Newly-acquired relics of St. Alexander Fleginsky placed for veneration

Kuban, Russia, November 23, 2017

Photo: pravmir.com

The name of the holy martyr Alexander Fleginsky was included in the Synaxis of the New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Church at the May 4 session of the Holy Synod, with his day of commemoration being established as April 6. On September 19 took place the acquisition of his relics at All Saints Cemetery in Krasnodar, and on November 10, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill’s blessing to consider the acquired remains as the relics of St. Alexander was reported to the clergy of the Kuban Diocese.

Finally, the newly-glorified martyr’s relics were first placed in church for the veneration of the faithful on November 18, reports patriarchia.ru. His Eminence Metropolitan Isidore of Ekaterinodar celebrated the All-Night Vigil that day in Krasnodar’s St. Catherine’s Cathedral, with the assistance of several area clergy.   

The reliquary with the newly-acquired relics of Hieromartyr Alexander and a new icon painted by local iconographer Vladimir Butov were solemnly placed in the church during the Polyeleos section of Matins. Met. Isidore addressed the congregation following the reading of the Gospel, congratulating all with the acquisition of St. Alexander’s relics. The resolution of Pat. Kirill, blessing the veneration of the relics, was also read out.   

The next day, Met. Isidore, again with the concelebration of local clergy, served the Divine Liturgy, sung by the students of the Ekaterinodar Seminary and of St. Catherine’s Cathedral Sunday School. A procession with the newly-acquired relics was held around the cathedral following the Divine Liturgy.

Hieromartyr Alexander’s relics will permanently remain in St. Catherine’s Cathedral in Krasnodar.

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Photo: mitropoliakuban.ru

St. Alexander was born into a priest family on February 19, 1861. He graduated from Stavropol Seminary in 1883, then serving in several area villages until his death in 1918. He also served as the area dean and was a member of the Stavropol Diocesan Church-Archaeological Society.

On March 24, 1918, after tortures and mockery, he was driven outside the village of Afipsky by the Red Army and killed, his body being cut into pieces. His mutilated body was discovered in August 1918 after the liberation of the village. His funeral was served on September 18, 1918 in St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, followed by his burial in All Saints Cemetery.

In 2015, Fr. Alexander’s tomb was discovered; the gravestone had been destroyed, with only the foundation remaining. His gravestone was rebuilt by the labors of the priest and parishioners of St. George Church in Afipsky in 2016.