Presbyter
Saint Nicholas was born on December 23, 1870, in the city of Jakobstadt, in the Courland Governorate. He was born into the family of the priest John Gavarine. He graduated from the Riga Theological Seminary in 1893 and was ordained a priest. During the First World War, he served at the Church of St. Nicholas in Moscow.
In 1930, following the Revolution, he was forced to leave Moscow and settle in Nemchinovka, where he began serving at the Church of the Nativity of Christ. The church had been founded in 1918 and had recently been renovated by the local community. However, in 1934, the authorities prohibited the celebration of services and closed the church.
On April 2, 1935, Archbishop Innokenty submitted a request for the preservation of the church, but received no response. On September 20, 1935, the final decision was issued. The church was sealed, and the clergy, including Saint Nicholas, were forced to relocate elsewhere.
In 1937, the period of mass persecutions began. The saint was arrested on charges based on false testimonies. On September 15, 1937, he was sentenced to ten years in a forced-labor camp and sent to Ukhtpechlag.
He reposed on April 24, 1938, and was buried in an unmarked grave.
