Hieromonk
He was born on May 16, 1872, in the village of Pakhomovskaya, Velsk district of Vologda province, in the family of a peasant, Stepan Morzhov. In 1893, he was drafted into active military service, after which he worked at a factory in Moscow. In 1899, he left for the Smolensk Zosimova Pustyn, where he served in obedience. On February 22, 1903, he was tonsured into monasticism with the name Makary.
He participated in the All-Russian Church Council of 1917-1918, where he drew lots for the name of the future Patriarch Tikhon. After the death of the igumen Herman in 1923, the monastery was closed, and he, along with his cell attendant, settled in Sergiev Posad. In the last years of his life, he suffered from illness but continued to pray and remember the names of the living and the dead.
On October 2, 1928, after partaking of the Holy Christ's Mysteries, he peacefully passed away. The funeral, initially planned to be modest, attracted many people who wished to pay their respects to the righteous one. Father Makary, a faithful assistant to the elder, always showed care for him and prayed for all who helped him.
On April 5, 1931, he was arrested and interrogated. During the interrogations, he spoke of his faith and patient attitude towards persecution. On June 6, 1931, the Collegium of the OGPU sentenced him to execution. Hieromonk Makary (Morzhov) was shot on June 10, 1931, and buried in a common unmarked grave at Vagan'kovskoye Cemetery in Moscow.
