The Relics of Holy Martyr Vladimir, Protopriest of Lepsinsk

Holy Martyr Vladimir (Vladimir Ionovich Tsedrinsky), Protopriest. Born in the Nizhny Novgorod province. Ordained as a priest; served in the Omsk diocese, from 1909 in the Turkestan diocese; appointed county overseer of parish schools of the II district of the Turkestan diocese and Sarkan missionary.

He served in the St. Nicholas Cathedral in the town of Lepsinsk, Kopal county, Semirechensk region, and from 1912, he was the rector of the same church and dean of the churches of the Lepsinsk district.

In the summer of 1918, a White Guard detachment led by Ushakov came to the county town of Lepsinsk from Omsk. After taking Lepsinsk, the detachment headed to Sarkan, where it was joined by a detachment of the army of Ataman Lieutenant General Dutov. But soon, a partisan detachment of the Reds under the command of Petrenko arrived from Verny. Near the village of Pokatilovka, a fierce battle took place in which the Cossack detachments suffered defeat. The Cossack detachments surrendered Sarkan, Lepsinsk, and retreated to the Biketnaya gorge.

One Sunday during the Dormition Fast in 1918, Father Vladimir addressed his congregation with words condemning the actions and ideas of the Bolsheviks, urging them to cease the fratricidal turmoil and remain faithful sons of the Orthodox Church and the Motherland.

On the morning of August 14, 1918 (Old Style), Father Vladimir was serving the Liturgy. At that time, mounted Red Army soldiers arrived and announced his arrest. He asked them to wait until the end of the Liturgy. They agreed. When Father Vladimir finished the service, the soldiers took him outside the church gates, positioned him between two horses on which they rode, and drove him out of the village towards the cemetery. When the villagers attempted to protect Father Vladimir, the soldiers responded with threats.

The town cemetery was 2.5 km from Lepsinsk. It was surrounded by a ditch and a fence. The soldiers placed Father Vladimir in a clearing near the cemetery gates, and in the presence of nearby women, they hacked him to death with sabers and left him there.

The villagers brought a cover, placed Father Vladimir's body on it, and carried him to the church. The martyr for the faith in Christ was sung by priests who had come from neighboring villages and was buried in the cemetery near the spot where he was slain. The pious residents of Lepsinsk placed a granite slab on his grave, with the Gospel and a cross engraved on it, along with the inscription: "Protopresbyter Vladimir Tsedrinsky, killed on August 14, 1918."

Every year on the anniversary of his martyrdom, clergy from nearby villages and the faithful of Lepsinsk would gather at Father Vladimir's grave to serve memorial services. This tradition continued until the early 1930s, as long as there were priests in the region.

Protopresbyter Vladimir Ionovich Tsedrinsky was posthumously rehabilitated in accordance with the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On the Rehabilitation of Victims of Mass Political Repressions" dated April 14, 1993.

The true events were reconstructed based on the recollections of Lepsinsk's long-time residents Ivan Emelyanovich Pilipenko and Valentina Fedorovna Levchenko.

On July 2, 2001, by the blessing of Archbishop Alexy of Astana and Almaty (now Metropolitan of Tula and Efremov), the relics of Hieromartyr Vladimir were discovered and placed in the St. John the Theologian Cathedral in Taldykorgan.

The feast day of St. Hieromartyr Vladimir is celebrated on August 27 (new style), as well as in the Assemblies of New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia and New Martyrs and Confessors of Kazakhstan.