A New Artifact Transferred to the Church and Historical Museum of the Diocese of Kostanay

July 24, 2025 – Tobyl, Kostanay Region. A new exhibit has been donated to the Church and Historical Museum of the Diocese of Kostanay – the gravestone of one of the first clergymen to serve on the land of Kostanay, Priest Andrey Nechayev.

The unique find was made by a gas station employee, R.V. Kanapyanova, in the city of Kostanay, on the territory adjacent to the “Mұнай Өнімдері” fueling station.

With the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, the gravestone was transferred to the Church and Historical Museum of the Diocese of Kostanay. The head of the diocesan department for the canonization of saints, Priest Andrey Krutin, gratefully received the new artifact. The priest thanked R.V. Kanapyanova for her valuable gift and for her attention to the spiritual history of the Kostanay region, and then presented her with a set of diocesan printed publications.

According to archival sources, Priest Andrey Nechayev served as a deacon in the village of Pavlovka of the Orenburg Province and was ordained in 1889, after which he was assigned to the Kazan–Theotokos Church in the settlement of Zatobolsk (now the city of Tobyl). The pastor reportedly passed away in April 1892 at the age of 43. Father Andrey Nechayev is among the first Orthodox clergymen who served in Kostanay (formerly Novo–Nikolaevsk) and in the settler communities of the Turgay Region in the late 19th century. The exact location of Priest Andrey Nechayev’s burial site remains unknown. With the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, work has begun to determine the precise location of his grave.