Priest Vasily Kotovich

Kobrin → Creativity of fellow countrymen → Marchuk Nina Grigoryevna

Vasily Antoniyevich Kotovich was born on March 22, 1849 in the village of Cherevachitsa that in 6 km of of Kobrin in whom there were priests his father, the grandfather, the great-grandfather and the great-great-grandfather. Rod Kotovichey has written confirmation since 1570 when Jan Kotovich, future "Greek priest" was born.

In a family of the father Vasily Kotovich Anthony was five sons, and all were priests. And five daughters, three from them married priests, two remained unmarried.

(In a family of the father Vasily Kotovich, Anthony Kotovich, juvenile orphans of the brother Vasily serving as the priest in Volchin of the Brest County were brought up. Three from them got the higher spiritual education and left a significant mark in Orthodoxy).

Vasily Kotovich studied in the Lithuanian theological seminary which he ended in 1869. And at once became the psalm reader at the father in Cherevachitsky church. Then was a priest in Kiselevichsky church of the Kobrin County. And in five years, in 1878, began to serve in Ozyatakh of the Kobrin County.

In 1911 a family of the priest father Vasily, having saved money, buys Chabayevk's estate (530 tithes) near Drogichin. It seems that at this time, having age more than 60 years, the father Vasily retires and is engaged in the manor since for purchase of a manor there was money which it paid.

During World War I, after almost full evacuation of orthodox clergy and part of civilians from a front strip, the father Vasily remained consider as the only priest in this region since he did not wish to leave the manor.

Here what was written by Vasily Kotovich about that time: (from his letter in the Polesia spiritual konsisteriya. Of 19.08.28, the village Strelna).

"Then, on September 1, 1915, the German division which was late in the village of Lipnika (nowadays Drogichinsky district, for that time, as well as today, in the center of the village there was Church of the Assumption, from a tree, constructed in 1792, a bus of N.M.), enlisted me "pastor" of Lyadovichsko-Opolsky church (and today in the center of Opol costs the wooden church Paraskev Fridays constructed to 18 stations, reconstructed in 1841. Nowadays already Ivanovo region, bus of N.M.) and all mirnoplenenny orthodox population for service of prayful and spiritual occasional offices.

Three years and four months strictly, serially, on all Sundays and holidays made church services in temples of m of Ivanovo, Homsk, Motol, Bezdezha, villages: Vavulich, Opol, Zditovo, Sporovo, Molodovo, Okhovo Rewhose, Odryzhin, Drushilovichi, etc., at the same time executing spiritual occasional offices with record of baptisms, weddings, burials, separately on "arrivals", with issue of copies of records to treboispravitel on an emergency.

On a call of the German divisions, accompanied with the armed patrol, visited settlements of the Minsk province: Okhovo, Polkotichi, Skoryatichi, Lisachitsa, Novoselki, Gemeri, Tabulki, etc. Shortly I explain: in the third anniversary and four months of a mirnoplena German, from 68 orthodox parishes christened babies 2418, married 382 couples, buried 791 dead men, without reckoning with a monetary payment at all …

In the Brest archive the local historian Alexander Ilyin found the interesting document dated 5.01.1933 signed by the district commandant to the head Mr. Drogichina in investigative management in Brest-over-Bug: "I report that the orthodox priest Vasily Kotovich, the owner of a manor Chabayevka living in the same place, serving church of the village Strelna developed strong propaganda among local population for the Ukrainian school... This the last is suspected of belonging to the KPZB organization."

The Polish police put the unreliable father at the age of 85 years under observation and opened on it "case". Here some excerpts from a registration leaf: "Average height, the person overgrown with a long gray-haired beard, eyes blue, the walking which is slowed down. Hard-working, economical, does not drink vodka absolutely. Reserved and mysterious. Subscribes Ukrainian and Belarusian to magazines. The population loves it for the fact that it helps everyone and advises... During sermons uses Ukrainian, at school speaks Russian."

This remarkable pastor died on July 29, 1937.

His nephew, doctor A. Kraskovsky, wrote the brochure of "Memory of the lake of Vasily Kotovich" published in 1938 in Warsaw. His grandson, Ilya Nikolaevich Kotovich, so wrote about the grandfather: "My grandfather Vasily Antoniyevich Kotovich and the wife his Lekhachevskaya Aleksandra Adamovna (1855-1925) had three children: the senior Pavel (1873-1926) who graduated from Temiryazevsky academy was a prominent gardener, average Evgenia (1878-1914), the husband prince Loladze, younger - Nikolay (1887-1941 graduated from the Moscow university, worked in Krasnodar.

It is known still following: in 1922 "Belarusian" Pavel Kotovich, 45, the agronomist was a candidate of diet from Blok of national menshinstvo in the Belostoksky voivodeship. The family of the daughter Evgenia is not known.

The younger son Nikolay is known that he in 1921 returned to Chabayevka, with the wife - the graduate of the Moscow Bestuzhevsky courses, Elizabeth Stepanova, from Horp, near Voronezh. It was not pleasant to manage on the earth to it. When in 1939 Councils came, most of landowners left. Nikolay Kotovich remained, ready to give a manor for state farm.

But without looking at anything it as the landowner was arrested and, seemingly, shot in Kuropatakh. And the wife with five minor children was brought to the next village without any means of livelihood. Lived on alms. Without having managed to become the teacher, Nikolay's wife died in 1942.

Vasily Kotovich's grandson Ilya was going to write ten years that the book about sort history Kotovichey. For today he is 92 years old whether wrote the book, whether live - I do not know.

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