Archimandrite
Saint Varlaam (in the world Vasily Yefimovich Konoplev) was born in 1858 in the Yugo-Knauf factory of the Osinsky district of the Perm province into a peasant family of Old Believers without priests. From a young age, he sought the truth and, studying the Holy Scriptures, came to the realization of the necessity of the priesthood for salvation. In the 1890s, after a miraculous sign, he joined the Orthodox Church together with his family.
In November 1893, he was tonsured into the rassophore and settled on the White Mountain, where he began to gather those wishing for monastic life. On February 1, 1894, he took the monastic vows with the name Varlaam and was ordained as a hierodeacon, and on February 22 — as a hieromonk. He became the head of the newly constructed monastery, restored Orthodox worship and preaching.
In 1913, he was spoken of as a wise leader to whom many turned for advice and consolation. His cell became a place where great sacraments were performed, and many found comfort there. In June 1917, the consecration of the Belogorsky Cathedral took place, which gathered many pilgrims.
In August 1918, the monastery was seized by the Bolsheviks, and many monks, including Varlaam, were arrested and shot. Saint Varlaam accepted a martyr's end on August 12 (25). His memory was glorified in 1998 as a locally revered saint, and in 2000 he was canonized among the ranks of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia.
