The Holy New Martyr Demetrios was born in 1871 in the village of Ostrovistsi, in the Pokrovsky district of Vladimir Province, into a peasant family. His parents taught him to read and write, as well as to have faith and hope in Christ. After moving to the city of Orekhovo-Zuyevo, he worked as a carpenter. In 1940, after his retirement, he devoted all his time to the service of the Church. With his contribution, the parishioners succeeded in collecting three thousand rubles for the repair of the church. They also managed to pay all the required taxes. Nevertheless, the authorities refused to grant the necessary permit.
In 1941, after many unsuccessful attempts to reopen the church, Demetrios Ivanovich and Nikita Andreyevich Sukharev appeared before the authorities to complain about the actions of the local administration. Their appeal was ignored, and on June 22, 1941, the day that the war broke out, they were arrested on charges of counter-revolutionary activity.
During the interrogations, Demetrios denied all the accusations, maintaining that he had committed no offense against the Soviet authorities. Nevertheless, despite the lack of evidence, charges were brought against him, and he remained in custody until the day of his execution.
