Pyotr Ivanovich Antonov was born in 1872 in the village of Kamenskaya, Donetsk Region. Before the revolution, he served as an officer in the Tsarist army and, after the revolution, chose to serve the Church as a psalmist. In 1923, Pyotr Ivanovich was accused of "religious propaganda" and sentenced to one year of imprisonment.
He was arrested again in 1930. For "anti-Soviet propaganda," he was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment and 5 years of loss of rights. After serving 5 years, in 1935, Pyotr Ivanovich attempted to escape. He was given a new sentence: another 10 years in the camps. He was transferred to Karlag in Kazakhstan.
On November 21, 1937, Antonov was arrested once more, and a new case was opened against him. He was accused of "spreading provocative rumors and making predictions from a religious perspective about the imminent fall of Soviet power." According to the indictment, "Antonov P.I. did not plead guilty to the charges against him but did not deny participating in gatherings where he spoke about his 'visions.'"
On December 17, 1937, the NKVD Troika sentenced Pyotr Ivanovich Antonov to the highest measure of punishment. The sentence was carried out on March 7, 1938.
At the Jubilee Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 2000, a decision was made to include this saint in the list of universally venerated saints.
Saints of Kazakhstan
