Anatoly Chistousov

Fr. Anatoly Chistousov (in world Anatoly Ivanovich Chistousov, born 1953, Kirov — killed February 14, 1996, village Old Achkhoy, Chechnya) was a priest of Russian Orthodox Church, a rector of Michael Archangel church of city of Grozny, martyred in Chechnya.

Life in world

Father Anatoly Chistousov (full name is Anatoly Ivanovich Chistousov) was born in Kirov in 1953. He graduated a military college of navigators of the Air Forces and pedagogical institute (in absentia). In the eighties the XX-th century he served as the officer-tutor in one of military colleges of the city of Stavropol. In 1990 he became a parishener of a church of the Elevation of the Holy Cross in Stavropol just returned to believers after a few decades of Communism.

In 1993 he retired from of the army. The major of a reseve.

On March 18, 1994 by Metropolitan Gedeon (Dokukin) he was ordained a deacon.

On March, 20, 1994 he was ordained a priest. Before the ordination the metropolitan asked him: "And if you will be sent where it is restlessly, where it is dangerous, will you go?" He answered: "Where you will bless, Vladyko, there and I will go. No terrestrial circumstances are terrible for me"

The serving in Chechnya

On March 21, 1994 he was appointed to help protopriest Peter Netsvetayev, the dean of orthodox churches of the Chechen Republic. Receiving the appointment fr. Anatoly at once departed to Grozny, where in that time it had been very dangerous.

Father Anatoly at once acquired love at parisheners of Michael Archangel church and inhabitants of the city of Grozny. Implicitly he executed obediences appointed by the dean, visited parishes for fulfilling church services, served reverentially, aspired as soon as possible to learn services.

In december 1994 in Grozny large-scale war operation begun. The temple appeared in epicentre of fights; one of the first shells desroyed the second floor of the church house, some shells got to the temple. But divine services proceeded already in the church cellar. Father Anatoly in the cassock went fearlessly among bullets and shells to soldiers, to the hiding in cellars of houses inhabitants who remained in the city, confessed, partaked, baptized. His cassock was shot through by bullets in several places, but he again and again went to those who waited for him.

Soon after the beginning of war operations protopriest Peter Netsvetayev left the flared city and his flock. Without puzzling, fr. Anatoly, still the beginning priest, headed the parish. The city was in fire, bullets whished, terrible explosions of aviabombs sowed destructions, but fr. Anatoly continued to stay with his flock. He helped both to Russian and Chechens as he could, shared the last that he had. Under his management the temple in baptistery, the only remained premises of the church house, has been arranged. Services in the new arranged temple were made constantly.

Since March, 15th, 1995 he was appointed the rector of Michael Archangel church in Grozny and the dean of orthodox churches in Chechnya.

Captivity and death

On January 29th, 1996, during the First Chechen war, together with archpriest Sergius Zhigulin he has been grasped by terrorists and was placed in a concentration camp of so-called «Department of state security of the Chechen republic Ichkeria». Under tortures he did not stipulated himself and not renounced belief and, as a result, has been shot by them.

He was martyred in February 14th, 1996.

On april 29, 2000 Federal Security Service of the Russia passed to metr. Kyrill of Smolensk, Chairman of the External Church Relations Department of the Moscow Patriarchate, a selection of the documents testifying to destiny of the priest of Michael Archangel church Anatoly Chistousov, abducted by the Chechen terrorists on January, 29th, 1996. During the period, when a destiny of fr. Anatoly remained unknown, the Church hierarchy undertook attempts of liberating the abducted priest, as well as and other clergymen and the children of Church captivated in the Chechnya. Sometimes prisoners finally found freedom, in others, to a regret, they was executed by gangsters and reposed in settlements of rightenous.

Remains of father Anatoly were exhumated just in July, 2003 in mountains near Old Achkhoy.

Links

• The biography on Stavropol diosese's web-site
• Life of the priest Anatoly Chistousov
• Священник Анатолий Чистоусов принял мученическую кончину в чеченском плену
• The Cross on the tomb of fr. Anatoly Chistousov
• Документальный фильм «Миротворцы» В.Носков

This article or section is a stub (i.e., in need of additional material). You can help OrthodoxWiki by expanding it.