Presbyter
Peter Alexeyevich Cheltzov was born on August 20, 1888, in the village of Shekhmino, Ryazan region, in the family of a psalmist who later became a priest. In 1904, he graduated from the Ryazan Spiritual School and then from the Kiev Theological Academy. In 1911, he was ordained a presbyter and appointed to the priestly position at the George Church in the village of Ulyakhina-Yuryeva. From 1915, he taught at the Smolensk Theological Seminary and was awarded the namendrennik and skufia. He participated in helping the victims of the war and in organizing church-parish schools. In 1921, he was arrested on suspicion of resisting the seizure of church valuables but was soon released. His wife, Maria Ivanovna, was a worthy companion in life, supporting her husband in his ministry and visiting the elders. In 1923, he was awarded a cross with decorations, and in 1927, he became a mitred protodeacon. In 1933, he was arrested again and sentenced to three years in concentration camps, where he endured many trials. After his release, he served in the Kazan Church in the village of Norma, and then in the Christ-Transfiguration Church in the village of Zakolpye. In 1943, he was appointed priest of the Christ-Transfiguration Church in the village of Zakolpye, where he was greatly respected and loved by the parishioners. In 1961, he celebrated the 50th anniversary of his priestly ministry. He passed away peacefully on September 12, 1972, with prayer on his lips. He was buried behind the altar of the Friday Church. In 2000, he was glorified in the Assembly of New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia, and his relics were found and placed in the church of the Great Martyr Paraskeva Friday.
