Valentin Victorovich Nizkovsky

A Life of Service
1891 -1943

“The highest of distinctions is service to others.”

King George VI

V
alentin Victorovich Nizkovsky was born in Tobolsk to a clerical family in
1891. His father Victor Nizkovsky was a deacon in the Russian-Orthodox
Church1 and Valentin Victorovich was probably brought up closely
attached to the rituals and beliefs of the Orthodox Church.
In the Russia of the late 19th and early 20th century there were 66 diocese led
by three metropolitans, 14 archbishops and 50 bishops. The clergy of the
Russian-Orthodox church were generally divided into two groups, those who
wore white vestments and those who wore black or brown. The highest
ecclesiastical positions usually went to members of the black clergy.
The white clergy on the other hand were made up of popes, who were in fact
priests, deacons or chaplains and all other lower clergy. Every parish was
headed by a pope (head priest) assisted by a deacon. The pope and the deacon
were always referred to as ‘Father.’ The lower clergy usually consisted of the
psalmodist, the carilloneur and the sacristan.
It was required that the pope or head priest, as well as the deacon, be married
but members of the white clergy could only marry once. It was also the rule that
when a pope died his wife was expected to enter a nunnery.
In his book Confessions of a Heathen, (1918) Alexander Blok wrote, “but I am a
Russian, and Russians always have church on their minds. Few are indifferent
towards her, some hate her intense, others love her but always with pain in their
hearts.”2
The term Orthodox as used in reference to the Russian-Orthodox Church is
always spelled with a capital ‘O’ and should not be confused with the same word
spelled with a small ’o.’ The word Orthodox does not imply rigid adherence to
specific practices. Orthodox Christians of the Russian Church were not chained
to many dogmas, as was the orthodox Jew. The Russian-Orthodox Church grew
out of the Byzantine Churches and had been autonomous since 1448. In fact, it
was in 1988 that the Russian-Orthodox Church celebrated the thousandth
anniversary of Christianity in Russia. The church held a firm hold on the majority
of the Russian people and in the 18th and early 19th centuries it leaders were well
respected for their austere and Christian way of life.
In appearance, both within and without, the Russian-Orthodox Church was
distinctive. It was usually square and surmounted by a large onion shaped dome.
There were often four smaller domes surrounding the central part of the church.
Within the church there were no pews and the congregation either stood or
kneeled throughout the service.

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St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church
Brisbane, Australia

94
 This icon was made in Harbin in 1896. It belonged to Father Valentin Nizkovsky.

There was also no organ or any other form of musical instrument. These were
not allowed and in their place was the choir. The choir dominated the service
singing beautiful Byzantine chants or hymns. The bass singer was particularly
important to the choir and it was often that a deacon might be hired on the
strength of his bass singing voice.

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 The interior of the Russian church was particularly distinctive because the walls
were covered by icons. The wall that was most important was the iconostas
which separated the main body of the church from the sanctuary which lay within.
The iconostas was often completely covered by icons. An icon was not intended
to be a portrait, although it often represented the Mary and the Christ child, but
rather an object of worship. It was customary to pray facing an icon and its
purpose was to remind the believer of the spiritual world that lay beyond. Icons
brought the worshiper closer to heaven.
It was anachronistic that a church representing such a broad cross section of
the Russian people would conduct its services in a language that many did not
understand. This language was called Church Slavonic and was a very old form
of Russian that derived from the early founders of Christianity in Russia, Cyrillus
and Methodius.
It was into this faith that Valentin Victorovich was ordained on September 24,
1914:

…on the premises of the Tobolsk Theological Consistory. Candidate Valentin

Nizkovsky [was] assigned according to a Petition by Varnava, the Bishop of Tobolsk
and Siberia, for a position of deacon with an ordainment to priest with the Church of
the Holy Theotokos of Slobodo-Suersk in the Tobolsk Diocese…3

In the Examination of a Candidate record Valentin’s age is stated as 23. He

was a graduate of the Tobolsk Theological Seminary; an institution which still
exists and trains priests for the Russian-Orthodox Church. As it was proper
practice for him to be married he, as was the case with many other candidates
for ordination, had sought out a bride and the record states that Valentin was
“married (the first marriage) to maiden Augusta Kaidalova, daughter of [a] non
staff sexton4 of Orthodox faith.”5 The record goes on to state that Valentine
Nizkovsky testified to the following – that:

[He] belonged… to [the] Orthodox faith, [and] did…not associate with the Raskolniks
(Schismatics) or Sectarians.

