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Andronik Nikolsky known as Andronic (August 1, 1870 - June 7 (Julian calendar)/June 20 (Gregorian calendar), 1918) was a Russian monk and priest of the Eastern Orthodox Church and saint of his church. His birth name was Vladimir Nikolsky.
Vladimir Nikolsky was born in Povodnevo, a village in Myshkin uyezd, Yaroslavl diocese. He was the son of a deacon of the village of Povodnevo. After he finished his studies at the seminary of Yaroslavl in 1891 and allowed to enter the Moscow Theological Academy. In Moscow during his studies he made himself a monk on August 1, 1893 under the name of Andronic. On July 22, 1895 he entered the priesthood.
From 1895 he worked as an inspector and later teacher of theological seminaries in Caucasas, first in Kutaisi and later in Ardon. In 1897 a change happend in his life. He was appointed a member of the Russian Orthodox mission in Japan, where Nikolai Kasatkin had been carrying out his mission since 1861. Nikolsky was shocked by this appontment and felt difficulties in leaving but at last he accepted this mission as God's will. He left St. Petersburg on September 21, 1897 and left Odessa with Archimandrite Sergius Stragorodsky on October 26. After stopping some European countries and the U.S.A., he arrived in Japan on December 26. He wrote up his journey and published it as a book, A Missionary Journey to Japan, Kazan, 1899. Later he backed to Russia some times by reasons.
In 1906 Andronic was appointed the bishop of Kyoto, seat of the West Japan Bishopric of the Japanese Orthodox Church. He was the first priest to hold this office. On November 5 Andronic was consecrated bishop and appointed assistant to Nikolai, the head of the Russian mission in Japan. Though Andronic was the bishop of Kyoto, he lived in Osaka, which was the second largest city in Japan in those days and had the largest population of faithful among his bishopric. He suffered from illness and had difficulties holding his office. After three months service in Osaka, he asked leave to resign and leave Japan on May 27, 1907. He returned to Russia and became the deputy of Bishop Eulogius of Kholm on October 26. In 1908 he became the bishop of Tikhvin in Novgorod diocese.
Andronic was a firm supporter of the Tsar. From his point of view it was God's will to let him reign over the empire, hence an appropriate way for Christians. But it didn't mean he supported tyranny. The Tsar should listen to his people. And the monarch and the people both should come to peace.
He was appointed bishop of Perm and Solikamsk on July 30, 1914. 11 days before, on July 19 the World War I had begun. He worked energetically for one and a half million inhabitants and 570 churches in this region.
In summer 1916 he travelled to army headquarters where the Tsar Nicholas II led the army away from St. Petersburg. The purpose of this journey was to warn the Tsar about Rasputin. He talked with Tsar Nicholas II but his persuasion failed. His journey resulted only in making Nicholas II pleased with his gift, a pair of soldier's boots which the province of Perm provided the army with.
In 1917 he became Bishop of Perm and Kungur, and became one of the seven hierarchs in the preconciliar council of the Local Council of the Russian Church in Moscow. From August 1917 till April 1918, the end of the second session of the Council he was very active. On January 25, 1918 he made a written appeal to the faithful to defend the heritage of the Church from the aggressors and looters. Such attacks frequently occurred after the Revolution began.
In February in Perm region Bolsheviks started to loot churches and monasteries. When the second session of the Council ended, Andronic was in Perm. Patriarch Tikhon made him an archbishop on April 25, Palm Sunday. On Holy Thursday, April 16, a search was carried out in his residence. He kept calm and continued the service of Holy Week and Pascha, Easter.
The Bolshevik authorities increased pressure on the church. Finally Andronic was arrested at midnight on July 4(Gregorian calendar, July 17). As opposition all the divine service in the region was closed except baptism and the last rites for the dying. Clergy in Perm went on strike from the night he was arrested till July 13 (Gregorian, July 26). But on July 7, Andronic was already murdered: he was buried alive and shot.
In 2000 the Russian Orthodox Church canonized him as Hieromartyr Andronik, Archbishop Of Perm, one of the Russian New Martyrs and Confessors.
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