Shirokov Andrey Alekseevich (Bishop John)

Born on December 7 (19), 1893 in Kazan. At the end of the gymnasium, he decided to leave the world and go to the monastery. However, his parents prevented his decision: they persuaded him to go to university. In 1917 he graduated from Kazan University and was left with a professorial scholarship in the Department of Church History. In 1922 he entered the Kazan Monastery of St. John the Baptist as a novice. On January 4, 1923, Bishop Joasaph of Chistopol was tonsured a monk with the name John.
Arrested on June 14, 1923. On July 25, 1923, a written undertaking not to leave was taken. December 14, 1923 sentenced by the NKVD Commission as a "member of the Trotskyist organization" to 3 years in prison. In 1925-1926 he was serving a sentence in the Solovetsky Special Purpose Camp. While serving his term in SLON, he was close to Archbishop Iuvenaliy (Eugene Maslovsky), the future Archbishop of Ryazan and Shatsky.
On November 19, 1926, by decision of the Special Meeting of the OGPU Collegium, he was sent to a special settlement for 3 years. On November 4, 1929, he was consecrated Bishop of Mari, vicar of the Nizhny Novgorod diocese. In 1930, he temporarily ruled the Kazan diocese.
From June 2, 1931 - Bishop of Cheboksary. Since July 29, 1931 - Bishop of Mari, vicar of the Nizhny Novgorod diocese. Since September 16, 1931 - Bishop of Volokolamsk, vicar of the Moscow diocese. From May 3 to May 14, 1934 - Bishop of Murom, vicar of the Gorky diocese. Since May 14, 1934 - Bishop of Orekhovo-Zuevsky, vicar of the Moscow diocese. Since January 1936 - Bishop of Dmitrovsky, vicar of the Moscow diocese. From July 19, 1936 - Bishop of Volokolamsk. From the correspondence of the condemned Archbishop of Ryazan Iuvenaliy (Maslovsky Yevgeny) it follows that Bishop John (Shirokov) in December 1936 was the successor of Iuvenaliy in the Ryazan diocese. April 27, 1937 arrested by the NKVD. On charges of participating in an anti-Soviet terrorist organization of churchmen, he was sentenced by the Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of the USSR to VMN. Shot on August 19, 1937. Burial place Moscow, Donskoy cemetery. Rehabilitated on May 15, 1973.