Presbyter
On July 17, 2001, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church issued a decree to glorify Priest Nikolai in the rank of saints. From this moment, the fullness of the Heavenly and earthly Church begins to raise prayers to the servant of God Nikolai Iskrovsky, asking for his intercession before our Savior Jesus Christ.
The troparia and kondakion to the saint clearly show his merits before God and the Church. His sufferings and peaceful martyr's death during the fiery trials of the Russian Church are a vivid testimony to the confessor's life of the saint. His labors and the fact of his confession can be compared to bearing the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The history of the church in the small village of Iskrovka is closely intertwined with the fate of the last Emperor of Russia, Nicholas II, and his personal involvement in the arrangement of the temple. In the early 20th century, people turned to the tsar with a request for land allocation for the construction of a church. The Emperor not only satisfied the people's request but also inquired whether there were funds for construction and whether there was a project. When he learned that there was not yet enough for everything, he wished to take personal part, sending bricks to the Riadovaya station and paying for the transportation of materials and the work of builders.
When the time came to consecrate the church, the tsar attended the service, dressed in peasant clothing. Subsequently, with the agreement of Father John of Kronstadt, he proposed to replace the priest in the church he had built. Thus, by the will of the holy ones of God: the righteous Father John of Kronstadt and the Tsar - the Passion-Bearer, Deacon Nikolai from the Isaac Cathedral of St. Petersburg would find himself on the land of Yelisavetgrad and begin his pastoral ministry in the distant village.
The change from urban, arranged life to the peaceful flow of rural everyday life did not cloud the character of the young priest. He was always cheerful, joyful, kind, and loved jokes and anecdotes. He would smile at his mother Anna and say: “Do not grieve, mother. They will kill me, and I will be buried three times, and you will hide under two surnames. And you, Dmitry, my son, will be a priest, and you will have a large family!” And so it happened.
Even the sins of Father Nikolai he reproached with humor. There is a story that at a wedding, the priest reproached a poor groom who was marrying a wealthy, simple-minded bride. The bride was taught that if the priest asked her how many commandments there were, she should answer - ten. But Father Nikolai asked her how old she was, and she replied - ten.
The foresight of the saint was a gift from God, which he acquired through prayer and labor. He pointed out places where lost items were found and predicted the future. During his lifetime, the priest called upon people to address him as if he were alive and to ask for help after his death. His prayerful labors brought him fame far beyond the borders of the Yelisavetgrad province.
In his sermons, Father Nikolai often spoke of the coming trials and predicted his own death. On the last day of his life, October 2, 1919, the holy martyr served the Liturgy, while he himself remained on the bell tower. In the afternoon, he was attacked by a squad of Reds, who, beating him, dragged the martyr down from the bell tower. After the torments, they shot him.
The body of the confessor was discovered by women returning from the field. They buried him and then, along with others, reburied him. In 1920, many priests came who performed the third burial of Father Nikolai behind the altar of the church. Witnesses claimed that the body of the confessor was incorrupt.
Eight decades would pass, times and governments would change, but the memory of Father Nikolai would remain in the hearts of the Orthodox. They would continually turn to him in prayer at his grave and at the holy spring, feeling his pastoral care and intercession. Those who drink water from the spring would be relieved of the burdens of illnesses and sorrows.
On September 17, 2001, by God's mercy, the discovery of the holy relics of the holy martyr Nikolai took place. Today they rest in a glass tomb in the Exaltation of the Holy Cross Church in the village of Iskrovka (Kirovohrad region, Ukraine).
