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| Hieromonk Ignatius Sklyarov |
One of the last Catacomb Church priests serving in the Voronezh area was Hieromonk Ignatius, in the world Fr. John Yefimovich Sklyarov. He was born in 1892 in the village of Barannikovka, Belovodsky uyezd, Kharkov province into a peasant family, and finished four classes at a village school. In 1905 he became a novice in Donetsk monastery, staying there for twelve years. In 1917 he left the monastery and married. In 1920 he finished pastoral courses in Kharkov. He served as a reader in the village of Uglyanets, Voronezh province. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1925 by Bishop Joasaph in Yekaterinoslav province, and served in the village of Uglyanets. In 1928 he became priest of the church in the village of Gudovka, Annensky region, and in 1931 – in the village of Tryasorukovo, Davydovsky region.
In the spring of 1931 he was arrested, and on May 20 was forbidden to live in twelve cities, in Chita, Omsk region and the Central Black Earth province for three years. In October he was arrested again, and on December 15 was sentenced to three years in the camps and sent to Svir construction. In 1933 he was released early and returned to Uglyanets, where he served as a priest. On December 16, 1935 he was arrested again, and on March 31, 1936 was sentenced to eight years in the camps and sent to Ryblag in Yaroslavl province. On May 24, 1943 he was released and returned to Uglyanets, and served illegally in various villages.
On January 13, 1945 he was arrested again and charged with “restoring links with the leader of the monastic underground”, with “visiting meetings of participants of the group” and with “organizing secret meetings of church-people at which anti-Soviet agitation was conducted”. On July 18 he was sentenced to eight years in the camps and sent to Minlag. On June 26, 1954 he was released from camp and sent to Potma invalid home under the surveillance of the “organs”. From there his relatives took him back to Uglyanets.
He served catacomb communities in Voronezh and other provinces, and was united (by correspondence) with the diocese of Archbishop Leontius of Chile of the Russian Church Abroad. He died on January 18, 1972 at the age of 84.
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| Various pictures of Hieromonk Ignatius Sklyarov |