Reverend Vasily (Biryukov), bishop of Rybinsk, vicar of the Yaroslavl diocese: life path and spiritual service

At present, the study of the life and spiritual heritage of representatives of the episcopate of the Russian Orthodox Church is increasingly attracting the attention of researchers. In this regard, the appeal in the proposed article to the personality of one of the least known bishops of the period of Bolshevik persecution of the Orthodox faith, Bishop of Rybinsk, vicar of the Yaroslavl Diocese Vasily (Biryukov; 1871-1921), has undeniable relevance and novelty. Based on the analysis of materials from a number of federal and regional archives and other pre-Revolutionary sources, the article for the first time made an attempt to restore the main stages of the life path and spiritual ministry of Bishop Vasily, a graduate of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, candidate of theology, teacher, missionary, educator of the indigenous peoples of the North, a talented preacher, the organizer of monastic life, who accepted the cross of confession during the years of the Civil War and the Bolshevik persecution of the Russian Orthodox Church. The results of the work are an analysis and detailed coverage of previously unknown facts of a biographical nature, pedagogical, missionary, scientific and preaching activities, hierarchal service, and spiritual feat of the bishop.