Solovki destiny of a family of Piskanovsky

Kobrin → Outstanding persons

Both the father, and the grandfather of the lake of Nikolay were priests. It carried on family tradition. He was born on May 1 (the Art. of style) 1887 in a family of the archpriest Jehoiakim Piskanovsky and his spouse Maria Ivanovna Kadlubovskaya. The father Jehoiakim served in church of the village of Zbirosh, near. of station of Zhabink of the Grodno province, in 15 km from Brest-Litovska. Nikolay had two more brothers and four sisters. As well as it is necessary to the offspring of a priestly family, comes to a theological seminary to Brest-Litovske. In 1909 it is determined by the psalm reader in Strigovsky church, near the city of Kobrin, it serves here prior to the beginning of 1913. After ordination in deacons it serves in Saint Nikolay's temple in the Brest fortress. In 1913 he contracted marriage with Claudia, the daughter of dear archpriest from the village Stradech of the Brest County, Pyotr Vasilyevich Kotovich. At that with the mother Taisiya a large family - three more sons and seven daughters.

From the beginning of 1 world war in Brest the hospital was organized, Saint Nikolay's church becomes the hospital temple, Nikolay continues to serve in it the deacon of the lake. At the lake of Nikolay and the mother Claudia Petrovna on March 9 / 24 February, 1915 in Brest (then Brest-Litovsk) the daughter was born. Due to the approach of the germano-Austrian troops in 1915 the hospital is evacuated and transferred to Odessa, all family of Piskanovsky with little Ksenia moves there. It is evacuated as well the diocese (Grodno and Vilensky) which included the hospital temple, department is transferred from Vilno to Moscow. At this time it was headed by the lord Tikhon Belavin, and to him for ordination in priests to Saint Nicholas's church in 1915 the father Nikolay was called from Odessa. Ordination was made in Christ-Christ Redeemer's Temple. And though the temple in Brest was closed and profaned subsequently, the father Nikolay as the daughter Ksenia Nikolaevna told after it, so all life also considered himself as the prior of the Brest church of Saint Nikolay. In 1918 the hospital in Odessa was liquidated, the father Nikolay went the second priest to the Ukrainian village of Pavlysh, the Kremenchuk district. On November 12, 1919 the son - too Nikolay was born.

The time of troubles, in the village different gangs, two times of the lake to Nikolay appear execution threatened. At the end of 1919 – the beginning of 1920 in the village of Ivanovka of the neighboring Alexandria county killed the priest, the island Nikolay went to serve there. Became decent, fought against an obnovlenchestvo, went on foot on villages, acted from an ambon. The native uncle of the father Nikolay brought a wonder-working icon of the Mother of God of Valkovskaya from native places. And on the road at it stole all things, except one chest where there was an icon of the Queen Nebesnoy. With this wonder-working icon of the lake Nikolay arranged religious processions.

Priest N. N. Piskanovsky. Middle of the 1920th years

Then the father Nikolay was transferred from Ivanovka to the regional center - the city of Alexandria which after revolution repeatedly changed an administrative addition - entered in Kherson, then in Nikolaev and then the Elisavetgradsky province renamed subsequently into the Kirovohrad region. Here it served in several temples – in the cemeterial temple, in a cathedral. During this period prosecutions and persecutions of the Soviet power on church and priests especially became tougher. The father Nikolay who firmly opposes both obnovlenets, and withdrawal of church values was pursued persistently. Repeatedly caused in OGPU, kept in a chamber till several days and even weeks, then, without bringing to court, unwillingly released. Sometimes tried to arrange provocations – releasing from the conclusion, invited at the table filled with vodka and snack tried to photograph the priest and thus to compromise before parishioners.

In 1922 islands of Nikolay arrested on a high-profile case of the lake of Varsanofy (Yurchenko), prior of the Pokrovsk temple in Alexandria who shortly before this abbot was hailed by the prelate Tikhon. The father Varsanofy in the Alexandria district was a missionary on fight against an obnovlenchestvo, and it is absolutely clear that islands Nikolay, and also his brother-in-law, Anthony Petrovich Kotovich, the second priest of the Pokrovsk temple became his closest associates in this case. In 1923, after nine-months stay in prison, the father Nikolay together with other arrested was carried to Ekaterinoslav (Dnipropetrovsk) where trial over "churchmen" was arranged. Sentenced to a year of prison, but in three months let out, having sent to exile to Ekaterinograd (Kirovohrad). Since then and until the end of life at the father Nikolay only two social statuses – either the prisoner, or the exiled.

