Venerable Martyr Antonina was born in 1886 in Moscow to a craftsman named Ivan Stepanov and was baptized with the name Anna. At the age of eleven, she entered the Uspensky Brusen Monastery in Kolomna and took monastic vows under the name Antonina. The nun labored in the monastery until its closure in 1920, when the monastic buildings were converted into dormitories. In 1931, all the nuns and novices of the Brusen Monastery, including Antonina, were arrested and imprisoned in the Kolomna prison. During interrogation, she confirmed that they were experiencing a difficult time, but added that she said this out of her unconsciousness. Novice Maria was born in 1869 in the village of Gorodets in the Kolomna district to a peasant family. In 1886, she entered the Uspensky Brusen Monastery and labored there until its closure. In 1932, she was expelled from the city but returned and settled with Antonina. On November 27, 1937, they were arrested. During interrogation, Maria did not admit to being guilty of anti-Soviet agitation. On December 1, 1937, the NKVD troika sentenced them to execution. On December 15, 1937, they were executed and buried in an anonymous common grave at the Butovo firing range near Moscow.
