Basil Nosov

Holy Hieromartyr Basil Nosov, a priest, by his full name Basil Mikhailovich Nosov, was born on 29 January 1886 in the stanitsa of Ekaterinovskaya in the Kuban, in the family of the Cossack Mikhail Nosov and his wife Agafia. He finished the parish school and passed the examination for the title of teacher in a people's school. In 1908 the family moved to the Kustanai district of Turgai region. In 1913 he entered the pastoral-⁠missionary school attached to the bishop's house in Orenburg, which trained missionary priests. After finishing he married and in 1915 was ordained deacon, then priest. He served in several churches of the Kustanai district and taught religion at the village school, and in 1919 was moved to the town of Miass.

In 1922 the renovationist schism broke out. Father Basil did not accept renovationism and was sent to forced labour, felling timber, five versts from Miass. The faithful went on coming secretly to him, and he forbade them to attend the renovationists' services and asked them to do all they could to free the church of them. A plenipotentiary of the renovationist church administration came to him and offered that he accept renovationism in exchange for returning to serve in the church of Saints Peter and Paul, but received a categorical refusal. In early 1923 he was released, returned to Miass and again served in the church of Saints Peter and Paul. Parishioners loved him for his faith in Christ, his kindness and piety and for the faultless fulfilment of his pastoral duties.

On 6 February 1930 he was arrested again and held at Zlatoust, accused of anti-⁠Soviet activity and of words against collectivization. He denied it. In April he was sentenced to eight years in a camp and served his term in the Vishera camp and on the construction of the White Sea-⁠Baltic Canal. After five years he was released early. Returning to Miass, he wished to serve, but the authorities gave him no registration, so he worked as a carpenter. Believers came to his home for guidance, or invited him to their homes for services. Relatives advised him to leave Miass for fear of another arrest, and he answered: "The Lord did not hide from His enemies, neither will I hide, nor give my spiritual children to the wolves; as God grants, His holy will be done." In February 1937 he was arrested again and held in Chelyabinsk, and in September that year was sentenced to death. At the interrogations he denied all guilt, slandered no one and gave no names. On 4 October 1937 the priest Basil Nosov was shot and buried in a common grave.

He is commemorated on 4 October, on 7 February (a movable date) in the Synaxis of the New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Church, and on 11 October (a movable date) in the Synaxis of the Saints of the Chelyabinsk Metropolia, all in the new style.