Bishop
Saint Porphyrius (in the world Polycarp Vasilievich Gulevich) was born on February 26, 1864, in the village of Tokarevka, Podolsk province, into the family of a priest. In 1885, he graduated from the Podolsk Theological Seminary and on October 22, 1886, he received the holy orders. From 1914 to 1928, he was the archpriest and rector of the cathedral in the city of Olgopol, and also taught the Law of God at the local gymnasium. After the 1917 revolution, he gathered around him those who cared for the Orthodox faith and the Fatherland, opposing the renovationist movement and defending His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon. In 1927, he took monastic vows under the name Porphyrius. On June 25, 1928, he was consecrated as the Bishop of Krivoy Rog. From the very first days of his ministry, he earned the respect and love of both the clergy and the laity. On September 5, 1930, he was appointed vicar of the Odessa diocese. On August 11, 1931, he was transferred to the Crimean see, where he continued to actively serve and care for his flock. In 1932, he began to speak openly about the famine that engulfed the southern regions of Russia and Ukraine. In 1933, he was arrested but soon released. Despite the persecutions, he continued to serve and support the faithful priests of the Patriarchal Church. On October 9, 1936, he was arrested again along with ten clergymen. On January 1, 1937, he was sentenced to five years of administrative exile in Kazakhstan. In November 1937, he was arrested again and accused of anti-Soviet propaganda. On December 1, 1937, he was executed. The burial place is unknown.
