New Martyr 20th century

Hieromartyr John Kochurov

1871 – 1917

Also known as Priestmartyr John · Ivan Kochurov

An Orthodox priest and missionary in America who later served in Russia and was killed in 1917, honored as the first clergy martyr of the Russian Revolution.

Feast Day

October 31

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Commemorated as

The Holy Hieromartyr John Kochurov, Missionary in America and First Clergy Martyr of the Russian Revolution

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Missionary Work

Life

John Alexandrovich Kochurov was a Russian Orthodox priest who spent more than a decade as a missionary in the United States before returning to Russia, where he was killed by Bolshevik forces in 1917. He is commemorated on October 31 and is honored as the first clergyman to be martyred during the Russian Revolution, the opening figure of the great company of New Martyrs and Confessors of the twentieth century.

Born on July 13, 1871, in the village of Bigildino-Surky in the Ryazan region, he was the son of the priest Alexander Kochurov and his wife Anna. He studied at the Danky Theological School and the Ryazan Theological Seminary, from which he graduated in 1891, and then completed his studies at the Saint Petersburg Theological Academy. He was ordained a priest on August 27, 1895, and assigned to the missionary diocese in North America.

Sent to the United States, Kochurov became the parish priest at Saint Vladimir's Cathedral in Chicago, where he ministered chiefly to immigrants from Carpathian Ruthenia and Galicia. He was active in receiving Uniates into the Orthodox Church and in establishing and supporting parishes across the Midwest and beyond. After returning to Russia in 1907 he served in Narva, in Estonia, and from 1916 at Tsarskoye Selo, where he was killed during the Bolshevik seizure of power. He was glorified by the Russian Orthodox Church in December 1994.

Timeline 9 moments Read Hide

1871 Birth Born July 13 in Bigildino-Surky, Ryazan region, to the priest Alexander Kochurov and his wife Anna.
1891 Graduates seminary Completes the Ryazan Theological Seminary, later studying at the Saint Petersburg Theological Academy.
1895 Ordination and American mission Ordained a priest on August 27 and assigned to Saint Vladimir's Cathedral in Chicago.
1903 Holy Trinity Church completed Oversees the construction of Holy Trinity Church in Chicago, designed by architect Louis Sullivan.
1906 Elevated to archpriest Made archpriest on May 6 and appointed dean of the New York area.
1907 Return to Russia Released from North American service and assigned to the cathedral in Narva, Estonia.
1916 Tsarskoye Selo Transferred to Saint Catherine's Cathedral at Tsarskoye Selo.
1917 Martyrdom Killed by Bolshevik forces on October 31, the first clergy martyr of the Russian Revolution.
1994 Glorification Glorified among the New Martyrs by the Russian Orthodox Church in December.

Contributions & Legacy

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Missionary Years in America

Ordained in 1895, Kochurov was sent to the North American mission and installed as the priest of Saint Vladimir's Cathedral in Chicago. His ministry centered on the émigré communities from Carpathian Ruthenia and Galicia, many of whom were former Eastern-rite Catholics (Uniates). According to the synaxarion, eighty-six Uniates and five Catholics were received into the Orthodox Church during his first three years of parish service.

His pastorate extended beyond Chicago to an affiliated parish, the Church of the Three Hierarchs in Streator, Illinois, in the surrounding coal-mining region, and he is credited with helping to establish or support parishes in several states. His major undertaking was the construction of Holy Trinity Church in Chicago, completed in 1903; the building was designed by the architect Louis Sullivan. He was elevated to the rank of archpriest on May 6, 1906, and appointed dean of the New York area. He worked during these years alongside the future Patriarch Tikhon, then the ruling bishop of the American mission.

Return to Russia and Martyrdom

Released from his North American service in 1907, Kochurov returned to Russia and was assigned to the Holy Transfiguration Cathedral in Narva, in Estonia, where he taught the Law of God in the local gymnasiums. In 1916 he was transferred to Saint Catherine's Cathedral at Tsarskoye Selo, near the imperial capital, serving as a parish priest there.

On October 31, 1917 (Old Style), as Bolshevik forces took control of Tsarskoye Selo, Kochurov was seized following a religious procession that the clergy had led through the town to pray for peace amid the civil conflict. According to accounts of the event, revolutionary soldiers accused the priests of having prayed for a victory by the Cossacks. He was struck in the face, taken to the outskirts of the town, and shot. His killing was recognized as martyrdom within days: a memorial service was served, and in 1918 he was commemorated in the first Memorial Liturgy for the New Hieromartyrs and Martyrs of the Soviet era. The Russian Orthodox Church glorified him among the New Martyrs in December 1994.

Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints