Ivan Yakovlevich Smirnov

Ivan Yakovlevich Smirnov was born on November 12, 1872, in the village of Pakhomovo, Pleshcheyevskaya Volost, Tver Governorate, into a family of a bread merchant. Little is known about his life before the revolution, except that he served in the Tsar's Army from 1895 to 1899.

In 1922, Bishop Athanasius (Sakharov) ordained Ivan Yakovlevich as a deacon, and he began serving in the Danilov Monastery.

In 1927, Father Ivan was arrested and accused of "anti-Soviet propaganda, promoting the idea among churchmen of electing the anti-Soviet figure Metropolitan Kirill as Patriarch." He was sentenced to 3 years of exile in Siberia.

In 1930, after his exile ended, Deacon Ivan settled in the city of Vladimir, where he served in the Nikolo-Gorodskaya Church.

On November 3, 1931, Father Ivan was arrested again and charged with "participating in a counter-revolutionary group of churchmen close to Bishop Athanasius (Sakharov), holding anti-Soviet gatherings, and aiding prisoners and exiles." Evidently, there was insufficient evidence at that time, as he was released after 4 months of investigation. Around this period, Ivan Yakovlevich was ordained as a priest and continued serving in the Nikolo-Gorodskaya Church in Vladimir.

The next arrest occurred on April 26, 1936. Father Ivan Smirnov was implicated in the same case as Bishop Athanasius (Sakharov), who had ordained him, and was sentenced to exile in Kazakhstan. In the village of Maryevka, Tonkeraysky District, North Kazakhstan Region, the exiled priest worked at a butter factory.

On November 24, 1937, Father Ivan was arrested while in exile. The accusation stated, "While in exile in Kazakhstan, he maintained contacts with exiled bishops and engaged in counter-revolutionary agitation."

During the interrogation, when asked to describe his counter-revolutionary agitation, Father Ivan responded, "I did not engage in counter-revolutionary agitation. I subsisted on funds from relatives - receiving remittances."

The Troika of the NKVD of the North Kazakhstan Region sentenced Priest Ivan Yakovlevich Smirnov to the highest measure of punishment.

On December 4, 1937, Holy Martyr Ivan was executed by shooting.

His burial place is unknown.

He was glorified by the Jubilee Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 2000.