Hieromartyr Habbakuk, Bishop Of Old Ufa

Bishop Habbakuk, in the world Gregory Antonovich Borovkov, was born in 1892 in a yedinoverets family, and was a teacher of physics in the first labour school in Ufa. In 1922 he was tonsured into the mantia and ordained to the priesthood. He served a monastery and churches of the yedinovertsy in the diocese of Ufa. According to one source, he was an anarchist in his youth. He was an ascetic and ate neither fish nor eggs. He was consecrated as bishop of Old Ufa in Ufa by Archbishop Andrew of Ufa and Bishop Nicholas (Ipatov) on November 15/28, 1922 (according to another source, November 18). He was arrested on December 17, 1922 and was exiled on May 16, 1923 (according to another source, at the end of 1924 and beginning of 1925) to Ust-Sysolsk, Zyryansk region. In July, 1926 he returned to Ufa. He fought against renovationism and also rejected the declaration of Metropolitan Sergius. From October 16 to 19, 1927 he organized a congress of clergy and laity in Ufa. He was appointed temporary administrator of the Ufa diocese in Archbishop Andrew's absence. According to one (dubious) source, he signed the decisions of the so-called "Nomadic Council" of the Catacomb Church in 1928. He was arrested in the spring of 1928 (according to another source, at the end of 1929 or beginning of 1930) and was exiled to Chelyabinsk, and then to Ulyanovsk. In 1930 he was arrested and sentenced to five years in the camps. >From 1930 to 1937 he was imprisoned in the White Sea canal camps. In 1937 he was arrested in camp, and on September 20 was sentenced to be shot. The sentence was carried out on October 2/15, 1937.

(Sources: "Katakomby", Russkoye Vozrozhdeniye, 1982 (III), N 19, pp. 180-181; Pavel Boyarshinov, "Svyashchennomuchenik Arkhiepiskop Andrei Ufimsky (v miru Knyaz' Ukhtomsky) - Izsledovaniye Zhiznedeyatel'nosti", Diploma thesis, Jordanville: Holy Trinity Monastery, 1995; M.E. Gubonin, Akty Svyatejshego Patriarkha Tikhona, Moscow: St. Tikhon's Theological Institute, 1994, p. 957; Bishop Ambrose (von Sievers), "Istoki i svyazi Katakombnoj Tserkvi v Leningrade i obl. (1922-92 gg.)" (MS); personal communication, January 7/20, 1996; "Katakombnaya Tserkov': Kochuyushchij Sobor 1928 g.", Russkoye Pravoslaviye, N 3 (7), 1997; "Episkopat Istinno-Pravoslavnoj Katakombnoj Tserkvi 1922-1997g.", Russkoye Pravoslaviye, N 4(8), 1997, pp. 8-9; Lev Regelson, Tragediya Russkoj Tserkvi, 1917-1945, Paris: YMCA Press, 1977, p. 535; Ikh Stradaniyami Ochistitsa Rus', Moscow, 1996, p. 60; Za Khrista Postradavshiye, Moscow: St. Tikhon's Theological Institute, 1997, pp. 25-26; I.I. Osipova, "Skvoz' Ogn' Muchenij i Vody Slyoz", Moscow: Serebryanniye Niti, 1998, p. 253)