Deacon
Saint Theodore was born on April 5, 1890, in the village of Ramenye, Volokolamsk district of Moscow province, in the family of psalmist Vladimir Smirnov. In 1913, he completed three courses at the Vifanskaya Theological Seminary and married Anna, the daughter of priest Vasily Ivanovich Orlov. On April 5, 1913, he was appointed deacon at the Resurrection Church in the village of Ramenye. From 1917, he served as a legal educator in the Mikhalevskaya and Resurrection zemstvo schools.
On November 16, 1917, he was transferred to the Dukhososhtestvensky Church at Lazarevsky Cemetery in Moscow. On October 28, 1920, he was awarded a double honor. In 1932, the church was closed, and he was transferred to the church in honor of the icon of the Mother of God “Unexpected Joy” in Maryina Roshcha.
On December 10, 1937, the deacon was arrested and imprisoned in Taganka prison. During the interrogation, he stated that his attitude towards the Soviet government was loyal. However, the investigation accused him of anti-Soviet agitation. On December 20, 1937, the NKVD troika sentenced him to ten years of imprisonment in a labor camp.
Theodore was sent to the city of Lesozavodsk, where he suffered from hunger and inhumane conditions. On March 31, 1938, the NKVD troika sentenced him to execution. On July 5, 1938, he was shot and buried in a common unmarked grave.
