Nun
Venerable Martyr Maria was born in 1874 in Saint Petersburg in the family of merchant Alexander Ivanovich Lelyanov. In baptism, she was named Lydia. Her father passed away when Lydia was three and a half years old, and she was left under the care of her mother and older brothers.
Lydia studied at a women's gymnasium but fell ill with encephalitis, which led to Parkinson's disease and other ailments. In 1909, the family moved to Gatchina, where Lydia, suffering from severe illnesses, learned to pray unceasingly and acquired the gift of spiritual consolation. Many came to her, including priests and archbishops, for advice and prayer.
In 1922, in Gatchina, with a large crowd of people present, Archimandrite Macarius tonsured her into the mantle with the name Maria. She received numerous visitors daily, helped those in need, and possessed the gift of healing sorrowful souls.
On February 19, 1932, nun Maria was arrested. During her arrest, she was treated brutally, but due to her illness, she was placed in the prison hospital. On March 22, 1932, she was sentenced to deprivation of residence in several regions for three years.
Nun Maria passed away on April 17, 1932, in the prison hospital in Petrograd and was buried at the Smolensk cemetery. In 1981, she was canonized among the ranks of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia, and on July 17, 2006, she was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church. On March 26, 2007, her relics were discovered at the Smolensk cemetery and placed in the Gatchina Paul Cathedral.
