Anna Abrikosova
Encyclopedia
Anna Ivanovna Abrikosova (Mother Catherine of Siena
, O.P.
) (23 January 1882, Moscow
, Russian Empire
— 23 July 1936, Butyrka Prison
, Soviet Union
) — was a prominent figure in the Russian Catholic Church
, and a Religious Sister of the Third Order of St. Dominic. Since 2002, her life has been under scrutiny for possible beatification
by the Holy See
. Her current title is Servant of God
.
to the Russian Imperial Court
. Although the younger members of the family rarely attended Divine Liturgy
, the Abrikosovs regarded themselves as pillars of the Russian Orthodox Church
. Anna's parents died early: her mother while giving birth to her, and her father ten days later, of tuberculosis
. Anna and her four brothers were raised in the house of her uncle Nikolai Alekseevich Abrikosov.
She graduated from gymnasium
in Moscow and Girton College, Cambridge
. In 1903, she returned to Russia and married her first cousin, Vladimir Abrikosov
. Most of the next ten years, Vladimir and Anna spent traveling in the Kingdom of Italy
, Switzerland
, and France
.
According to Father Cyril Korolevsky,
The couple returned to Russia in 1913. Upon their return, the Abrikosovs found a group of Dominican tertiaries
which had been established earlier by a certain Natalie Rozanova. They were received into the Third Order of St. Dominic by Friar
Albert Libercier, O.P., of the Roman Catholic Church of St. Louis in Moscow.
On May 19, 1917, Vladimir was ordained
to the priesthood by Metropolitan
Andrey Sheptytsky
of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church. With her husband now a priest, according to Roman custom Anna was free to take monastic vows. She took vows as a Dominican Sister, assuming her religious name at that time, and founded a Greek-Catholic religious congregation of the Order there in Moscow. Several of the women among the secular tertiaries joined her in this commitment. Thus was a community of the Dominican Third Order Regular established in Soviet Russia.
Due to her work with the Papal Aid Mission to Russia
, Mother Catherine was arrested by the OGPU and was imprisoned at Yaroslavl
from 1924 to 1932. As she was diagnosed with breast cancer
, Ekaterina Peshkova
, the wife of author Maxim Gorky
interceded with Joseph Stalin
to secure her release.
After immediately entering communication with the surviving Sisters of the congregation, Mother Catherine was re-arrested in 1933. She died of breast cancer
in the Butyrka Prison
infirmary in 1936. Her body was cremated
and the ashes were buried in a mass grave
in the Donskoy Monastery
.
Catherine of Siena
Saint Catherine of Siena, T.O.S.D, was a tertiary of the Dominican Order, and a Scholastic philosopher and theologian. She also worked to bring the papacy of Gregory XI back to Rome from its displacement in France, and to establish peace among the Italian city-states. She was proclaimed a Doctor...
, O.P.
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
) (23 January 1882, Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
— 23 July 1936, Butyrka Prison
Butyrka prison
Butyrka prison was the central transit prison in pre-Revolutionary Russia, located in Moscow.The first references to Butyrka prison may be traced back to the 17th century. The present prison building was erected in 1879 near the Butyrsk gate on the site of a prison-fortress which had been built...
, Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
) — was a prominent figure in the Russian Catholic Church
Russian Catholic Church
The Russian Catholic Church is a Byzantine Rite church sui juris in full union with the Catholic Church. Historically it represents a schism from the Russian Orthodox Church. It is now in full communion with and subject to the authority of the Pope as defined by Eastern canon law...
, and a Religious Sister of the Third Order of St. Dominic. Since 2002, her life has been under scrutiny for possible beatification
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...
by the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
. Her current title is Servant of God
Servant of God
Servant of God is a title given to individuals by various religions, but in general the phrase is used to describe a person believed to be pious in his or her faith tradition. In the Catholic Church, it designates someone who is being investigated by the Church for possibly being recognized as a...
.
