Saint Hieromartyr Barlaam Ryashentsev, Archbishop
of Perm.

Barlaam was born in 1878 in Tambov, Russia, to a priestly family. He received a theological education befitting his calling and showed early promise as a scholar and defender of Orthodox Christianity. Before the Revolution, he became associated with the Moscow Theological Academy and authored several theological works, including treatises against theosophism and critiques of rationalist authors such as Renan.

From December 1924 for a year, Bishop Barlaam served as bishop of Mogilev in the South. By July 13, 1927, he was bishop of Perm. On January 24 / February 6, 1928, Archbishop Seraphim, together with Metropolitan Agathangel of Yaroslavl, Metropolitan Joseph of Petrograd, Archbishop Barlaam of Perm and Bishop Eugene of Rostov, wrote an epistle rejecting the declaration of Metropolitan Sergius that placed the Church in submission to the godless Soviet state.

In 1930, for his opposition to Metropolitan Sergius, he was arrested and imprisoned, and his sufferings began in earnest—lasting, with short intervals of relative freedom in exile, for the rest of his much-suffering life. In 1931 he was in Solovki, and in 1933 on Bear Mountain near Petrozavodsk, enduring the hardships of Soviet concentration camps.

New Hieromartyr Barlaam (Ryashentsev), archbishop of Perm, reposed in 1942. Like countless other hierarchs and clergy, he died under the persecution of the Soviet regime, his earthly life a martyrdom of faith. Barlaam archbishop of Perm, New Hieromartyr, February 7, according to the listing of New Martyrs glorified in the Russian Orthodox Church's calendar.

The New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Orthodox Church is a group of saints of the Russian Orthodox Church martyred or persecuted after the October Revolution of 1917. The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia glorified the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia in 1981. In 2000, the All-Russian Council glorified Tsar Nicholas II and his family, as well as many other New Martyrs. Archbishop Barlaam is commemorated among this great multitude of confessors who witnessed to Orthodox Christianity even unto death.

The Russian Church celebrates the feast of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia on the Sunday nearest January 25 (o.s.) / February 7 (n.s.) -- the date Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev's martyrdom (the first Hieromartyr under Bolshevik rule of Russia following the October Revolution). Archbishop Barlaam's feast on February 7 commemorates his union with the entire assembly of New Martyrs who refused to compromise the faith.

Life and Ministry

Hieromartyr Barlaam was born in 1878 in Tambov, Russia, as Victor Stepanovich Ryashentsev. He received theological formation befitting his noble calling and became a notable scholar within the Russian Orthodox Church, publishing works on apologetics and theology. He was associated with the Moscow Theological Academy, where he authored defenses of Orthodoxy against modern heresies such as theosophy and rationalism.

From December 1924 for a year, Bishop Barlaam served as bishop of Mogilev in the South. By July 13, 1927, he was bishop of Perm, where he continued his ministry with pastoral solicitude for his flock.

Courageous Witness Against Soviet Apostasy

The Russian Revolution of 1917 unleashed unprecedented persecution against the Orthodox Church. In July 1927, Metropolitan Sergius issued his notorious "declaration", which placed the Church in more or less complete submission to the militant atheists. This declaration demanded that the hierarchs of the Church pledge loyalty to the Communist government and renounce their pastoral independence. Most bishops, faced with imprisonment and death, reluctantly submitted; but a brave few refused.

On January 24 / February 6, 1928, Archbishop Seraphim, together with Metropolitan Agathangel of Yaroslavl, Metropolitan Joseph of Petrograd, Archbishop Barlaam of Perm and Bishop Eugene of Rostov, wrote an epistle rejecting the declaration. This courageous stand cost them dearly. Archbishop Barlaam was already known for his firmness in the faith, and his public rejection of Sergius's submission to godlessness marked him as an enemy of the Soviet state in the eyes of the secret police.

Persecution and Imprisonment

In 1930, for his opposition to Metropolitan Sergius, he was arrested and imprisoned, and his sufferings began in earnest—lasting, with short intervals of relative freedom in exile, for the rest of his much-suffering life. Like many New Martyrs, Archbishop Barlaam was incarcerated in the notorious Solovki prison camp, one of the prototypes for the later Gulag system. In 1931 he was in Solovki, and in 1933 on Bear Mountain near Petrozavodsk.

The Communist authorities subjected him to the systematic tortures and deprivations characteristic of Soviet concentration camps: forced labor, starvation rations, brutal cold, disease, and psychological torture designed to break the spirits of the faithful. Yet Archbishop Barlaam, like countless other New Martyrs, endured with unwavering faith in Christ.

Martyrdom and Glorification

New Hieromartyr Barlaam (Ryashentsev), archbishop of Perm, reposed in 1942. Barlaam archbishop of Perm, New Hieromartyr, February 7, according to the list of New Martyrs glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church. His death in Soviet captivity completed his martyrdom for the faith.

The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia glorified the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia in 1981. In 2000, the All-Russian Council glorified Tsar Nicholas II and his family, as well as many other New Martyrs. Archbishop Barlaam was among those recognized by the official Russian Orthodox Church as a saint and martyr of the twentieth century.

The Legacy of the New Martyrs

The New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Orthodox Church is a group of saints of the Russian Orthodox Church martyred or persecuted after the October Revolution of 1917. It is estimated that the number of the New Martyrs of Russia, who were glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church at the Jubilee Council of 2000, far exceeds that of all the martyrs who died for Christ during the first three centuries of Christianity.

Archbishop Barlaam stands among this vast cloud of witnesses, one of thousands of hierarchs, priests, monks, and laypeople who chose death rather than apostasy. The Russian Church celebrates the feast of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia on the Sunday nearest January 25 (o.s.) / February 7 (n.s.) -- the date Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev's martyrdom (the first Hieromartyr under Bolshevik rule of Russia following the October Revolution). On February 7, the faithful honor not only Archbishop Barlaam but the entire assembly of New Martyrs, whose sacrifice and constancy remain a source of inspiration and spiritual strength to all who seek to follow Christ with undivided hearts.