On July 23, 2026, the presentation of the book "The case is being Heard" took place at the National Library of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) in the city of Yakutsk.… The fate of the clergy and laity of the Yakut Diocese in the 20th century (based on the materials of archival and investigative cases)".
The book was prepared and released as part of the project "Priests of Yakutia — witnesses of conscience", implemented with the blessing and under the general guidance of Archbishop Roman of Yakutsk and Lena with the support of the Presidential Grants Fund. One of the central objectives of the project is to preserve the memory of the confessors of the faith of the 20th century. This task is set out in the document of the Bishops' Council of the Russian Orthodox Church dated February 2, 2011 "On measures to preserve the Memory of the New Martyrs, Confessors and all those who suffered innocently from God during the years of persecution."
The presentation was attended by library staff, researchers and local historians interested in the topic of repression and the history of Yakutia in the 20th century, young professionals, and journalists. Guests from other cities joined the meeting via videoconference. In total, more than 60 people took part in the event.
The presentation was opened by Archbishop Roman of Yakutsk and Lena, who noted the importance of the publication for preserving the history of the Fatherland and, above all, the Russian Orthodox Church in the 20th century. The archpastor also thanked the team of authors, the staff of the archives, the volunteers and everyone who participated in the work on the publication. The episcopal diplomas were awarded to students of the History Department of the Northeastern Federal University named after M.K. Ammosov, who participated in the processing of archival documents.
In conclusion, His Eminence proposed to observe a minute of silence in memory of all those who died during the period of persecution and proclaimed eternal memory.
Hieromonk Tikhon (Vorobyov), the editor-in—charge, spoke in detail about the work on the publication, the principles of material selection, the history and prospects for further research. He said that the book contains materials from nine criminal cases against the clergy and laity of the Yakut diocese in the 1920s and 1930s. Among them, the case against Archimandrite Seraphim (Vinokurov), the last rector of the Trinity Cathedral in Yakutsk, occupies a special place. Archimandrite Serafim and nine other defendants in the case were sentenced to death by firing squad, and six more people were sentenced to various terms in camps and exile from the region.
The research and processing of documents were carried out for several months in the archives of the FSB of the RS(Ya), the National Archive of the RS(Ya), the archive of the Yakutsk Diocese.
The archival work was preceded by educational events on the territory of the republic. As previously reported, priests and volunteers from the Yakutsk Diocese visited several districts and held thematic meetings with audiences of various ages (mostly students in grades 8-11). During and after the talks, the participants were offered exhibitions containing objects of Soviet-era believers' everyday life (such as homemade icons and handwritten prayer books) and copies of archival documents provided by the Museum of the History of Orthodoxy of the Church of the New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Church of the Aldan Deanery.
As a result of the interviews, the project participants interviewed about a hundred people. The article reveals a relatively low level of awareness among young people about the life of believers in the Soviet Union, including during the period of direct persecution. At the same time, there is also a high degree of interest. The attention of teenagers was attracted by the exhibits of the exhibition, and a number of visitors expressed a desire to get acquainted with the archival materials in more detail. Among the schoolchildren, whose ancestors were repressed during the period under study, a request for a study of the biographies of their great-grandfathers was revealed. Representatives of the older generations were more interested in museum exhibits. Many shared their memories of preserving faith in their families and the families of friends and acquaintances.
The presentation visitors took an active part in the discussion. According to the majority of participants in the dialogue, perpetuating the memory of victims of political repression is a priority task for preserving historical memory in general. A desire was expressed to study more deeply the history of the persecution of ordinary believers, lay people who suffered along with priests — their biographies are less well known and need more in-depth research.