Young father Nikolay with the spouse Claudia

Family of the lake of Nikolay – Claudia Petrovna, mother Maria Ivanovna (river of 1852) and three (!) children – still the baby Dima appeared by then – it was wound after the father Nikolay through towns and villages without any means of livelihood. At the beginning of 1925 all after Nikolay banished by the lake moved to Ekaterinograd. Unfamiliar kind people gave a shelter and food. For example, the old woman by the name of Ksenia came to Ekaterinograde, told that she from Blessed Ksenia and within a month daily brought bread, milk and other modest food. After three months of the reference in Ekaterinograda of OGPU sends the father Nikolay to Poltava. There the father Nikolay as administratively exiled had to be marked out regularly in militia – however, the state machine of repression had yet no that relentless rigidity which it gained to the middle of the 30th. In Poltava it was to be noted only once in a month enough, in principle it was also necessary to report about the departures to other cities, but persistent control of trips was not. The father Nikolay explained the trips with desire to visit relatives - for example, most often called the Poltava village of Kobelyaka where Agafya Petrovna Kotovich's husband, his sisters-in-law served in church the priest.

And now time to mention that besides service in temples, the lake of Nikolay in 1925-1926, during stay in Poltava had also other obedience came. It was time of great not structures and difficulties of Russian Orthodox Church, and for its Ukrainian part problems were aggravated with local splits (Lubyansk, samosvyata). Bolsheviks mad rates conducted arrests of orthodox priests, trying to deprive of the believing most skilled vozglavitel. Due to the campaign for withdrawal of church values in 1922 the exarch of Ukraine metropolitan Mikhail (Ermakov) was arrested. All weight of management of the Ukrainian church at this moment laid down on shoulders of the Kiev suffragan bishop Makari (Karmazin), and it with honor passed heartrending long-term experience. He started secret ordination of new bishops from among firmest and gifted "tikhonovets", together with the friend and the adherent bishop Ananyevsky Parfeny (Bryansk) adjusted not under control OGPU system of church management, organized activity of the initiative groups, independent of the godless power, consisting of clergy and laymen. Despite arrests, the lord Makari with the friends bishops for many years kept the influence in affairs of the Ukrainian church. Among his active adherents, besides vl. Parfeny, we will mention also Vasily (Zelentsov's) bishops and Damaskina (Tsedrika).

And provided with the person who at the lord Makari knew the organization of meetings of the episcopate safe and effective communication by special messengers and correspondence to agreed addresses, there was an island Nikolay Piskanovsky. The father Nikolay also steadily participated in the secret hirotoniya occurring in Kharkiv and then organized delivery of the acts signed by bishops of Ukraine to the signature to the Deputy Patriarchal locum tenens metropolitan Sergy (Stragorodsky) to Nizhny Novgorod. The lord Makari blessed the father Nikolay in 1926, for example, to go round bishops in Kiev, Kharkiv, Poltava, Zhytomyr, other cities to conduct their survey on the Gregorian split. Results of poll of the Ukrainian episcopate were told to the island by Nikolay at the request of the lord Makari to the metropolitan Sergy (Stragorodsky) that strengthened positions of the patriarchal locum tenens and allowed it to take initial measures against dissenters. It in return resolutely supported the Ukrainian episcopate on a problem of Lubyansk split.

Elimination of a problem of a diarchy in management of Church of spring-summer of 1926 became successful joint action of the Ukrainian bishops and the metropolitan Sergiya during this period also. The metropolitan Agafangel, the oldest at that time on a dignity and a hirotoniya the hierarch of Russian Orthodox Church, had legitimate rights for the higher church authority: it was specified by the second candidate for Locum tenens still Patriarch Tikhon in January, 1925. However circumstances of its return from the reference (after negotiations with the chief of the 6th office of Confidential department of OGPU E. A. Tuchkov) and the hasty announcement of guarded with the Locum tenens in April, 1926 the episcopate. Soon and the metropolitan Sergy declared that he cannot refuse the obligations for management of Church assigned to it by an izvoleniye of the metropolitan Pyotr (Polyansky) keeping the initial mestoblyustitelsky title.

