Presbyter
Saint Nicholas Dunayev, born on November 30, 1878, in the village of Zimenki, Kovrov district of Vladimir province, was characterized by a spirit of kindness and humility. After graduating from the theological seminary, he was ordained a priest and from 1901 served at the Feodorov Women's Monastery in Pereslavl-Zalessky. In 1920, his family was dispossessed, but in 1924 their rights were restored, albeit with a heavy tax burden. After the monastery was closed in 1923, he served in the cemetery church, and from 1929 in the Pokrov Church. Teachers and parishioners respected Father Nicholas for his kindness and simplicity. On January 23, 1930, a criminal case was initiated against him, accusing him of anti-Soviet activities. On November 2, 1930, he was arrested and on February 28, 1931, sentenced to three years of exile in the Northern region. After his release, he was unable to serve but lived in the Feodorov settlement, where he was known and loved. On October 25, 1937, he was arrested again on charges of 'participating in a counter-revolutionary organization.' On November 25, 1937, he was sentenced to death by a troika of the NKVD, and on November 27, 1937, he was executed in Yaroslavl. His wife, Maria Ivanovna, was informed that her husband was sentenced to 10 years without the right to correspondence, but in 1947 she received a message about his survival. In 1958, he was rehabilitated. He was canonized in August 2000 at the Archdiocesan Council of the Russian Orthodox Church.
