“I yearn for the Name of Christ”translated

July 3 is the day of repose of the holy confessor Nikolai Florov, a saint of the land of Vyatka, who served in the city of Kotelnich and surrounding villages.

On July 3, 1933, Archpriest Nikolai Florov reposed in the Lord. The priest spent the last months of his life in prison. “I yearn for the Name of Christ,” he wrote. Father Nikolai was released due to a serious illness just hours before his death.

Archpriest Nikolai served in the city of Kotelnich and surrounding villages. He was a zealous Christian, a brilliant preacher and a talented publicist. For the feat of confessing Christ during the period of bloody persecutions of the twentieth century, the Church glorified him among the saints as a confessor.

On the day of remembrance of the saint, we invite you to read a historical essay about him, based on archival materials, prepared by the nuns of the Vladimir Monastery in the village of Piksur.

Nikolai Semyonovich Florov was born on October 10, 1870 in the village of Pusheiskoye, Slobodsky district, Vyatka province, into the family of Priest Simeon. Since childhood, Nikolai had before his eyes the good example of not only his father, but also his maternal grandfather, priest Mikhail Kurochkin, who served in the village of Gostevo, Kotelnichsky district. Kolya often came with his mother Maria Mikhailovna and his brothers...