Hieromartyr
Archbishop Thaddeus (Uspensky), Archbishop of Tver
12 ноября 1872 — 31 декабря 1937
Also known as: Фаддей Тверской, Иван Васильевич Успенский
Hieromartyr Thaddeus (Ivan Vasilievich Uspensky), Archbishop of Tver — an outstanding ascetic, pedagogue, and author of the well-known "Notes on Didactics"; despite being banned from serving he continued to secretly minister to his flock, was arrested and shot on December 31, 1937; glorified in 1997.
The Hieromartyr Thaddeus was born on November 12, 1872, in the village of Naruksovo, Nizhny Novgorod province, the son of a priest. He studied at the Moscow Theological Academy; he took monastic vows in 1897, quickly rising from hierodeacon to archimandrite (over about 5 years). He became renowned as an ascetic, pedagogue, and author of a widely used work on pastoral theology — "Notes on Didactics." He served as a vicar bishop in the Vladimir diocese, then as Archbishop of Astrakhan (from 1923), Saratov (from 1928), and finally, in November 1928, was transferred to the Tver see, where he remained until his death.
In 1936 Soviet authorities deregistered him and banned him from serving, but the hierarch continued to celebrate the liturgy in secret. He was arrested in Tver in December 1937 on charges of leading a "church-monarchist organization"; he was shot on December 31, 1937. His relics now rest in the Ascension Cathedral of Tver.
He was glorified for church-wide veneration by the Sanctified Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church on February 18-23, 1997.