Hieromartyr Dimitry (Dmitry Mikhailovich Rozhdestvensky) was born in 1863 in the village of Selets, Trubchevsk District, Orel Province.
In 1884 he graduated from the Chernigov Theological Seminary. During his studies, he worked as an observer at an astrophysical observatory. On March 14 of the same year, he was ordained to the priesthood.
From 1885 to 1892 he served as a teacher of the Law of God at a zemstvo public school.
In 1894 he was awarded a correspondent’s diploma by the Russian Academy of Sciences for his work at the astrophysical observatory and for observing climate changes in Russia. He also received a bronze medal for diligence in the population census. For his work at pedagogical courses, he was awarded certificates by the Orel hierarchs in 1898 and 1899.
On February 18, 1899, at the request of Bishop Arcadius (Karpinsky) of Turkestan and Tashkent, he arrived in the city of Verny (now Almaty) in the Semirechye Region.
On August 14 of the same year, he was appointed a full member of the Turkestan Spiritual Consistory. He taught the Law of God at the Verny Second-Class Parish School.
From August 24, 1900, to September 2, 1904, he served as a teacher at the Trinity Parish School.
In August 1902, the Verny City Duma appointed him guardian of the poor of the city of Verny. In the same year, he was awarded a silver medal, and on December 2 he received the violet skufia.
From October 10, 1904, he served as head of the Kuchugury Parish School and teacher of the Law of God at the Verny Teachers’ Seminary.
Until 1911, he was rector of the church in the village of Tokmak, Pishpek District, Semirechye Province. Later he was transferred to the church in the village of Vysokoye, Chimkent District, Syr-Darya Province (now the village of Shakpak Baba, Tulkubas District, South Kazakhstan Region, Kazakhstan). While serving there, he carried out successful missionary work.
On February 19, 1921, he was executed by shooting together with his son Anatoly during the repression of the clergy in the city of Almaty, Kazakhstan.
He was glorified by the Bishops’ Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in August 2000.
