Ephrem (Kuznetsov), vicar bishop of Selenginsk - a new martyr and confessor of Russia: life pages

The article describes the life of a Vicar of Transbaikal Diocese, the Right Reverend Bishop of Selenginsk Ephrem (Kuznetsov). His biography has become the subject of analysis by researchers, however, it is impossible to say that today it is full. The authors of publications, citing the facts from the life of the bishop, often do not make references to the sources, and this does not allow us to speak about the unambiguous reliability of all the information provided. It should also be noted that the same data is rewritten from article to article. At the same time, the researches pay little attention to the activity of Ephrem (Kuznetsov) as an author of a significant number of published works. It is widely known that the bishop was a member of the Local Council of the Russian Orthodox Church in 1917-1918, but there is no information about his activities in this status. In the history of Transbaikal Orthodoxy there are few figures, who became famous not only in the region, but also beyond its borders, due to their heroic conduct, and not to the status. They were Varlaam (Nadezhin) - the missionary, founder and first abbot of Chikoy Monastery of the John the Baptist, then Vicar Bishop of Selenginsk, later Bishop of Yakutsk and Vil- yui, Bishop of Ryazan and Zaraysk, church writer Meletiy (Yakimov). An equally bright personality who did a lot for the development of Orthodoxy in Transbaikalia was Ephrem (Kuznetsov). We have made an attempt to collect the known facts on the life of Bishop Ephrem using the methods of collection, analysis and synthesis of material. The article reflects archival materials, as well as publications of the bishop. The available data do not allow us to speak about the complete study of the biography of the Right Reverend Ephrem (Kuznetsov), thus further serious work with sources is required to fill in its blank pages.0