Varlaam (Ryashentsev)

Born in a merchant family. He graduated from the Tambov Gymnasium ( 1896 ) and the Kazan Theological Academy with a degree of candidate of theology ( 1900 ).

From September 29 ( October 12 ), 1901 , he was a teacher of Russian and Church Slavonic languages ​​at the Ufa Theological School ; Bishop Anthony (Khrapovitsky) on October 8 ( 21 ), 1901 , was tonsured a monk, ordained ordained hierodeacon on October 9, and October 10, at hieromonk . In 1902-1903 he was a teacher of theology, in 1903-1906 he was an inspector of the Ufa Theological Seminary .

In 1906-1913 - rector of the Poltava Theological Seminary in the rank of archimandrite . During this period he wrote a number of theological works, mainly on apologetics. The author of the study “ Renan and his book, The Life of Jesus,” which Archpriest Alexander Men considered one of the most successful on this subject in Russian Orthodox literature. Varlaam is sharply critical of the French author. He examined the psychological prerequisites that led Renan to the position of agnostic skepticism, as well as the artistic features of his book, which gained her popularity. He contrasted the Christian view of life with the philosophical positions of Renan.

On January 13 ( 26 ), 1913 he was ordained bishop of Gomel , vicar of the Mogilev diocese .

Since October 1918 he lived in Kiev ; On June 23, 1919 he was arrested in Gomel , but was released on July 5 at the request of five thousand believers. He was bishop of Mstislavsky, vicar of the Mogilev diocese. In 1922 - temporarily managing the Mogilev diocese. For some time he participated in the renovation movement , brought repentance and was again accepted into the jurisdiction of the Patriarchal Church.

Since September 3, 1923 - Bishop of Pskov and Porkhov. In 1923-1924 he temporarily ruled the Gomel diocese. In 1924 he was arrested in Pskov and sentenced to two years in prison. In the years 1924-1926. was imprisoned in the Yaroslavl prison. From July 13, 1927, he was Archbishop of Perm, but after a few months, on November 11, he was dismissed to rest. However, at the end of December 1927, he was temporarily appointed manager of the Lyubimsky vicar of the Yaroslavl diocese.

February 6, 1928 as part of a group of Yaroslavl bishops separated from the Deputy Patriarchal Locum Tenens Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodsky) , supporting the position of Metropolitan Agafangel (Preobrazhensky) ; On April 11, he was forbidden to worship; On May 10, he announced his return to prayer communion with Metropolitan Sergius, after which on May 30, 1928, the Synod lifted the ban on clergy.

October 16, 1928 Metropolitan of Yaroslavl Agafangel died. At first, the current affairs were transferred to the managing archbishop Varlaam, but contrary to the hopes of many Yaroslavl people, Metropolitan Sergius appointed not his widow to the widowed chair, but Archbishop Paul (Borisovsky) ^[1] .

September 7, 1929 he was arrested in Yaroslavl in the case of the "Church-monarchist organization" True Orthodoxy "" ^[2] ; On January 3, 1930, he was sentenced by a special meeting to the college of the OGPU to three years in prison . Located in the Kotlas camp. On May 20, 1931, by a resolution of the college of the OGPU, the term was increased to 10 years; transferred from Kotlas to the Solovetsky Special Purpose Camp ^[3]

February 22, 1933 was prematurely released; was in exile in Vologda . In Vologda he performed secret divine services at home; created small female monastic communities from among the nuns of closed cloisters. According to the story of the nun Magdalene (Nekrasova) ^[4] :

After the end of the next term, he was sent to Vologda under house arrest. He had no right to leave his cell. He lived opposite the Lazarev Gorbachev Church in the cemetery, at the very exit of the city. He was allowed to come to church, but not to serve. Kapitolin’s mother said: "The lord served, went out with a candle, the Apostle read, but could not serve."

Vladyka corresponded. And since he was being watched, he used the services of the Capitolina, which he affectionately called Kapushka, her illiterate handwriting and inability to write. And he “wrote” phrases to individuals in an allegorical sense, very significant, which it would be impossible for another person to understand; that is, Kapushka wrote, she also wrote the address and sent from Vologda or from the nearest Vologda villages.

November 11, 1940 was arrested in Vologda, imprisoned in the internal prison of the NKVD ^[3] . He pleaded guilty on all counts, testified against two dozen people, slandering them; this allowed the investigation to put them under its supervision as future victims. In his explanation of what happened after the verdict was announced to him, Archbishop Varlaam wrote: “The organization of the organization imputed to me by the verdict of the Vologda Regional Court against the Soviet government is untrue. True, I did not deny that I had an organization, but not immediately, but after numerous insistence on this from the investigator. Natural compliance and unwillingness to upset good relations with investigators prompted me to do this ” ^[5] .

On August 26, 1941, the Vologda Oblast Criminal Court Board sentenced him to death ^[3] ; By a resolution of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of November 25, 1941, the execution was replaced by 10 years in prison .

He died in prison No. 1 of Vologda on February 20, 1942.

• Renan and his book, The Life of Jesus. Statement of content and critical analysis. Popular scientific research. Poltava, 1908.
• About Christian parenting. Poltava, 1910.
• Life is in labor. Poltava, 1912.
• Faith and the causes of unbelief. Popular scientific research. Poltava, 1912.
• Theosophy before the judgment of Christianity. Poltava, 1912.
• Inoku memo

• A.V. Mazyrin, M.V. Shkarovsky. Varlaam (Ryashentsev) // Orthodox Encyclopedia . - M .: Church Scientific Center "Orthodox Encyclopedia" , 2003. - V. VI. - S. 598-600. - 752 s. - 39,000 copies. - ISBN 5-89572-010-2 .

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