Archimandrite
Saint Nikon (born Georgy Nikolaevich Belyaev) was born on August 15, 1886, in the village of Savelyevo, in the Serpukhov district of Moscow province. He was the son of the priest Nikolai Nikolaevich Belyaev.
In 1902, he graduated from the Kolomna Ecclesiastical School, while in 1908 he completed his studies at the Moscow Theological Academy. He worked in the village of Chashnikovo, where he became not only a teacher for children but also a wise educator. In 1917, he began missionary work with the support of Archbishop Nikon (Rozhdestvensky). In March 1918, he was ordained a priest, while he continued to teach.
In 1919, he was arrested for organizing the collection of food for those in need. After returning to the village, he actively continued to carry out his priestly duties, speaking with children and teaching the Law of God. In 1921, he was arrested once again and got exiled to the Arkhangelsk region, where he was unable to find any work. In 1925, he returned to his homeland, became a monk, and received the name Nikon, later becoming abbot of the Staro-Golutvin Monastery. In 1929, the monastery was closed, and the saint was arrested for anti-Soviet propaganda. In 1932, he was sentenced to imprisonment in the Solovetsky camp. Afterward, he was exiled again. Upon his return he served in various churches.
He was finally arrested in 1937. On December 5 of the same year, he was sentenced to death and executed on December 10. His body was buried in an unmarked grave at the Butovo firing range near Moscow.
