Nikolai Zhitov, Presbyter

Saint Nicholas was born in 1888 in the village of Pyzhovo, Ryazan province. After graduating from the theological school, he served as a psalmist from 1905. In 1915, he was ordained as a deacon, and in 1920 – as a priest. In 1930, he was awarded the pectoral cross, and in 1936 he was elevated to the rank of protodeacon. In August 1937, the persecution of the Russian Orthodox Church began, and on September 4, he was arrested. Despite poverty and deprivation, Father Nicholas remained a diligent pastor and worked for the good of his parishioners. On September 22, the NKVD troika sentenced him to death, which was carried out on September 25, 1937. He was buried in an unmarked mass grave at the Butovo firing range near Moscow.