Trying to find a way out of an impasse, to Agafangel voluntarily to refuse the claims on locum-tenency the bishop Prilutsky Vasily (Zelentsov) who expressed opinion of the Ukrainian episcopate appealed on May 6, 1926 with the open letter. It was specified that "orthodox bishops recognize m of Pyotr as the Patriarchal Locum tenens, and you are asked to leave this undertaking". Signatures of other bishops in support of this letter Nikolay Piskanovsky received the lake, he also brought him on May 19 to the metropolitan Agafangel at the request of the lord Vasily. O. Nikolay on June 17 again delivered to Agafangel the letter – to it time from the metropolitan Sergiya (Stragorodsky) with the categorical requirement to refuse the claims and thus to stop the beginning distemper. In the made lake. Nikolay the document entitled by it "Interview with the metropolitan Agafangel" tells how he zemno bowed and asked the metropolitan to send the refusal of locum-tenency to the metropolitan Sergy for the good of Church and as, despite the stated doubts, Agafangel handed it an envelope with refusal and the copy for the Ukrainian episcopate in the evening.

After arrest of the metropolitan Sergiya in December, 1926 and assignment of duties of the deputy locum tenens on the archbishop Uglichsky Serafim Samoylovich, to it the lake Nikolay Piskanovsky goes to negotiations on Makari (Karmazin's) blessing at the beginning of 1927 and brings the encouraging news of plans of carrying out church policy of the new head of Church to Ukraine.

In Poltava the exiled the priest of the lake Nikolay openly serves out of staff in the only remained open Trinity Church. In it before the arrest in the summer of 1926 as Ksenia Nikolaevna remembered later, the bishop Vasily (Zelentsov), the adherent and the kind friend of the lake of Nikolay, the fearless fighter for good reason of Church made remarkable sermons.

OGPU of Poltava suspects the father Nikolay of the unlawful church activity, keeps upon it continuous shadowing, causes it for interrogations. On the first two calls the mother Claudia Petrovna accompanied the husband, in the third had to remain with children. Round the corner, near management of OGPU, there was already a carrier, the father Nikolay directly from interrogation was taken away, secretly from a family, to the station and then accompanied by escorts brought to Kharkiv, directly to prison. As Ksenia Nikolaevna transfers, declared to it: "Nobody knows where you that we want, with you and we will make". In reply the father Nikolay told that "the wife all the same will find me and will come". The next day to a family one of parishioners of Trinity Church came and told that Claudia Petrovna is asked by some young man. It was the escort who brought the father Nikolay to Kharkiv by train and who responded to its request to transfer a news about it to a family. Probably, the father Nikolay would be kept long in prison without court, but Claudia Petrovna appeared in reception OGPU with requirements of appointment to the husband again, security officers had no sufficient bases for a consequence, and lakes of Nikolay release from prison. But did not allow to come back to Poltava to it any more, having left on receipt in Kharkiv.

OGPU understands that by then the lake of Nikolay had in Kharkiv too many congenial exiled of hierarches. With the purpose to complicate communication with adherents, the power appoints to the father Nikolay Piskanovsky the reference out of borders of Ukraine – to Voronezh (obviously, it is fall of 1927). Going to the reference, the lake Nikolay originally had to stop by in Nizhny Novgorod where after release from prison the metropolitan Sergy returned on April 2, 1927 and to transfer it the message from group of the Ukrainian hierarches. But on this the situation was strained unlike times of joint fight of previous year against splits and divisions of church management.

The matter is that the metropolitan Sergy who came back to execution of the obligations of management of Patriarchal church after difficult months in a solitary confinement of ominous Internal prison of OGPU published in "News" of July 16/29 the Declaration calling believers for loyalty of the Soviet power. This Declaration caused fierce polemic and for a long time divided the Russian society on all initial space of ROC. And if before the lake Nikolay brought to the metropolitan Sergy of the message, proceeding from uniform understanding of tasks of the Russian church, then now the lake Nikolay carried to the metropolitan the message of other sense suggesting to Sergy to reconsider the positions.

The father Nikolay was accepted by the metropolitan, transferred him the message, had with it conversation. According to Ksenia Nikolaevna, he "asked and convinced the metropolitan" to disavow the Declaration. Each of them agreed to differ therefore the lake Nikolay rejected the offer of the metropolitan "not to go to Voronezh, to accept good arrival and a miter in Nizhny Novgorod" and told that it "will go to the space of the reference for Saint Mitrofan's cover appointed to it".

