Presbyter
Saint Nikolai was born on December 6, 1875, in the city of Arensburg, Estland Province, to the family of priest Adam Simo. In 1887, Nikolai entered the Riga Spiritual School, graduating in 1891. After completing the Saint Petersburg Spiritual Seminary in 1897, he was ordained a priest at the Andrew Cathedral in Kronstadt. Serving in an Estonian parish, he dedicated himself to serving the flock, becoming the rector of the Exaltation of the Cross Church and performing divine services daily.
In 1917, he was appointed priest of the Andrew Cathedral, and in 1919, he was elevated to the rank of protopresbyter. In 1923, after the death of the rector, he became the rector of the cathedral. Protopresbyter Nikolai was arrested in March 1921 but was released. In 1930, he was arrested again and, refusing to testify, was sentenced to execution on April 13, 1931. Protopresbyter Nikolai Simo was shot on April 18, 1931, and buried in an unmarked grave.
