function

diocesan priest

creed

Latin (Roman Catholic) Church
more on: en.wikipedia.org [access: 2014.09.21]

diocese / province

Mogilev archdiocese
more on: en.wikipedia.org [access: 2013.06.23]

nationality

Latvian

date and place of death

21.08.1937

Butovo
Moscow oblast, Russia

alt. dates and places of death

1937

details of death

During World War I led efforts in 1914‑7 to help Polish refugees in Symbirsk — founded „Polish Support Society for victims of war”. For the first time arrested by the Russians on 26.03.1924 in Moscow. Released after a weak on his own recognizance. On 14.02.1927 arrested again and released after a few hours, again on his own recognizance. Yet again arrested on 12.02.1929, accused of political crimes, but on 03.05.1929 again released. Remained under constant supervision by Russian police. For the fourth time arrested on 14.04.1931, in Moscow. Accused of „pro‑Polish agitation and counter–revolutionary and anti–state activities”. Prob. „broken” under interrogations. In a mass trial of Catholics on 18.11.1931 in Moscow — tried with Fr Charles Łupinowicz and Anna Tyszman, among others — sentenced to 3 years of exile (including prison time in Moscow), but banned from settling in large cities. Choose Tambor. In 12.1933 released. Last time arrested, together with church organ player and wife of the sacristan, on 03.05.1937 in Moscow, for celebrating a Mass on a National Day of Poland at the request of Polish ambassador in Moscow. Jailed in Butyrki prison. Prob. sentenced to 10 years of slave labour in Russian concentration camps — Gulag. Before exile however sentenced again on 21.08.1937 to death for „spying” and on the same day murdered in unknown circumstances.

alt. details of death

According to some indications transported out of Moscow and murdered in one of the Gulag concentration camps.

cause of death

murder

perpetrators

Russians

date and place of birth

23.10.1885

Tallinn
f. Revel, Harju cou., Estonia

presbyter (holy orders)/
ordination

1908

positions held

from c. 1919 — administrator {parish: Moscow, Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary}
from 1933 — administrator {parish: Moscow, St Peter and St Paul the Apostles}
c. 1925 — dean {dean.: Polotsk}, prob.
1912–c. 1919 — parish priest {parish: Symbirsk}
1910–1912 — vicar {parish: Rudnia–Szlagin; n. Wietek}
1908–1910 — vicar {parish: Gomel}
till 1908 — student {Sankt Petersburg, philosophy and theology, Theological Seminary}

others related in death

ŁUPINOWICZ Charles Alexander, TYSZMAN Anne, KULHAWIEC Simeon, NIKATOW Alex, SAWICKI Yaroslav, SIENKIEWICZ Alex, MIEDWIEDIUK Vladimir

murder sites
camps (+ prisoner no)

11.08.1937 Russian genocide: On 11.08.1937 Russian leader Stalin decided and NKWD head, Nicholas Jeżow, signed a „Polish operation” executive order no 00485. 139,835 Poles living in Russia were thus sentenced summarily to death. 111,091 were murdered. 28,744 were sentenced to deportation to concentration camps in Gulag. Altogether however more than 100,000 Poles were deported, mainly to Kazakhstan, Siberia, Kharkov and Dniepropetrovsk. (more on: en.wikipedia.org [access: 2016.03.14])

Great Purge 1937: In the summer of 1937 Polish Catholic priests held in Solovetsky Islands, Anzer Island and BelBaltLag were locked in prison cells (some in Sankt Petersburg). Next in a few kangaroo, murderous Russian trials (on 09.10.1937, 25.11.1937, among others) run by so‑called „Troika NKVD” all were sentenced to death. They were subsequently executed by a single shot to the back of the head. The murders took place either in Sankt Petersburg prison or directly in places of mass murder, e.g. Sandarmokh or Levashov Wilderness, where their bodies were dumped into the ditches. Other priests were arrested in the places they still ministered in and next murdered in local NKVD headquarters (e.g. in Minsk in Belarus), after equally genocidal trials run by aforementioned „Troika NKVD” kangaroo courts.

Butovo: Russian genocidal NKVD shooting range n. Moscov. From 08.08.1937 place of mass executions (during Great Purge). Till 19.10.1938 there were murdered 20,765 people (95.86% men), including 1,176 Poles — according to fragmentary available data. Among the executed were 739 Russian Orthodox priests, including 7 bishops and Metropolitan bishops with 81 years old Metropolitan bishop Seraphim Chichagov, today the saint of Orthodox church (this church canonised 255 of the victims), and Lutheran and Protestant pastors and Catholic priests, mainly from Poland and Austria. Place known today and „Russian Golgotha”. (more on: en.wikipedia.org [access: 2020.07.31])

Forced exile: One of the standard Russian forms of repression. The prisoners were usually taken to a small village in the middle of nowhere — somewhere in Siberia, in far north or far east — dropped out of the train carriage or a cart, left out without means of subsistence or place to live. (more on: en.wikipedia.org [access: 2014.12.20])

Trial of 18.11.1931: Trial against Catholic church members held in Moscow on 18.11.1931. They were accused of „Polish nationalism and religious fanaticism, illegal contacts with Polish and Lithuanian foreign missions in Russia, contacts with Polish spies and support of their activities, anti–Russians activities, counter–revolutionary agitation”, among others. Most were exiled, mainly to Kazakhstan.

Moscow (Butyrki): Harsh transit and interrogation prison in Moscow — for political prisoners — where Russians held and murdered thousands of Poles. Founded prob. in XVII century. In XIX century many Polish insurgents (Polish uprisings of 1831 and 1863) were held there. During Communist regime a place of internment for political prisoners prior to a transfer to Russian slave labour complex Gulag. During the Great Purge c. 20,000 inmates were held there at any time (c. 170 in every cell). Thousands were murdered. (more on: en.wikipedia.org [access: 2020.05.01])

sources

personal:
www.ofiaryterroru.pl [access: 2019.02.02], biographies.library.nd.edu [access: 2014.12.20], pl.wikipedia.org [access: 2019.02.02], bazhum.muzhp.pl [access: 2019.02.02]
bibliograhical:
„Fate of the Catholic clergy in USSR 1917‑39. Martyrology”, Roman Dzwonkowski, SAC, ed. Science Society KUL, 2003, Lublin
original images:
www.russiacristiana.org [access: 2021.09.20], 100lattemu.pl [access: 2019.02.02], ipn.gov.pl [access: 2019.02.02]