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Divine Liturgy celebrated at the Rzhevsky training groundtranslated

September 6, 2026 · 1 min read

On September 5, at the site of the alleged execution of the Hieromartyr Veniamin of Petrograd at the Rzhev training ground, a Divine Liturgy was celebrated.

The service was held in the open air, in the preserved part of the ruined building of the gunpowder warehouse. The Rzhev test site is associated with the memory of numerous victims of repressions of the early 1920s, including those who suffered for their faith.

The Divine Liturgy was led by the secretary of the Vyborg diocese, Archpriest Igor Aksyonov. Concelebrating with him were the chairman of the Vyborg diocese commission for preserving the memory of the new martyrs, confessors and all those who suffered innocently against God during the years of persecution, Priest Anthony Bykov, the dean of the Vsevolozhsk district, Priest Dimitry Chuev, and the clergy of the diocese.

At the end of the Liturgy, a prayer service was performed, and then a funeral litany for all those who died during the years of the Red Terror and persecution of the Church.

Source: Site: Выборгская епархия · Read the full story →

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Katherine Brown

I didn't know the Rzhevsky polygon was tied to Metropolitan Benjamin's martyrdom. It's good they held the Liturgy right inside the old powder warehouse ruins. Father Igor Aksyonov and the others did well to remember all those killed in the Red Terror with the litia afterward.

Владимир Петров

Thank you for writing. I didn’t know that it was at the Rzhev training ground that the holy martyr Veniamin was shot. It’s good that the liturgy was served right in the ruins of a gunpowder warehouse, it really got to the point. And the litany for all the victims of the Red Terror is the most correct ending.

Илья Смирнов

Thank you, Vladimir, for your response. I, too, only recently found out that it was there, in those same ruins, that traces of the executions of the early 20s were found. Lithium for all victims of the Red Terror - this is true, there is no way without it, memory should be common. Have you been to the Rzhevsky training ground before?

Matthew Young

I didn't realize the powder warehouse ruins were still standing either. That spot must feel heavy with history. Father Igor and the team did right by including the litia for all the Red Terror victims, not just the hierarchs.

George Anderson

I didn't know the powder warehouse was still partly there either. It's good they held the service right inside those ruins – makes it feel more connected to what happened. The litia for all the Red Terror victims was important; my own grandfather lost an uncle in those years, not a bishop, just a quiet village reader.