The Holy Hierarch Thaddeus was born in 1872 in the Nizhny Novgorod Province. He was born into a priestly family. Upon completion of his studies at the Moscow Theological Academy, Thaddeus took monastic vows and was ordained a presbyter in 1897. For about a year, he was a mentor to the students of the Smolensk Theological Seminary and then took up a position of an inspector at the seminary in Moscow. In 1902, Thaddeus was transferred to Olonets and appointed rector of the theological seminary there.
Hieromartyr Thaddeus was known as a strict ascetic and devout man of prayer. He authored a major work about the consistency of the source of inspiration of all books written by the prophets. In 1908, the saint became the bishop of Vladimir-Volynsky. He carried out his ministry in great love for the flock entrusted in his care. Strictly adhering to every monastic rule, the bishop spent any donations he received on charitable giving, reserving for himself only what was necessary to live on.
During the persecution of the Church in the aftermath of the Bolshevik Revolution, the bishop proved to be an uncompromising defender of the Orthodox faith. Appointed Archbishop of Astrakhan in 1921, he was immediately arrested and spent two years in prison. Following his release from prison, he continued to work in defense of the Church, despite the danger of new repressions. In 1926, the Holy Hierarch Thaddeus was one of the likely candidates for the position of Locum Tenens of the Patriarchal throne. However, as soon as he arrived in Moscow, he was arrested again and exiled to Saratov Province.
When he regained freedom in 1928, Vladyka became the bishop of Tver, and once again, embarked on his pastoral responsibilities with great zeal. In 1936, under pressure from the authorities, Metropolitan Sergiy ordered Bishop Thaddeus’s transfer to Kostroma, but Vladyka refused to abandon his flock. Soon afterward, in the midst of repressions of 1937, the holy hieromartyr Thaddeus was again arrested, then executed on December 31 (Gregorian calendar).
His place of burial was unknown, but in spite of this, throughout the communist era, the memory of the holy archpastor lived on among the Orthodox believers of Tver. By the grace of God, the relics of the holy hieromartyr were uncovered on October 26, 1993, on the feast day of the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God and currently rest in the Ascension Cathedral in Tver. In 1997, Bishops’ Council of the Russian Orthodox Church officially added Archbishop Thaddeus to the host of the holy new martyrs and confessors of Russia.
