Presbyter
Saint Martyr Viktor Petrovich Basov was born on October 29, 1892, in the village of Gorodets, Nizhny Novgorod province, into the family of a deacon. After graduating from the Theological Seminary, he served as a psalmist for several years. In 1918, he was ordained as a deacon, and in 1925 – as a priest. He served in one of the villages of the Arzamas district, and from 1931, he served in the church in the village of Efimyevo, Bogorodsky district. On April 17, 1935, he was arrested and imprisoned in Gorky on the basis of a denunciation, accused of anti-Soviet activities and assisting peasants. At the court hearing on June 1, the priest stated: “I do not consider myself guilty... I firmly adhere to the rule not to speak out against any authority.” He was sentenced to 5 years in a labor camp.
On August 30, 1937, he was arrested in the camp as a supporter of a counter-revolutionary group, accused of systematically engaging in counter-revolutionary activities. The reason for his arrest was singing church songs together with Saint Martyr Ioann (Melnychenko). Priest Viktor did not admit his guilt. He was executed on September 15, 1937, by the verdict of the troika of the NKVD. He was glorified by the Archdiocesan Jubilee Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in the year 2000.