To Voronezh moved all family. The remarkable father, the lake Ioann who accepts all exiled of priests serves in small Church of the Ascension (against the Mitrofanyevsky monastery occupied then with "zhivotserkovnik"). However in the spring of 1928 of the father Ioann banish to Central Asia, and the island of Nikolay and one more Ukrainian priest of the lake Alexander arrest on May 4, keep the whole summer in "Gubispravdom" (so began to call then in the USSR prisons, there is a photo of this building with an inscription of the lake of Nikolay), judge and sentence to three years of the Solovki.
Ksenia Nikolaevna wrote: "The father very much aspired to the Solovki, wanted to tell about the declaration of the metropolitan Sergiya …" Really, at this time for the Russian clergy there was no more burning world outlook problem, than the relation to the Declaration of the metropolitan Sergiya. And the Solovki Camp of Special Function (SCSF) where there was collected representative and quite numerous group of influential hierarches of Russian Orthodox Church, admitted the large center of orthodox thought.

The father Nikolay in the conclusion together with edinomyslenny clergy. Voronezh 1928.

On the Solovki in the fall of 1928 there were such Ukrainian bishops and friends of the lake of Nikolay as Vasily (Zelentsov), Damaskin (Tsedrik), Parfeny (Bryansk). Zelentsov on the Solovki prepared the message to the metropolitan Sergy Stragorodsky with condemnation of its Declaration and with the offer to confess. After the Solovki in November, 1928 the lord Vasily is sent to the Irkutsk reference, and on February 7, 1930 after his message fell into hands of OGPU, was forwarded to Moscow and shot in Butyrsky prison.

In Voronezh from which the father Nikolay was taken away to the Solovki on September 14, 1928 since the beginning of 1930 the wide wave of arrests was connected to the church case. On February 11 arrested the mother Claudia Petrovna. Seized many exiled of priests and laymen, there were many firing sentences. The father Nikolay, as Ksenia writes, "caused on process too, too it would be shot, but he stayed already by then more than a half of term therefore it was not taken out". Claudia Petrovna will spend more than three years in the ELEPHANT, but on islands she will not get, having passed a stradny way on "business trips" of continental Karelia.

On the Solovki, as well as in all country at this time, orthodox clergy again as at the time of emergence of "live church", it is split in two – on iosiflyan and sergianets. These two directions are called by name the heads – the metropolitan Sergiya, the deputy locum tenens of the patriarchal throne, and the metropolitan Josef (Petrov) which was not recognizing the Declaration.

On the Solovki most of the prisoner of clergy to the iosiflena (katakombnik), at the head of their lord Victor Vyatsky (Ostrovidov). With it such bishops as Afanasy (Sakharov), Pyotr (Zverev), Nektary (Trezvinsky). A prominent figure among iosiflyan islands - the first catacomb secret bishop Maxim (Mikhail Zhizhilenko), the personal friend of the patriarch Tikhon, in the past the chief physician of Tagansky prison. He deeply honored the lake of Nikolay, lovingly calling it "Orthodoxy adamant".

The father Nikolay Piskanovsky is the general confessor for all episcopate and secular clergy at katakombnik. According to Andreevsky, the lake Nikolay received a note from the wife and the son: "we always rejoice, thinking of your sufferings for Christ and his Church. Rejoice also you about that also we were honored to be driven for the Lord again and again".

Andreevsky also tells about secret Easter vigils: "So, for example, in Great Chetvertok 1929, the service with reading 12 Gospel was made in our chamber of doctors, in the 10th company. To us came, allegedly on the case of disinfection, the Lord Victor and the lake Nikolay. Then, katakombno, served church service, having closed a door on a latch. …

On Friday when we, doctors, just returned to the chambers after 12 hour working days, to us the island Nikolay came and reported: Church service – a burial rank – will take place and will begin in an hour. "Where?" – the Lord Maxim asked. "In a big box for drying of fish which is about the wood... Conditional knock 3 and 2 times. It is better to come on one"...

