Presbyter
He was born on June 26, 1880, in the village of Volchino, Pskov Province, in the family of a priest. He graduated from the Theological Seminary in 1901 and served as a psalmist until 1905, when he married Olga Sergeyevna, with whom he had five children. In 1912, he was ordained as a deacon and then as a priest of the Church of the Nativity of Christ, where he served alongside his father. The father became a true shepherd for his parishioners, helping them materially.
In 1916, his family faced tragedy: his wife, son, and daughter died of dysentery. On September 29, 1929, his son Peter, being inebriated, stole an induction machine, which led to a criminal case. The OGPU began an investigation, determining whether Father Nikandr was an authority among the youth of the village. On January 13, 1930, he was arrested. During a search of his home, a petition from the peasants requesting a tax reduction was found, which the authorities interpreted as an attempt to unite the population against the government.
On January 15, the investigator interrogated him, and he spoke about his difficulties with taxes. Father Nikandr did not admit guilt and did not engage in anti-Soviet agitation. On March 4, 1930, he was sentenced to ten years in a concentration camp, while his son and the church elder received five years. In 1932, his imprisonment was replaced with exile, which he served in Kargopol. In 1936, he requested early release but was denied.
On July 20, 1938, he was arrested again. During the interrogations, he did not admit guilt and asserted that he did not engage in anti-Soviet agitation. On August 3, 1939, a closed court session sentenced him to five years of imprisonment with a loss of electoral rights. On September 16, 1939, he was sent to the Oboser camp, where he filed a cassation appeal, but it was left unsatisfied. He died on October 2, 1940, in the camp and was buried in an unmarked grave.
