Presbyter
Saint Nikolai was born on September 3, 1873, in Moscow into a priest's family. He entered the Volokolamsk Theological School, and after completing it, continued his education at the Moscow Theological Seminary, which he graduated from in 1894. Since 1895, Nikolai Vasilievich worked as a teacher in a parish school, and in 1899 he was ordained a priest. He served in various parishes, including the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and in the village of Ryukhovo.
The Revolution of 1917 and the subsequent persecutions of the Church changed his life. In 1937, he was transferred to the village of Mikhailovskoye, where he became the rector of the church in honor of the Archangel Michael. Father Nikolai had no property and lived in the parish house, with the church community taking care of his sustenance.
He was arrested on November 27, 1937, on charges of counter-revolutionary agitation. During the interrogation, he did not admit to the accusations. On December 5, 1937, he was sentenced to death. The execution took place on December 15, 1937, at the Butovo firing range, where he was buried in an unknown common grave.
