately promised that the service would be at Easter. More people gathered, it was also outside the temple. There were no more services before the Trinity. During this time, managed to throw out of the fifty pests at a general meeting in the presence of the authorities. The old priest disappeared without a trace. He agreed to go one priest, who served as an accountant, long pulled with his postscript. The first service took place on the third day of the Trinity. Although it was a working day, mass pilgrims gathered again. But this priest was mobilized and taken to the army. Before the arrival of the Germans, there were no more services ... Priest-martyr Alexander Petrovsky Priest-martyr Alexander Petrovsky February 10, 1993, Archbishop Alexander (Petrovsky) was rehabilitated. In the memory of Orthodox Kharkiv, Archbishop Alexander remained a zealous archpastor and defender of the Holy Orthodox Church. His grave is esteemed especially, it is always decorated with fresh flowers. At the Jubilee Council of Bishops of 2000, the general church glorification of the martyr Alexander was held. His holy name, along with the names of thousands of new martyrs and confessors of our land, was communicated to the Primates of the Local Churches for inclusion in the month. With the blessing of Metropolitan of Kharkov and Bogodukhov of Nicodemus, the Holy Martyr Alexander was declared patron of Kharkov and its inhabitants, and a beautiful temple was erected in his honor on Kosior Ave., which reminds us not only of the life of Holy Martyr Alexander, but also of the eternal truth of God, for which he suffered! The memory of St. Alexander is celebrated on May 11/24 , the transfer of the relics on October 30 / November 12 - the veneration of the holy relics of St. Alexander acquired is timed to the celebration of the Ocerean Icon of the Mother of God - October 30 (November 12), they are transferred to the Holy Annunciation Cathedral in Kharkov, where rest in a special cancer. Also, his memory is honored on June 1 - along with all the martyrs of the Sloboda region.