Presbyter
Saint Martyr Alexander was born in 1875 in the family of a honorary citizen, Vasily Smirnov. In 1898, he graduated from the Moscow Theological Seminary and became a law teacher in the church-parish school in the village of Kruglino. In 1903, he was ordained as a priest in the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in the village of Vyshegorod. In 1913, a house for the psalmist was built near the church, while Father Alexander lived in a property belonging to a local landowner. Father Alexander was beloved by the parishioners for his simplicity in communication and mercy, strictly observing the church statutes and possessing a beautiful voice, which attracted the attention of church authorities.
In 1918, the Soviet government issued a decree on the separation of the Church from the state, prohibiting any form of preaching. The local authorities demanded that Father Alexander stop wearing his cassock and cut his hair. He refused to comply with this unlawful order.
In the Vereyevsky district, a militiaman named Muzherov was particularly cruel, who was killed by outraged peasants. In response, a punitive detachment was sent, which was to execute not only the peasants but also all priests. Only renouncing God could save one's life.
