Presbyter
Father Dmitry Alexandrovich, a holy martyr, was born in 1874 in a priestly family in Tver Province. He graduated from the Spiritual School and the Kazan Spiritual Academy. In 1903, he was ordained as a priest and appointed to the Minsk diocese. He served as an observer of church-parish schools, for which he was elevated to the rank of protopresbyter in 1911 and appointed rector of the Minsk Cathedral. He taught at the Minsk Spiritual Seminary.
After the revolution, he left the cathedral and became the rector of the Church of St. Spirit. In 1931, he was arrested for refusing to renounce his clerical status and sentenced to five years in a concentration camp. After his early release, he returned to Tver Province, where he became the rector of a parish church. In 1937, he was arrested for the second time on trumped-up charges.
Father Dmitry was respected and loved by the faithful. He openly expressed his views on current events, condemning blasphemy and defending church properties. In June 1937, he served a moleben for the occasion of drought, after which rain fell, which was perceived as a miracle. On July 23, 1937, he was arrested.
During the interrogation, he remained calm, not admitting any guilt. Protopresbyter Dmitry was executed on August 14, 1937. On October 28, 1999, he was glorified as a locally revered saint. At the Jubilee Archpastoral Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, a decision was made for his universal veneration.