Life
Anna Abrikosova was born into an old merchant family, who were the official suppliers of chocolate confectionsConfectionery
Confectionery is the set of food items that are rich in sugar, any one or type of which is called a confection. Modern usage may include substances rich in artificial sweeteners as well...
to the Russian Imperial Court
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. Although the younger members of the family rarely attended Divine Liturgy
Divine Liturgy
Divine Liturgy is the common term for the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine tradition of Christian liturgy. As such, it is used in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches. Armenian Christians, both of the Armenian Apostolic Church and of the Armenian Catholic Church, use the same term...
, the Abrikosovs regarded themselves as pillars of the Russian Orthodox Church
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
. Anna's parents died early: her mother while giving birth to her, and her father ten days later, of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
. Anna and her four brothers were raised in the house of her uncle Nikolai Alekseevich Abrikosov.
She graduated from gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
in Moscow and Girton College, Cambridge
Girton College, Cambridge
Girton College is one of the 31 constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge. It was England's first residential women's college, established in 1869 by Emily Davies and Barbara Bodichon. The full college status was only received in 1948 and marked the official admittance of women to the...
. In 1903, she returned to Russia and married her first cousin, Vladimir Abrikosov
Vladimir Abrikosov
Vladimir Abrikosov was a Catholic priest of the Byzantine rite who converted from Russian Orthodoxy. Converted in 1909, together his wife Anna Abrikosova, Abrikosov was ordained a Catholic priest of the Byzantine rite by a Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, in...
. Most of the next ten years, Vladimir and Anna spent traveling in the Kingdom of Italy
Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
According to Father Cyril Korolevsky,
While traveling, she studied a great deal. She... read a number of Catholic books. She particularly liked the Dialogue of Saint Catherine of SienaCatherine of SienaSaint Catherine of Siena, T.O.S.D, was a tertiary of the Dominican Order, and a Scholastic philosopher and theologian. She also worked to bring the papacy of Gregory XI back to Rome from its displacement in France, and to establish peace among the Italian city-states. She was proclaimed a Doctor...
and began to doubt official Orthodoxy more and more. Finally, she approached the parish priest of the large, aristocratic Church of the Madeleine in Paris, AbbéAbbéAbbé is the French word for abbot. It is the title for lower-ranking Catholic clergymen in France....
Maurice Rivière, who later became Bishop of PérigueuxRoman Catholic Diocese of PérigueuxThe Roman Catholic Diocese of Périgueux is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church, in France. The see is located in the city of Périgueux, in the department of Dordogne, in the Region of Aquitaine...
. He instructed and received her into the Catholic Church on 20 December 1908. Amazingly, especially at that time, he informed her that even though she had been received with the Latin Ritual, she would always canonically belong to the Greek-Catholic Church. She went on reading and came to prefer the DominicanDominican OrderThe Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
spirituality and to enjoy LacordaireJean-Baptiste Henri LacordaireJean-Baptiste Henri-Dominique Lacordaire , often styled Henri-Dominique Lacordaire, was a French ecclesiastic, preacher, journalist and political activist...
's biography of Saint DominicSaint DominicSaint Dominic , also known as Dominic of Osma, often called Dominic de Guzmán and Domingo Félix de Guzmán was the founder of the Friars Preachers, popularly called the Dominicans or Order of Preachers , a Catholic religious order...
... She never stopped thinking of Russia, but like many other people, she thought that only the Roman Catholic priests were able to work with Russian souls. Little by little, she won her husband over to her religious convictions. On 21 December 1909, Vladimir was also received into the Catholic Church. They both thought they would stay abroad, where they had full freedom of religion and... a vague plan to join some monastery or semi-monastic community. Since they knew that according to the canonsCanon lawCanon law is the body of laws & regulations made or adopted by ecclesiastical authority, for the government of the Christian organization and its members. It is the internal ecclesiastical law governing the Catholic Church , the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of...
they were Greek-Catholics, they petitioned Pius X through a Roman prelate for permission to become Roman Catholics -- they considered this a mere formality. To their great surprise the Pope refused outright... and reminded them of the provisions of Orientalium DignitasOrientalium DignitasOrientalium Dignitas is a papal encyclical concerning the Eastern Catholic churches issued by Pope Leo XIII on November 30, 1894. The encyclical further established the rights of the Eastern Catholic churches...
. They had just received this answer when a telegram summoned them to Moscow for family reasons.
