Hieromartyr Pyotr (Pyotr Ivanovich Novoselsky) was born in 1883 in the village of Smirnovo, Nizhny Novgorod Province, into the family of a deacon. He graduated from the Theological Seminary in 1905, after which he was ordained a priest. Father Pyotr served as a priest in one of the churches in Nizhny Novgorod.
In 1929, Father Pyotr was arrested for the first time, accused of "counter-revolutionary activities," and sentenced to three years of exile in the Turukhansk region. After his sentence ended, Father Pyotr resumed his priestly service in Nizhny Novgorod. On May 23, 1935, he was arrested for the second time. From the indictment: "On May 1, in collusion with Metropolitan Evgeny [Zernov], the clergy, and the church council, together with Zunov, Makedonsky, and others, he arranged a solemn service to distract the population from participating in the May Day demonstration." The indictment concluded: "active counter-revolutionary agitation, close ties with clergy, including Metropolitan Evgeny [Zernov], anti-Soviet sermons." The sentence followed: three years of forced labor camps.
Father Pyotr served his sentence in the NKVD Karlag (Karaganda region, Kazakhstan). He worked as a bookkeeper, milk recorder, and beekeeper. The "Characteristics of the prisoner" stated: "Participated in the liquidation of illiteracy. Behavior is impeccable in both everyday life and at work." Despite all positive characteristics, Father Pyotr was arrested in the camp on August 31, 1937.
He was involved in the group case "the priest Vasily Zelensky and others, Karaganda, 1937." From the indictment: "Conducted church services and baptisms of children. As a former priest, he does not renounce his religious beliefs." "In March 1937, he performed an illegal baptism of the child of prisoner Mezhagotova, conducting the baptism in the base building, using a basin for the baptism instead of a font." Father Pyotr did not admit guilt in counter-revolutionary activities. From the case materials: "During interrogation, he denied the fact of the child's baptism. He said it did not happen and demanded to expose the slander, saying he knew nothing about the service at the cross."
On September 10, 1937, Priest Pyotr Novoselsky was sentenced to the highest measure of punishment – execution – by the NKVD Troika for the Karaganda region. The sentence was carried out on September 15 of the same year.
He was canonized in August 2000 at the Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Saints of Kazakhstan