Monk
Saint Alexius was born in 1883 in the village of Pichaevo, Borisoglebsky district, Tambov province, in the family of a peasant, Peter Gavrin. He graduated from the church-parochial school and served in the army, where he became a veterinary paramedic. In 1916, he moved to Moscow and settled on Donskaya Street, where his spiritual father became Protopresbyter Alexander Khotovitsky.
In the early 1920s, after falling seriously ill, he accepted monastic tonsure from Hieromonk Jacob. After the tonsure, his health improved, and he became known as a pious monk, to whom people came for advice and medical help.
In 1937, during the mass repressions, he was arrested and imprisoned in Butyrka prison. During interrogations, he stated that he conducted soul-saving conversations with believers and expressed dissatisfaction with the persecution of religion. On November 21, 1937, the investigation was completed, and he was accused of anti-Soviet agitation. On November 23, the NKVD troika sentenced him to death by shooting.
Saint Alexius (Gavrin) was shot on December 10, 1937, and buried in an unknown common grave at the Butovo shooting range near Moscow.
