Hieromonk
Saint Lavrenty was born on April 26, 1893, in the village of Nikolaevsk in the Tomsk province, to peasant parents Ivan Leontievich and Akilina Fedorovna Levchenko. He was baptized with the name Stephen. In 1910, he entered Optina Pustyn, where he was tonsured into monasticism with the name Lavrenty and ordained as hierodeacon. After the closure of Optina Pustyn in 1923, he settled in Kozelsk, where he, along with his family and brothers, formed a small monastery, earning a living by making felt boots. Saint Lavrenty served in the Georgievsky Church, where he enjoyed great authority among the Orthodox. In 1937, he was arrested and accused of counter-revolutionary activities. On October 25, 1937, he was executed and buried in a common grave. Father Lavrenty was tall, with long black hair and a thick beard.
