Mother Superior
St. Marguerite (Gunaronula Maria Mikhailovna) was born around 1865–1866 in Kyiv. Her spiritual father was Archpriest Alexander Korsakovsky. In his memoirs, Prince N.D. Zhevakhov noted her fervent faith and love for God. After her tonsure, she became a member of the women's monastic community "Consolation and Comfort" in the Moscow province, where she faced severe trials.
By the decree of the Holy Synod on January 18, 1917, she was appointed abbess of the Menzelinsk Prophet Elijah Women's Monastery in the Ufa province. The move to Menzelinsk was difficult, but she successfully managed the monastery, caring for the spiritual life of the nuns and the external well-being of the community. In April 1917, revolutionary events affected the monastery, and she managed to protect the monastery school from being transferred to state control.
On April 18, 1918, she was elected to the Diocesan Council. At this time, the Czechoslovak rebellion began, and the territory of the Ufa province frequently changed hands between the Reds and the Whites. In August 1918, the Bolsheviks again seized Menzelinsk, and the abbess, defending the monastery, was arrested and executed. According to witnesses, she boldly spoke out against the Bolsheviks, calling them to repentance.
Her martyr's death occurred on August 9/22, 1918. She was buried under the altar of the Cathedral of the Ascension. In 1999, Abbess Marguerite was canonized as a locally venerated saint of the Ufa diocese, and in 2000 she was added to the Assembly of New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia with a feast day on the first Sunday following January 25/February 7.
