Samara saints of God: Hieromartyr Vasily Vitevskytranslated

On the eve of August 12, the day of celebration of the Council of Samara Saints, established by Patriarch Alexy II in 2004, we continue a series of publications dedicated to the lives and exploits of the devotees of piety of our region. One of these saints of God is Presbyter Vasily Vitevsky. Hieromartyr Vasily was born on January 24, 1873 in the village of Novaya Binaradka, Stavropol district, Samara province, into the family of a priest. After graduating from the Theological Seminary, he took holy orders and served in the Samara diocese until 1921, after which he continued his pastoral work in the city of Pokrovsk. In 1929, on charges of counter-revolutionary activities, Father Vasily was sentenced to three years of exile, and in December 1930 he was again arrested in a group case between clergy and laity. He pleaded not guilty and received a ten-year sentence, which he served during the construction of the White Sea-Baltic Canal. After his parole in 1933, the priest returned to Samara, where another arrest followed on November 30, 1937.

Father Vasily was brought to investigation in a large-scale group case against Archbishop Alexander (Trapitsyn) on charges of participation in an underground church organization. Your guilt...