Belyaev Alexander Alexandrovich (Archbishop Augustine), Archbishop of Kaluga
Hieromartyr
Archbishop
In the world, Alexander Alexandrovich Belyaev was born on February 28, 1886, in Kamyshin, Saratov province, in the family of a priest. From childhood, he showed love for the church and a pious disposition. He studied at the Kineshma Spiritual School and the Kazan Theological Academy, which he graduated from in 1911.
From 1911 to 1920, he taught in educational institutions in Penza. In 1913, he married Yulia, and the family had two daughters. After the revolution, he became the starosta (warden) of the church, defending Orthodoxy from schismatics. In 1919, he was arrested but was soon released.
On August 28, 1920, he was ordained a priest. In 1922, he was arrested for resisting the confiscation of church valuables, but was soon released and moved with his children to Kineshma. In the same year, he was elevated to the rank of protodeacon.
In 1923, he was elected Bishop of Ivanovo-Voznesensk, where he served with great devotion, attracting believers to Orthodoxy. However, he was soon exiled to Kineshma under a pledge not to leave. In 1924, he was arrested again but was released after a few months.
From 1929, he was appointed Bishop of Alma-Ata, but the local authorities refused to register him. On April 1, 1930, he was appointed to the Syzran diocese, where he was respected among the faithful. On February 21, 1931, he was arrested along with clergy and laypeople, sentenced to three years in camps, which he served in Svirlag.
After his release, on April 9, 1934, he became Bishop of Kaluga and Borovsk. He served with great devotion, welcoming all who came. In the autumn of 1937, he was arrested on charges of counter-revolutionary activity. On November 19, 1937, he was sentenced to death by shooting.
He was shot on November 23, 1937, in Kaluga and buried in a mass grave. He was rehabilitated in 1989. He was canonized among the ranks of the new martyrs and confessors of Russia in 2000.