[he] had…not been involved in criminal activities, [and had] not been convicted to
serve a jail sentence, and generally [had] no obstacles to ordainment.

[He had] not suffered from contagious or incurable illness, or physical defects which
would prevent [him] serving as a priest.

[He was] seeking ordainment to serve for the Lord’s glory and save souls, with a
sincere intention to serve the Holy church, according to the teachings of the Holy
fathers, church regulations, spiritual order and decrees of HIS MAJESTY THE
EMPEROR.6

In return for the privilege of ordainment as a priest in the Russian-Orthodox

church Valentin Victorovich pledged to:

a) perform any religious rites or prayers according to the Church’s rules and with
reverence, remaining satisfied with voluntary donations of parishioners, and not to miss

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 divine service on Sundays, Holy Days and Great Feasts, liturgies as well as required
services;

b) consolidate my parishioners in the truths of faith and piety, preaching God’s

Word to them ‘in good times and any times’; assist in teaching their children the truths of
faith and piety in every possible way, through opening of parish schools and teaching the
Law of God;

c) rule my own home, that is bring up my own children and household as it is proper
for a warden of the altar, preventing their conduct from giving reasons to tempt the
parishioners, as well as take good care of the clergy, widows and orphans in my charge;

d) behave in the holy altar and in the temple as it is required by the holiness of the
site, causing the others to respect the sanctuary;

e) be devout in my service, as it is fitting for my high title, being in fear to discredit it

and drive the parishioners to temptation by my unworthy conduct;

f) wear garments solely appropriate for ecclesiastic persons, decent and

unpretentious, not to cut hair and beard, keep the fasts set by the Orthodox Church, and
not to do anything disgraceful, such as indulging in insobriety, card-playing, smoking
tobacco, attending theatre performances, extortion, etc.

g) I pledge to maintain constantly the beauty of my temple and practice correct

church-keeping ways, and not to ask to be transferred to a different parish without a valid
reason;

h) remembering that a clergyman does not do anything without the will of his
Bishop, I pledge to abide by all decisions of my clerical Superiors unconditionally, and
equally keep all church records in proper order;

i) I will not join any political societies without permission of the authority and
blessing of my Bishop;

j) I will devoutly keep the stavlennaya gramota in a safe place and in my memory.

k) in order to keep the gift of ecclesiastical grace aflame within myself, in addition to
divine services and sacraments, I pledge to engage myself in reading God’s Word, the
works of the Holy Fathers, and other theological authors, so they would constantly remind
me of my adopted high title. For this I pledge to have the following books on my desk:
the Holy Bible, the Book of Rules of Holy Fathers and Sobors, and the Book of Parish
Presbyter Duties, and if possible, the works of St. John Chrysostom, St. Basil the Great,
St. Tikhon Zadonsky;

l) pledge to keep a copy of this examination for constant guidance, therefore I will not use
ignorance of my duties as an excuse, and I pledge that I will abide by the oath given to
the confessor, the gramota and the guide of a newly appointed priest.

Signed by Valentin Nizkovsky7

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98
The Order of St. Anne was established by Duke Charles Frederick in 1735 and named for
his wife the Grand Duchess Anne Petrovna of Russia, daughter of Peter the Great (she
was not exactly a saint). It became a Russian order when Charles Peter Ulrich (Peter III)
ascended the Russian throne. There were 3 classes: Knights Commanders, Commanders,
and Companions, while members of what really was a 4th class have enamelled
medallions on their sword hilts together with an inscription "FOR BRAVERY", and wore
the riband of the Order as a sword knot. There were also medals of the Order. Like the
Order of St. Vladimir, it was originally intended as a civil decoration, but after 1855, "with
swords" was awarded for war services.
http://www.gwpda.org/medals/russmedl/st-anne.jpg

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 St Nicholas Church – Harbin
www.han-yuan.com/shudian/far/farindex.htm

