Matthew of Yaransk

Venerable Matthew of Yaransk, in the world Mitrofan Kuzmich Shvetsov, was a hieromonk and is venerated as a local saint among the venerable of the diocese of Vyatka. He was born on 4 June 1855 at Vyatka and fell asleep on 29 May 1927 at Yaransk. He is commemorated on 29 May, the day of his death, and on 23 November, the day of his local canonization.

He was born into the family of a cobbler. From 1890 he was a novice at the Saint Alexander Nevsky monastery of Fileyka in Vyatka. In the same year, 1890, he received monastic tonsure and in 1897 was ordained hieromonk. From 1899 he lived at the Prophetess monastery of Yaransk. He fell asleep on 29 May 1927. Tradition ascribes to him miraculous healings. He was buried in the Ascension cemetery of Yaransk, and in 1990 a chapel was built over his grave.

On 23 November 1997 he was numbered among the locally venerated saints of the diocese of Vyatka. In 2006, with the blessing of Metropolitan Chrysanthus (Chepil) of Vyatka and Slobodskoy, a cross procession was established in honour of Venerable Matthew, Wonderworker of Yaransk, which begins on 26 May with a vigil in the chapel of the village of Ershovo (the place of his death) and ends on 29 May with a molieben at the chapel in the city cemetery of Yaransk (the place of his burial). On 21 August 2015, during archaeological research carried out with the blessing of Patriarch Kirill, the relics of Venerable Matthew were found and moved to the Holy Trinity church in Yaransk, the largest church of the diocese of Yaransk. In September 2022, on the proposal of Bishop Paisius of Yaransk and Luza, Patriarch Kirill blessed the establishment of the medal of Venerable Matthew of Yaransk, in three degrees, awarded to clergy, monastics and laity for labours to the glory of God and the good of the Holy Church in the diocese of Yaransk. He is venerated chiefly locally.