In half an hour the Lord Maxim and I left our company and were sent to the specified "address". Asked patrols of the admission us twice. We, doctors, had them. But as others: Lord Victor, Lord Illarion, Lord Nektary and lake Nikolay?. The lord Victor served as an accountant at rope factory, the Lord Nektary – fished, the others – spun networks... Here and wood edge. There is a box, 4 sazhens long. Without windows. The door is hardly noticeable. Light twilight. The sky in dark clouds. We knock 3 and then 2 times. Nikolay opens for the island. Vladyka Victor and Vladyka Illarion already here... In a few minutes also the Lord Nektary comes. The interior of a box turned into church. On a floor, on walls, fir-tree branches. Several candles glimmer. Small paper icons. Small, in a palm size, the shroud is buried in verdure of branches. The praying people 10. Is later came 4-5 more, from them – two monks... Church service began. In a whisper. It seemed that we had no bodies, and there were only one souls … I do not remember – as we went "home", i.e. to the companies. The Lord covered! …

The light matins were appointed in our chamber of doctors. To 12 o'clock in the morning, under different urgent pretexts by medical part, without any written permissions, all who were going to come gathered the person about 15... After matins and a mass – sat down to break the fast. On a table there were Easter cakes, Easter, colored eggs, snack, wine (liquid yeast with cranberry extract and sugar). About 3 hours dispersed..."

Letter of the lake of Nikolay

Dmitry Sergeyevich Likhachev writes about the Solovki period to lives of the lake Nikolay with big honoring in "Memoirs". "It was another (in comparison with the lord Victor Ostrovidovym-of VV). It was impossible to call it cheerful, but always in the most difficult circumstances it radiated internal tranquility. I do not remember it laughing or smiling, but always the meeting with it was some consolatory. And not only for me. I remember how he told my friend, year suffering lack of letters from the family that it suffered a little and that the letter will be, soon soon. I was not present at the same time and therefore I cannot provide exact words of the father Nikolay, but the letter came next day. I asked the father Nikolay – as he could know about the letter? And the father Nikolay answered me that he also did not know, and was so somehow uttered. But such "was uttered" there was much … The father Nikolay knew that his wife was also arrested, and very much worried about children: what if take in children's home and will be brought up atheists! And once, when it was taken out from camp, in Kemperpunkta (Kemsky transit point) he stood in a man's queue for boiled water. Since other end besides to the crane the female turn approached. When the father Nikolay approached the crane, he saw the wife at the crane. They were covered by prisoners (it was strictly forbidden to talk to men to women), and the father Nikolay learned a message, joyful for it, – children were taken by the believing acquaintances …"

Really, after arrest of the mother Claudia Petrovna her mother-in-law, Maria Ivanovna took away grandsons from Voronezh and stays at the daughter Ekaterina Ioakimovna in Alexandria. But for the aunt Kati any communication with arrested seemed too dangerous. Therefore Ksenia, having left the grandmother and the brother, went to Odessa where she lives at other aunt Anna Petrovna which does not oppose to Ksenia's correspondence with the arrested parents and to her plans to achieve appointment to the father.

The three-year imprisonment term of the father Nikolay came to an end, but the Soviet power did not hurry to release the prisoner. On the contrary, she prepared for it still test, gorshy in comparison with the Solovki, – in its December, 1931 on a stage, escorted by send to a tree felling to the district of the Old Believers' village of Kekhta on Northern Dvina, near Holmogor.

O. Nikolay on health cannot work at heavy prinudrabota, it was established by the medical commission on the Solovki – but in the wood there are no medical boards, and for the lagernik who is not carrying out norm there are also no shelter and the soldering. Having received from one ssylny, former Voronezh parishioner of the Troitsk temple, the message on a desperate situation of the father Nikolay absolutely sick and the daughter who did not reach the 17 anniversary perishing for hunger, it yet, having immediately thrown the construction FZU in Odessa, directs to the father to the strange Northern region. Ksenia achieves the objectives, despite all difficulties and obstacles of a long trip, reaches Kekhta, finds for the father a corner at one poor woman having many children in the village the Red Hill near Kekhta, leaves to the father food and money and directs back to Odessa, to strive on the father's liberating. We can judge circumstances of arrival of the daughter and still high condition of spirit of the lake. Nikolay according to his autographic letter given below turned to mother, Maria Ivanovna and to the 12-year-old son Kolya. Ksenia brought this letter from Kekhta bypassing official mail and censorship.

"My dear mummy and sonny Kolenka!

