Martyr Jacob was born in 1880 in the village of Staroe Kolomenskoe, Moscow province. He graduated from the parish school and served in the army. Until 1914, he ran a tailoring workshop in Moscow, serving the cadet corps. After the revolution, he continued to work in the workshop but moved to the village in 1925-26, giving the workshop to his children.
As an active parishioner, he helped organize church celebrations, was a member of the church council, and served as the chairman of the council until his arrest.
He was arrested on September 15, 1937, did not confess to any wrongdoing, and the accusations were based on the testimonies of false witnesses. On November 11, 1937, he was sentenced to death and executed on November 13, being buried in an unknown grave at the Butovo firing range near Moscow.