St Alexis Church – Harbin

100
Pectoral Cross Presented to Father Valentin Nizkovsky
By
Archbishop Mefodii

Archbishop Mefodii and Father Valentin Nizkovsky

101
 Father Valentin Victorovich Nizkovsky

Father Valentin Nizkovsky

And
Augusta Constantinovna Nizkovsky

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 25th Anniversary Congratulatory Document
From Staff and Congregation of St Alexis Church

103
 Valentin Victorovich had completed his training in Tobolsk on June 15, 1914.8
This was not auspicious timing given the cataclysm that was about to befall
Europe, and in particular Russia, in the form of World War I. His ordination took
place on September 25, 1914 presided over by Reverend Varnava, the Bishop of
Tobolsk and Siberia. This was followed on September 26, 1914 by his ordination
as a priest, and his appointment to a vacant deacon position with a church at
Slobodo-Suersk, Yalutorovosk Uzed.9
Here he took up the task of Bible teacher and was given charge of 7 parish
schools. On November 15, 1916 he was transferred to the position of prior of St
Nicholas Church in Slobodo-Kazansk, Yalutorovosk Uzed.10 He continued to be a
bible teacher at three schools under the Ministry of Education. His progress
through the church hierarchy was rapid and on January 1st, 1917 he was elected
by the Synod and Laymen Clerical Assembly to the position of archpriest of the
4th Yalutorovosk Rural District of the Tobolsk Diocese. Here he remained until
November 20 of 1919.11
Valentin and Augusta’s world by this time would have been turned upside
down. The war had brought defeat and disaster to Russia. Revolution had begun
in March of 1917 bringing briefly to power the Provisional Government of
Alexander Kerensky. This was followed in October by the Bolshevik Revolution
led by Lenin. From this point onward Russia slid into civil war as the divided
forces of the White Army attempted to stem the tide of the Red Army
commanded by Leon Trotsky. By May-June of 1919 this tide had turned against
the Whites in Siberia when Kolchak’s Southern Army, and then his Western Army
suffered major defeats.
Various changes in command of the White Armies did little to alter the situation
on the Siberian Front which continued to deteriorate. By September of 1919
civilian refugees and White Army deserters were fleeing to the east in increasing
numbers. Towns became overcrowded and the transportation system was
paralyzed. In quick succession the Third Red Army took the towns of Tobolsk,
Ishim and Petropavlovsk. Finally on the 14th of November 1919 the city of Omsk,
which had been the headquarters for the Military Command of the White Army,
fell.
In her Autobiography Augusta Nizkovsky writes:

In 1919 my father died and we went to Tobolsk where we remained for forty days. When
we returned [Yalutorovosk] to the village our house had already been occupied by soldiers
and we were unable to get in so we left with the White Army for Olesk. All of this was very
traumatic. It was not long after this that my youngest daughter died of dysentery and my
husband Valentin, left for the Headquarters of the White Army.12

Augusta Nizkovsky’s account in her Personal History Statement varies

somewhat in terms of timing. Here she states:

In 1918 we began a gradual move to the east with the White Armies from the bolshevics’
[sic] advance. At that time my husband and his father (Victor Nizkovsky) were in the White
Army as clergymen. On horse back we retreated from the city of Yalutorovosk. On the way
to the east, I fell sick, having two daughters on hand, and decided to be left alone, as the
death only could expect of my husband from bolshevics [sic], as he was a clergyman.13