I send you, the sonny Kolenka, parental blessing and hi to you from the far North. Never I forget you in the daily prayers. I ask you, be always faithful to Christ. Remember the promise made by you to mother in a dungeon on appointment at departure. Daily according to the prayer book say morning and evening prayers, and after prayers remember the family for health and upoky. Very I grieve that you have no spiritual consolation. If you have an opportunity to take communion, write … bread is necessary (nerazb.) …" Mummy, native, you do not grieve. Now it became better for me and there will be on everything a God's will. Our life here temporary. Let's ask the Lord that vouchsafed to be to us together in the Kingdom of Heaven. I ask to kiss the, Tanya and Katenka. Let will forgive that I in letters remember them a little, without wishing them to cause concerns, and always I remember them and I love. Everything, all family I kiss. Hotly I thank Ksenichka for her love how many to it, poor, it was necessary to transfer on the way griefs. I thank all for memory and love. What is with me will be, I will not renounce priesthood. I made the promise at ordination to be faithful to Christ to the death. Always I remain true St. To Orthodoxy and all new splits I reject. The Lord will forgive for all your sufferings which you patiently transfer all sins. Read, Kolenka, in Slavic and try prayers (?) … with chants hours and an obednitsa, Psalms "Bless, to soul washing," and "Praise the Lord, to soul washing, the Lord Edinorodny the son", and to learn "Pleasure" by heart and to know an order.

Kiss Zhenya and children. Whenever possible write though it is short, about yours health. Kolenka, I send you gloves and Saint Nicholas's icon. Blessing. I ask you, mummy, bless me with the parental blessing. Ksenichka Vam will tell how I live and that my friends write. Yes the Lord stores you. The son who is hotly loving you and the father. I kiss you. 1932 "in a dungeon on appointment" - after Claudia Petrovna's arrest in Voronezh on February 11, 1930 Katenka – Ekaterina Ioakimovna. Tanya is her daughter. Both live with Maria Ivanovna in Alexandria. Zhenya – Evgenia Ioakimovna, lived with the family in Gorky.

Ksenia handles on April 21, 1932 from Odessa a request for the urgent help in the Political Red Cross to Ekaterina Pavlovna Peshkova, writes also to other instances. It is similar to a miracle, and, maybe, and there is a real miracle, but efforts worked, and quickly enough. To the father Nikolay allowed to move to the regional center, Arkhangelsk. It was put on inspection and treatment in the Arkhangelsk city hospital where there was an acquaintance of the lake of Nikolay to Alexander Levichev working as the pharmacist in hospital and earlier, in the 20th, who rendered essential services to other hieromartyr, Veniamin Kononov. Of course, exiled tolerable work in Arkhangelsk were not given, and the father Nikolay began to work as the watchman at city brick-works the watchman.

In Arkhangelsk at this time the exiled priest Alexander Filippsky who arrived from the Solovki worked as the stove-setter, it found for the father Nikolay a removable closet on an attic. The lake of Nikolay had an antimension of the hospital temple and a full linen iconostasis, and they with the lake Alexander began to serve secretly in the improvised temple together with several exiled believers.

By fall Ksenia left unfinished the doctrine in FZU in Odessa and moved to the father to Arkhangelsk. It "on protection" as she writes, was arranged to the worker on the same brick-works where the father works. Ksenia told that to them the old acquaintance of the father sometimes came, the bishop Luka (Voyno-Yasenetsky) to treat wounds standing the island of Nikolay.

The mother Claudia Petrovna was released from camp in the spring of 1934, it is sent to exile to Arkhangelsk, sixteen-year-old Kolya comes to leave secondary school here, the mother-in-law Maria Ivanovna appears - at last, Piskanovsky' family for a short time reunited, at least and in exile.

But it was necessary for the Lord that at this particular time in Arkhangelsk the new bright picture of intensive church life of catacomb church - as if a prominence in the storm sky was developed. As the beginning of brisk activity of the Arkhangelsk group of "True and orthodox church" it is necessary to consider the end of 1933 and the first half of 1934. The important prerequisite for this bright Arkhangelsk flash in the history of fight of Russian Orthodox Church against the godless power - spontaneous and synchronous emergence in the Arkhangelsk exile at once several authoritative and vigorous bishops who created monolithic powerful group of supporters. The lord Serafim (Semyon Nikolaevich Samoylovich) brought to Arkhangelsk from Kosmodemyansky prison in June, 1933 became its first figure. Slightly earlier on the way to Ust-Tsylma to Arkhangelsk on a stage the bishop Victor Ostrovidov was brought. Since 1933 to arrest at the beginning of 1936 in the city there was also an exiled lord Damaskin (Tsedrik). January 17, 1935. from Kimr the lord Parfeny was sent to exile to Arkhangelsk. Also it turned out that with all these lords it was familiar for a long time and amicable - across Ukraine and the Solovki - the lake Nikolay Piskanovsky.

