Presbyter
Dmitry Theophotovich Ignatenko was born on July 17, 1872, in the village of Agotmany in the Melitopol district of the Zaporizhzhia region, in a priest's family. After graduating from the Kyiv Theological Academy in 1898, he was ordained a priest. Until 1920, he served as a law teacher in a male gymnasium, then as a parish priest and head of the diocesan office. In December 1922, he appeared before a proletarian court accused of refusing to surrender liturgical items for desecration and for two 'illegal' gatherings. The trial lasted from November 5 to December 1, 1922, and Father Dmitry was sentenced to three years in a corrective labor camp. After serving his sentence, he returned to Simferopol, where he was again accused of anti-Soviet agitation and exiled beyond the borders of Ukraine. Upon returning home, he continued to defend the interests of the Church. In 1926, he was arrested again and exiled for three years to the Mari El Republic. After his exile, he settled in Melitopol and received a parish in the village of Kruchi. In early July 1935, he was arrested again, accused of anti-Soviet activities. During interrogations, the priest did not hide his views and religious beliefs. At that time, he was in the Simferopol prison. On September 9, he was placed in the prison hospital, and on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, he passed away, having borne his life’s cross to the end.
