Presbyter
In 1472, during the Great Blessing of the Waters on the Omovzha River in the town of Yuriev, the priest of the Church of Saint Nicholas, Father Isidore, was arrested by order of the Lithuanian bishop and got imprisoned together with his parishioners, including women and children.
They were pressured to renounce their faith, yet they remained steadfast. While in prison, Father Isidore gave the Holy Communion to all the Christians, who, on the very next morning, suffered a martyr’s death. They were thrown beneath the ice of the Omovzha River.
None of the seventy-two martyrs denied Christ. The memory of their execution remained alive for many years among the inhabitants of the Yuriev region, as well as the surrounding areas.
In the spring, when the Omovzha River overflowed, the bodies of the holy confessors rose to the surface and were found beneath a tree on a hill, incorrupt and still clothed in the garments they had worn when they were cast into the water. Among them, there was Father Isidore, still vested in his sacred priestly garments.
In this way, the Lord glorified His faithful servants, whose bodies were buried with great love and reverence near the Church of Saint Nicholas in Yuriev.