As the second important prerequisite of emergence of the Arkhangelsk prominence it is possible to consider formation of the effective leading duet which was presented by the lord Serafim and his closest associate of the lake Nikolay Piskanovsky. They knew each other since pre-revolutionary times, were quite close relatives, and also ideally supplemented each other in the spiritual and organizational plan – the ardent, resolute, active lord and the wise, quiet, perspicacious archpriest. I at first wanted to write about it – easily counting on many courses forward, and right there understood that process of knowledge at the lake of Nikolay cannot be reduced to pro-reading, he just knew beforehand and to it was what for the majority is tightly closed by an uncertainty veil is conducted.

Both heads lived feeling of Lord's Omnipotence and Humility of his will. Both were obsessed with feeling of high responsibility for that vicarial mission which they were urged to execute. The lord Serafim extremely seriously estimated the primatial probation – when he canonically officially headed ROC during Sergiya Stragorodsky's arrest (from December 29, 1926 to April 7, 1927), being the Deputy Patriarchal Locum tenens. And though it voluntarily returned to Sergy the rights, obviously, then counted this step in the light of the subsequent actions of the metropolitan, first of all publications of his Declaration, precipitate and invalid.

However, many prominent orthodox hierarches also recognized the rights of the lord Serafim. The message of the Prelate Victor Ostrovidov dated, allegedly, still 1928 in which he wrote about a vozglavleniye of the Russian Church by the Patriarchal Locum tenens Pyotr, the metropolitan Krutitsky, and his deputy Serafim, the archbishop Uglichsky (Acts is known, for example... Page 635). (Priest A. Mazyrin, page 170).

Even simple transfer of actions of the lord Serafim and the lake of Nikolay demonstrates that they saw the general mission in eschatological conditions of approach of Bolsheviks to Church as a vozglavleniye of the God's people – true Christians whose way lay in catacombs and on arenas of circuses. In the Soviet option of a catacomb turned into secret home temples, and arenas of circuses - in camp, prisons and special grounds of People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs.

What actions of the lord Serafim and the lake of Nikolay of that period can be qualified as belonging to preparation and a vozglavleniye of a catacomb way of the Russian Church? From the fact that we know we will refer to such actions correspondence of 1933 of the lord Serafim with the metropolitan Kirill (Smirnov), the direction of "ardent urgings on", appeals to resolute actions for return of the primatial power. By the beginning 1934 hopes completely disappeared that the metropolitan Kirill, the first candidate for inheritance of a primatial rank according to the will of the patriarch Tikhon, will be able to take resolute actions for achievement of this good purpose. Then the lord Serafim undertakes an initiative and writes the Act (of December 14/17, 1933) in which he declares the metropolitan Sergiya (Stragorodsky) "deprived of prayful communication with all orthodox bishops of the Russian Church and forbidden in a svyashchennosluzheniye for the anticanonical activity". (Priest A. Mazyrin, page 155-158).

For the adoption of this Act the lord Serafim and the lake Nikolay organized in Arkhangelsk "a small catacomb cathedral" which solutions had to become a basis for all exiled of bishops and clergy. About it "the Arkhangelsk meeting" (in the OGPU protocol) the lord Makari (Karmazin) tells: "In May of month [yaets] of 1934. I through Piskanovsky was invited by Serafim Samoylovich to Arkhangelsk to meeting, but from this trip, for reasons of conspiracy and in order to avoid a failure of activity of IPTs and its consequences, I refused and limited to the written message to Serafim that I will not change IPTs and I will firmly carry out the work in creation in Russia of free true and orthodox church".

