Hieromonk
Saint Antipas was born on 3 August 1870 in the village of Bratki, in the Borisoglebsk district of Tambov Province, into the family of the farmer Peter Kirilov. His name was Anthony. After completing his studies at a church school, he entered the monastic community of Mount Athos in 1898, where he pursued the ascetic life until 1912. He then joined the brotherhood of the New Monastery of the Savior in Moscow, where he spent the rest of his monastic life under the name Antipas. Following the Russian Revolution of 1917, he returned to his homeland and served the Church as a chanter.
In 1929, he was ordained a hieromonk and began serving in the village of Kozlovka, in the Borisoglebsk district. From 1931 onward, he ministered at the Church of the Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross in the village of Tatarintsevo, in the Bronitsky district near Moscow. During the six years of his ministry, he became deeply beloved by his parishioners for his piety, humility and inspired preaching.
On 16 February 1938, shortly after celebrating his final Divine Liturgy for the Feast of the Presentation of Christ, Saint Antipas was arrested and imprisoned in Kolomna. He was accused of spreading anti-Soviet propaganda, a charge he firmly denied. He maintained that all authority is granted by God and that Christians are called to obey the lawful authorities. Despite intense pressure during the investigation, he never confessed to crimes he had not committed.
On 27 February 1938, the NKVD troika sentenced him to death. Saint Antipas was executed on 7 March 1938. He was buried in an unmarked mass grave at the Butovo firing range near Moscow.
