Michael Pletnev

Holy Martyr Michael Pletnev was the son of the holy hieromartyr Evgraf Pletnev, an archpriest. Evgraf was born on 6 December 1868 into a priest's family, graduated in 1890 from the Perm theological seminary and in September of that year was ordained a priest. Until August 1891 he served in the Krasnoufimsk district, then was moved to the church of the Vladimir Mother of God at the convent of Saint John the Forerunner in Kungur, where he served until 23 May 1900, also teaching religion in the schools of Kungur. For his service he received the epigonation in 1894 and the skufia in 1899. He was married to Lyubov Nikolaevna, a priest's daughter, and they had four children: Nicholas (born 10 November 1891), Olga (8 July 1894), Michael (11 November 1897) and Boris (17 May 1900).

In May 1900 Father Evgraf, already an archpriest and dean, began to serve at the Transfiguration church in the town of Cherdyn, Perm province, and was also a deputy in judicial matters, secretary of the diocesan school council and religion teacher at the parish school and the lower trade school at Cherdyn. In 1918 he was arrested together with his son Michael. According to eyewitnesses of the arrest, the military leader of the Cherdyn district, Fritz Appoga, plunged him into the ice hole on the river Kolva. In December 1918 the priest was sentenced to death by the Perm provincial Cheka for counter-⁠revolutionary agitation. On 23 December 1918 Evgraf Pletnev was shot at Perm, together with his son.

The Azbyka page says nothing else in particular of Michael Pletnev than that he was arrested with his father and shot with him. He is commemorated on 23 December, the day of his death, in the new style, with the Synaxis of the New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Church (a movable day) and, on 14 February, with the Synaxis of the Saints of the Perm Metropolis (a movable day).