Presbyter
Saint John was born in 1885 in the village of Gerasimovo, Orlov Province. After finishing school, he became a public teacher, and in 1915 he was mobilized for military service. After demobilization in 1917, he returned to teaching, and in 1922 he was ordained as a priest. He served in the church in the village of Khot'kovo.
In the late 1920s – early 1930s, churches began to close. On January 6, 1932, the OGPU arrested Father John for 'counter-revolutionary activity.' During interrogations, he replied that he served the people and conducted propaganda for collectivization. On February 28, 1932, he was sentenced to eight years in a concentration camp.
In 1937, while in custody, he was sentenced to death based on false witnesses. On September 5, 1937, he was executed and buried in an unmarked grave.
