Philaret Kochubey

Holy Confessor Philaret Kochubey, also called Philaret of Zverinets, was igumen and archimandrite of the Zverinets monastery in Kyiv and suffered in the Soviet persecution of 1931. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church glorified him as a venerable confessor in 2025.

He was born in 1858 in Berdiansk, in the family of Andrey Vasilievich and Anna Kochubey. Until thirty he lived in his parents' house, working on the farm. On 7 August 1888 he entered as a novice with his brother Joseph; he was tonsured a monk with the name Philaret, in honour of the righteous Philaret the Merciful. On 1 December 1891 he received the mantle, on 30 March 1897 he was ordained hierodeacon, on 6 August 1900 hieromonk, and on 23 March 1925 he was raised to archimandrite. When the monastery suffered, he took care of its rebuilding.

In 1931 he was arrested. On 14 September 1931 the court in Kyiv sentenced him to five years of exile, and on 14 December the sentence was reduced to three years. He was rehabilitated on 23 June 1989. The year of his death is not known, only that he lived on after 1931.

On 6 April 2025, the fifth Sunday of Great Lent, the day of the Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers of Zverinets, Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine led the Divine Liturgy and the rite of his glorification at the Monastery of the Holy Archangel Michael at Zverinets. Metropolitan Clement read the decision of the Holy Synod, his life was read, the troparion, kontakion and hymn of praise were sung to him, and after the service the Primate visited the caves where the venerable fathers had struggled.