Constant care vl. Serafim and the lake of Nikolay there was an appointment of ruling bishops in dioceses of true and orthodox church - on interrogation on October 11, 1934 the lord Makari (Karmazin) reports: "I received the instruction in May, 1934 from the bishop Serafim (Samoylovich) through the priest Piskanovsky. In the written decree Serafim (Samoylovich) in spite of the fact that he was in exile, considering itself as Deputy Patriarchal Locum tenens, suggested to accept the Dnipropetrovsk diocese which I operated before the arrest of 1927. Later, i.e. soon after Serafim (Samoylovich's) arrest, Piskanovsky suggested me to accept the leaders of the Vyatka diocese and IPTs groups of the Ivanovo Industrial region which were directed before arrest by Serafim (Samoylovich)".

Actions of the archpriest Piskanovsky trying to resolve a mirovareniye problem - the great religious rite which is usually the primate's prerogative are indicative. The father Nikolay in 1933 writes about it to the metropolitan Kirill (Smirnov), comes back to this subject in the letter of 1934 to the lord Makari (Karmazin). It is clear, that it does it first of all on behalf of the archbishop Serafim as his representative or the head of the secretariat. On interrogations many islands of Nikolay often called the secretary of the archbishop Serafim – for the Arkhangelsk period of their joint church activity it actually and was.

Analyzing as well as by whom the True and orthodox church in 1934 was operated and what role was played in this management of the lake by Nikolay, we will refer to opinion of the bishop Makari (Karmazin): "Ours … church is headed now by the archbishop Serafim Uglichsky, the metropolitan Kazan Kirill, me — the bishop Karmazin, the bishop Glukhovsky Damaskin, the bishop Parfeny Bryanskikh, the bishop Ioasaf Zhevakhov, the bishop Afanasy Molchanovsky and the archpriest Piskanovsky Nikolay Akimovich".

Arrests of the IPTs Arkhangelsk group began in May, 1934. The first seized the lord Serafim (Samoylovich). The turn reached the lake of Nikolay in September. Both bishops, and at the lake of Nikolay had the same charge: "Belonging to truly orthodox church". The father Nikolay is transferred to prison hospital in the winter. This time the undermined organism did not sustain – the father Nikolay dies during the investigation on April 10 (on March 28), 1935 of pneumonia. Dmitry Sergeyevich Likhachev's opinion: "Life of the father Nikolay was continuous torture, and maybe a martyrdom".

Began to strive on receiving by a family of a body deceased. Spiritual children of the father Nikolay, the staff of city hospital - the pharmacist Levichev and the exiled professor-therapist, Dmitry Vasilyevich Nikitin took active part in efforts, besides a family. Alexander Levichev already proved earlier a spiritual feat, hid at himself the pre-revolutionary prior of the Antoniyev-Siysky monastery, after revolution which headed Solovetsky Monastery - the hieromartyr Veniamin Kononov. Professor Nikitin who was in the Arkhangelsk exile - the yasnopolyansky doctor of Lev Nikolaevich, the large physician-therapist among whose patients there were high ranks of regional People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs. As the island Nikolay was not still condemned under sentence of court and was considered as the person under investigation, the request for extradition of a body was granted without delay. Ksenia writes at the same time that security officers made it that also to look who exactly will come to a funeral. It is timely it was difficult to notify people on a funeral because of flood of Northern Dvina and an impassability of roads, but close people (Ksenia mentions the bishop Parfeniya, the lord Damaskin, the Petrograd protodeacon Vasily, etc.) were without special notification. As Ksenia reports, the father Nikolay who told that it will serve dreamed them and asked to arrive to it on Friday 1935 is 12/1U (30/Sh) and there was a day of its funeral, the third after death. Buried the father Nikolay on a city cemetery, to the people came much. In two years, after Claudia Petrovna and Ksenia's arrest in September, 1937, Levichev began to look after a grave of the lake of Nikolay.

About further hard destiny of the mother Claudia Petrovna Piskanovskaya and her children to whom all so many struggles of life fell to lot it is supposed to tell in the subsequent publications. Nikolay Piskanovsky was glorified by the Russian Foreign orthodox church on a cathedral 1/14 of November, 1981 of the lake in the new hieromartyr's face.

Sources:
1. Family archives of Piskanovsky and Volkov
2. Memoirs of the Solovki prisoner I.A. Andreevsky
3. Priest A. Mazyrin. The highest hierarches about succession of the power in Russian Orthodox Church in the 1920th – the 1930th years.
4. Internet

Author of the publication: Volkov Vsevolod Olegovich, was born in 1935 in mountains. Arkhangelsk, Doctor of Economics, professor.

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