Hieromartyr Isidore, Bishop Of Mikhailov

Bishop Isidore, in the world Peter Kolokolov, was born on April 3, 1866 in St. Petersburg. He was the son of a renowned ascetic and holy man, Fr. Alexis Kolokolov. In 1887 he entered the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, graduating in 1891 with the degree of candidate of theology. On September 28, 1888 he was tonsured into the mantia. On October 17, 1888 he was ordained to the diaconate. In 1891 he was ordained to the priesthood and was appointed a teacher in the Tiflis theological seminary. In 1892 he became inspector of the Tiflis seminary. In 1893 he was raised to the rank of archimandrite and was appointed inspector of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy and diocesan missionary of the Stavropol diocese. In 1894 he was administering the Nikolayevsky missionary monastery in the Caucasian section of Kuban district. In 1896 he became superior of the Pereyaslavl Nikitsky monastery in Vladimir diocese, and in 1900 - superior of the Zlatoust monastery in Moscow.

On May 12, 1902 he was consecrated Bishop of Novgorod-Seversk, a vicariate of the Chernigov diocese. On November 4, 1903 he became Bishop of Balakhinsk, a vicariate of the Nizhni-Novgorod diocese. On November 10, 1906 he became Bishop of Mikhailov, a vicariate of the Ryazan diocese.

On May 26, 1911, he was retired from his post of bishop of Mikhailov, and for some reason was banished to Valaam, where he learned by revelation of the future sufferings of Russia, covered with blood. He shared this revelation with several bishops who were there, and they wept together in this knowledge. Later all of them were martyred.

Fr. Juvian of Valaam wrote of Bishop Isidore: "Vlaydka Isidore greatly honoured our monastery.. In 1911 he lived on Valaam, and left behind him a very kind and radiant memory, as of a person of rare simplicity, accessibility, heart-felt warmth and deep humility."

On December 9, 1912 (according to another source, 1911), he was appointed abbot of the Omsk Pokrovsky monastery. In June, 1913, he was freed from his duties administering this monastery and was appointed to live in the Filei Alexander Nevsky monastery in Vyatka diocese. In December, 1913 he was moved to the Trifonov Dormition monastery in Vyatka diocese. In 1916 he was appointed adminstrator with the rights of superior of the Tyumen Holy Trinity monastery. He performed the burial service on Gregory Rasputin. On May 8, 1917 (according to another source, March 8/21), he was retired from administering the Tyumen monastery and was sent to the Sviyazhsk monastery in Kazan diocese.

In 1918 (according to another source, 1919) he was killed in Samara, being impaled on a stake.

(Sources: Protopresbyter Michael Polsky, Noviye Mucheniki Rossijskiye, Jordanville, 1949-57, vol. I, p. 178; Russkiye Pravoslavnye Ierarkhi, Paris: YMCA Press, 1986, p. 42; The Orthodox Word, vol. 10, no. 6 (59), November-December, 1974; Russkij Palomnik, Nos. 11 and 12, 1995, p. 59; Za Khrista Postradavshiye, Moscow; St. Tikhon's Theological Institute, 1997, p. 529)