Archimandrite
He was born on May 9, 1875, in the city of Augustów, Suwałki Province, in the family of a military paramedic, Alexander Osimpov, and was baptized with the name Nicholas. In 1891, he graduated from the Kholm Spiritual School, in 1897 – from the Spiritual Seminary, and in 1901, with the degree of Candidate of Theology, from the Saint Petersburg Theological Academy. On August 19, 1900, he was tonsured into monasticism with the name Neophyte, on September 27 of the same year – ordained as hierodeacon, and on May 14, 1901 – as hieromonk.
After graduating from the academy, on August 13, 1901, he was appointed as a teacher of homiletics at the Kholm Spiritual Seminary. On July 1, 1902, he was appointed to the Beijing Spiritual Mission with the right to wear a golden pectoral cross. On July 24, 1903, he was transferred to the position of supervisor of the Tikhvin Spiritual School, where he had to teach Slavic and Greek languages.
On October 17, 1905, he was appointed rector of the Samara Spiritual Seminary. At that time, he was a member of the Samara Diocesan Committee of the Orthodox Missionary Society and a member of the Samara Diocesan Missionary Council. On November 24, 1909, at a meeting of the Holy Synod, it was proposed to transfer him to the position of rector of another seminary, which was accepted.
Archimandrite Neophyte was a true ascetic and a hermit, leading a strictly temperate lifestyle. He sought to raise the moral and educational level of the spiritual school, which evoked sympathy and respect. However, his strictness and attention to detail spoiled relations with his colleagues.
On August 8, 1911, he was appointed to serve in Saint Petersburg as a permanent member of the Educational Committee of the Holy Synod. On November 28, 1912, while remaining in the Educational Committee, he was appointed a member of the Saint Petersburg Spiritual Censorship Committee.
In 1918, at the invitation of His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon, he moved to Moscow and became his secretary. On May 5, 1922, the Patriarch was informed about the beginning of the investigation into his case, and on the same day, he was arrested along with other officials.
The arrested was taken to the Internal Prison of the GPU, where he was interrogated for three consecutive days. He refused to cooperate with the GPU, for which he was subjected to harsh conditions of detention. On May 7, 1922, the investigator signed a decree for his detention.
On November 25, 1922, the NKVD Commission sentenced him to three years of exile in the Zyryan region. After serving his sentence in 1925, he returned to Moscow, where he lived quietly and devoted his time to prayer. However, in 1935, he was arrested again on charges of anti-Soviet activities and sentenced to five years in a correctional labor camp.
In 1935, while in the camp, he continued to support the spiritual life among the prisoners, organizing prayers and services. He died in custody, leaving behind a memory of his faithfulness to Christ and the Church.
