Bishop
In the world, Vasily Ivanovich Zelentsov was born on April 4, 1870, in the village of Zimarovo, Ranevsky district of Ryazan province, the son of a protodeacon. He graduated from the Ryazan Theological Seminary and the Moscow Theological Academy. He taught in various theological schools, was a member of the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1917-1918, advocating for the independence of the Church.
In 1919, he was ordained a priest and appointed to the Trinity Church in Poltava. He actively engaged in missionary work, assisted the needy, and organized a youth Pokrov Christian society. He supported the White movement, for which he was arrested in 1922 and sentenced to death, which was commuted to 5 years of imprisonment.
After his release in 1925, he became the Bishop of Priluki, continuing his ministry in the Trinity Church. He participated in resolving church issues and spoke against the schism. In 1926, he was arrested again and sentenced to three years in forced labor camps, serving his term in the Solovetsky camp.
In exile, he continued his theological work and polemics with Metropolitan Sergius. In 1929, he was arrested again and executed in 1930 by the decision of the OGPU Collegium. He was buried in an unmarked grave at Vagan'kovskoye Cemetery in Moscow. In 1997, he was canonized as a local saint, and in 2000, he was glorified for church-wide veneration.
