The Ministry of Metropolitan Nestor (Anisimov) at the Kirovohrad See (1958– 1962): New Materials for His Biography

Abstract

 

The article focuses on the final years of the life and work of Metropolitan Nestor (Anisimov), one of the prominent bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church. These years coincided with the Khrushchev anti‑religious campaign and reflect the specific features of the state’s policy toward the Church during that period. This study is based on archival documents, some of which are introduced into scholarly discourse for the first time, significantly supplementing the biography of Metropolitan Nestor compiled for his potential canonization. The examined documents, including restricted‑access files from the State Archive of the Russian Federation (GARF), reveal previously unknown facts about the situation in the Kirovograd Diocese, which Metropolitan Nestor headed from late 1958 to 1962. The study also investigates the circumstances surrounding the denial of his residency permit (propiska) and the history of his criminal record expungement following his release from labor camps. It was found that while the bishop’s case was initially handled by local authorities without success, it was later discussed at the highest state level, with the final decision being made at a meeting of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Special attention is paid to the bishop’s visit to Moscow in 1962, during which he suddenly passed away. The authors conclude that the version of his peaceful death in Moscow’s First City Hospital, found in most publications, is inaccurate, and they offer their own version of these events.