The couple returned to Russia in 1913. Upon their return, the Abrikosovs found a group of Dominican tertiaries
Third order
The term Third Order designates persons who live according to the Third Rule of a Roman Catholic religious order, an Anglican religious order, or a Lutheran religious order. Their members, known as Tertiaries, are generally lay members of religious orders, i.e...
which had been established earlier by a certain Natalie Rozanova. They were received into the Third Order of St. Dominic by Friar
Friar
A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders.-Friars and monks:...
Albert Libercier, O.P., of the Roman Catholic Church of St. Louis in Moscow.
On May 19, 1917, Vladimir was ordained
Ordination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
to the priesthood by Metropolitan
Metropolitan
Metropolitan may refer to:* A metropolis* A metropolitan area* A metropole, "mother country", or central part of a colonizing state* Metropolitan bishop or archbishop, leader of an ecclesiastical "mother see"...
Andrey Sheptytsky
Andrey Sheptytsky
Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky was the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church from 1901 until his death. During his tenure, he led the Church through two world wars and seven political regimes: Austrian, Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Soviet, German National Socialist , and...
of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church. With her husband now a priest, according to Roman custom Anna was free to take monastic vows. She took vows as a Dominican Sister, assuming her religious name at that time, and founded a Greek-Catholic religious congregation of the Order there in Moscow. Several of the women among the secular tertiaries joined her in this commitment. Thus was a community of the Dominican Third Order Regular established in Soviet Russia.
Due to her work with the Papal Aid Mission to Russia
Holy See – Soviet Union relations
Holy See–Soviet Union relations were marked by a long-standing persecution of the Roman Catholic Church by the Soviet Union. After a long period of resistance to atheistic propaganda beginning with Benedict XV and reaching a peak under Pius XII, the Holy See attempted to enter in a pragmatic...
, Mother Catherine was arrested by the OGPU and was imprisoned at Yaroslavl
Yaroslavl
Yaroslavl is a city and the administrative center of Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, located northeast of Moscow. The historical part of the city, a World Heritage Site, is located at the confluence of the Volga and the Kotorosl Rivers. It is one of the Golden Ring cities, a group of historic cities...
from 1924 to 1932. As she was diagnosed with breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
, Ekaterina Peshkova
Ekaterina Peshkova
Yekaterina Pavlovna Peshkova née Volzhina was a Soviet human rights activist and humanitarian, first wife of Maxim Gorky.Before the October Revolution she took an active part in the work of the Committee for Assistance to Russian Political Prisoners under the leadership of Vera Figner...
, the wife of author Maxim Gorky
Maxim Gorky
Alexei Maximovich Peshkov , primarily known as Maxim Gorky , was a Russian and Soviet author, a founder of the Socialist Realism literary method and a political activist.-Early years:...
interceded with Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
to secure her release.
After immediately entering communication with the surviving Sisters of the congregation, Mother Catherine was re-arrested in 1933. She died of breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
in the Butyrka Prison
Butyrka prison
Butyrka prison was the central transit prison in pre-Revolutionary Russia, located in Moscow.The first references to Butyrka prison may be traced back to the 17th century. The present prison building was erected in 1879 near the Butyrsk gate on the site of a prison-fortress which had been built...
infirmary in 1936. Her body was cremated
Cremation
Cremation is the process of reducing bodies to basic chemical compounds such as gasses and bone fragments. This is accomplished through high-temperature burning, vaporization and oxidation....
and the ashes were buried in a mass grave
Mass grave
A mass grave is a grave containing multiple number of human corpses, which may or may not be identified prior to burial. There is no strict definition of the minimum number of bodies required to constitute a mass grave, although the United Nations defines a mass grave as a burial site which...
in the Donskoy Monastery
Donskoy Monastery
Donskoy Monastery is a major monastery in Moscow, founded in 1591 in commemoration of Moscow's deliverance from an imminent threat of Khan Kazy-Girey’s invasion...
.
Quote
- "I wish to lead a uniquely supernatural life and to accomplish to the end my vow of immolation for the priests and for Russia."
- "Which of you, in a moment of fervour, has not asked Christ for the grace of participating in his sufferings?"