Archbishop
Born on April 27, 1877, in the city of Kerch, into the family of a pharmacist. Soon, the parents moved to Kyiv, where he graduated from gymnasium and the Art School. Showing artistic talent, he intended to enter the Academy of Arts but chose medicine, graduating from Kyiv University in 1903.
During the war with Japan, he worked as the head of the surgical department of the Red Cross hospital in Chita, where he married a nurse. From 1905 to 1917, he worked as a zemstvo doctor in various provinces, performing numerous operations and introducing innovations in surgery. In 1916, he defended his dissertation on the topic of “Regional Anesthesia” and received the degree of Doctor of Medicine.
In 1917, he became the chief physician of the Tashkent hospital. After the death of his wife in 1919, he actively participated in the organization of Tashkent University and became a professor. His surgical skills attracted many patients, and he increasingly deepened his faith, attending church and studying theology.
In 1921, he was ordained as a deacon and then as a priest, while remaining a professor. In 1923, he took monastic vows with the name Luka and was consecrated as a bishop. He continued his scientific and practical activities, combining medicine and priesthood.
From 1923 to 1925, he worked in the North, studying local treatment methods. From 1925, he served as the Bishop of Tashkent and Turkestan, then as the Bishop of Yelets. In Krasnoyarsk, he continued to serve and work as a doctor, publishing the book “Essays on Purulent Surgery,” which became a standard for surgeons.
With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, he worked as the chief surgeon of the Krasnoyarsk evacuation hospital. In 1942, he was elevated to the rank of archbishop. In 1943, he participated in the Council that elected Metropolitan Sergius as Patriarch. In 1944, he was appointed Archbishop of Tambov and Michurinsk, continuing active work in hospitals.
In 1946, he was appointed Archbishop of Simferopol and Crimea, but his eyesight deteriorated. In 1956, he became completely blind, continuing to manage the diocese with the help of trusted individuals. He passed away on June 11, 1961.
