Fyodor Vladimirsky (1843–1932) – archpriest

One of the most prominent residents of Arzamas at the turn of the century, Archpriest Fyodor Vladimirsky was born into the family of a village psalmist. After graduating from the Nizhny Novgorod Theological Seminary, he taught Scripture at a primary school. His subsequent record of service includes posts as a member of the board of a church school, a judicial investigator, and a deputy for the clerical department. In 1895 Father Fyodor was appointed dean of the first Arzamas church district, and from 1899 he was archpriest of Trinity Cathedral. Father Fyodor was not only a respected priest but also a well-known figure in the town. From 1874 he distinguished himself as an active member of the Arzamas City Duma.

In municipal service he "was in charge of water collection," and in 1890 he headed the construction of a water supply system that had been started on his initiative. He did this because the people of Arzamas, especially the poor, drew their water from ponds that stretched one after another within the town and into which, naturally, all the refuse drained.

Father Fyodor found a ravine outside the town with many springs of clean water, organized their development, and gave the town water to drink. He did all this, as we would say today, on a voluntary basis: he sought out benefactors, persuaded officials, put in his own money, and even mortgaged his own property! Thanks to the hard work and determination of the Arzamas archpriest, the water supply system was opened in 1912. It is noteworthy that the archpriest of Trinity Church was the first resident of Arzamas who, despite the policeman standing at the porch of the house, came to meet Maxim Gorky, who had been exiled to Arzamas. "I have made the acquaintance of a priest," Gorky reported in one of his letters. "A good, rare priest." The exiled writer and the priest visited each other, held philosophical conversations, and argued. Later Gorky wrote letters from Italy to Father Fyodor as a good acquaintance.

Thanks to his great authority among the people of Arzamas and Nizhny Novgorod, in January 1907 Fyodor Vladimirsky was elected a deputy of the 2nd State Duma from Nizhny Novgorod Governorate. In his new field he not only justified the voters' trust but also became one of the most prominent figures of that "rebellious" Duma. He sought funds from the Minister of Education for opening a teachers' seminary in Arzamas, spoke out against field courts-martial, and petitioned for the pardon of four revolutionaries sentenced to death. From a legal point of view, this death sentence was lawful and entirely well-founded, but Father Fyodor's approach was not legal but Christian: he was against violent death in general, regardless of who the killer would be[1] — the law or its opponent. Moreover, he spoke out against any violence against the individual, whatever motives might be used to justify it. "What is needed is mercy, not sacrifices," he urged the government, while also censuring those who undermine civic responsibility.

This speech provoked fierce attacks on the Arzamas priest from certain political figures and from the diocesan authorities. Father Fyodor's active stance in life was inherited by his children, of whom there were eight in the Vladimirsky family. Apart from the eldest sister Maria, all of them joined the revolutionary movement. Mikhail proved especially distinguished. A professional revolutionary and a comrade-in-arms of Lenin, after the October Revolution he held responsible posts: he was People's Commissar of Health, Deputy People's Commissar of Internal Affairs, and Chairman of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee of Soviets. Father Fyodor lived to see the establishment of Soviet power in the country. Trinity Church was closed, its crosses were thrown down, and its utensils were plundered, but the priest was left alone.

He lived with the family of his eldest daughter, worked in the water supply department, received a personal pension, and died quietly at the age of 89. …In Arzamas in Soviet times a street was named after the Bolshevik Mikhail Vladimirsky, and after perestroika it was renamed Priest Fyodor Vladimirsky Street. "So the name has been preserved," the townspeople say.

Sources

  1. Kommersant (Volga Region) — Scandal in Nizhny Novgorod (archive)