Illegal activity of the Alexander Nevsky brotherhood in 1925-1932

One of the most significant fraternities in the history of The Russian Orthodox Church was the Alexander Nevsky brotherhood, which existed in 1918-1932 in St. Petersburg (Petrograd, Leningrad). It was created at the Alexander Nevsky Lavra and consisted both of priests and the most active and devoted to the Church of the laity of the city. The activity of the members of the brotherhood was very diverse: liturgical, spiritual and educational, charitable, scientific and theological, educational, etc. At the same time, the most important period of its history is the time of illegal activity since 1925 until the defeat of the brotherhood in 1932 by the Joint State Political Directorate. The trace left by the Alexander Nevsky brotherhood in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church was noticeable throughout the twentieth century, four of its members became bishops of the Moscow Patriarchate, several ones were canonized. Now revived is the memory of the new martyrs in the Northern capital. An important event was the re-establishment of the Alexander Nevsky brotherhood at the Lavra in 2008.