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 Father Valentin’s Church Service Record shows that from November 20, 1919
to 1922 he was Regimental Priest with the Omsk Regiment.14 His last military
appointment appears to have been in 1922 when he was “attached to the
Hospital Camp Church.15 This was, however, in accordance with a decree by the
Harbin Diocesan Council. Father Valentin’s military career was short but
distinguished. The personal information section of the Church Service Record
indicates that Valentin Nizkovsky was decorated three times between November
8, 1920 and June 7, 1921. In 1920 he was awarded a skuphia16 by Mikhail, the
Bishop of Vladivostok and the Maritimes. This award was made on the written
recommendation [No. 61] of the Chief [military] Priest.17 The second award was
also in 1920 and was purely military in nature. The Order of St. Anne was made
either for a distinguished career in the civil service or for valour while in military
service and was highly prized. The Order of St. Anne was presented in four
classes, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th. 1st class entitled the recipient to claim hereditary
nobility while the other three classes conferred personal nobility. It is unfortunate
that the circumstances of the time rendered elevation to the nobility virtually
meaningless. Father Valentine was presented with the Order of St. Anne 3rd
Class.18 If the order was made for military service it was usually presented with
swords, although it is not certain if this would have been appropriate in the case
of a priest. Father Valentin’s third award was a “military decoration” but otherwise
not described. It was presented for his participation in the “Great Siberian March”
and was officially identified as No. 7958 of June 7, 1921. 19
The final months of the White Army were marked by a considerable degree of
chaos and confusion. There was no “Great Siberian March” but rather a long
retreat across Siberia to the east. Although the White Army was probably larger
than the Red Army it was badly divided and, in general, poorly led. Its
commander, Admiral Kolchak, was captured and executed on the 7th of February
1920. His forces during the early months of 1920 were in full flight and arrived
piecemeal in the Maritime Province.

Only that part of the [White] Army’s remnant now under the command of General Vasily
Kappel held together and, abandoning their trains, in a five week retreat- or ‘Ice March” as
it came to be called – fought their way past partisan bands toward Lake Baikal. On January
26 Kappel himself succumbed to frostbite and pneumonia.20

We can be reasonably certain that Father Valentin was with General Kappel’s
force. In a document presented to him in 1940 by the staff and parishioners of St.
Alexis Church in Harbin on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of his ordination
as a priest mention is made to the “crown of thorns” worn by Valentin Victorovich
in the form of lingering typhoid fever contracted during the “Ice March.”21 We also
know from this document and other records that his health was seriously
impaired and that he never fully recovered.
General V.O. Kappel was one of the few capable generals in command of
White forces. Some historians believe that his army was still a fighting force
when it arrived in the Far East but the political situation was confused and Allied
intervention near an end. There remained pockets of armed resistance to the

105
Red Army until the mid 1920s but for all practical purposes the war was over and
the White Army dispersed.
It is not known when or under what circumstances that Father Valentin made
his escape out of Siberia into Manchuria. There was a steady stream of refugees
both civilian and military that flowed into northern Manchuria. Among these
refugees were a great many clergymen, most of whom who had retreated with
the White Army. Many, like Father Valentin, had been military chaplains. Most of
these priests eventually arrived in Harbin where conditions for the continued work
of the Russian-Orthodox Church were near normal. In 1922 the Diocese of
Harbin was formed by church authorities and Archbishop Mefodii was appointed
to head up this part of the Russian church abroad.
The Church Service Record for Father Valentin is vague during the period 1920
to 1924. His attachment to the Hospital Camp Church was made by the Harbin
Diocese and here he remained until June 21, 1924 when under decree No. 11/5
of the Harbin Diocesan Council he was attached to St. Nicholas Church in Old
Harbin. 22
St Nicholas was a small church and very unlike the magnificent cathedral, St.
Sophia, which dominated Harbin. It was a wooden structure set in the centre of a
major intersection of the downtown area of Harbin. St Nicholas was cruciform in
shape with a wooden dome and has been described as a “little bit of old Russia
transplanted to China.” Sadly, it was destroyed during the Chinese Cultural
Revolution in 1966.
On October 29, 1924 Father Valentin was appointed as bible teacher to the
French Orphanage.23 This posting was followed on January 12, 1925 by a
personal decision of Archbishop Mefodii to send Father Valentin as prior to
Svyato-Vedenskaya Church at Fuljarzd Station on the Chinese Eastern
Railway.24 It was here that Father Valentine was reunited with his wife Augusta
and daughter Militza.
Father Valentin’s work during this period did not go unnoticed or unrewarded.
In 1925 he was presented with a “kamelaukion”25 by His Eminence Archbishop
Mefodii.26 This honour was followed in 1926 by the presentation of a pectoral
cross by Archbishop Mefodii.27 Also in 1926 he was sent an official letter of
honours (a gramota) by the Archpriestly Synod Outside of Russia following a
written recommendation by the Archbishop.28
In her Autobiography Augusta Nizkovsky makes it clear that conditions in
Fuljarzd Station were less than ideal. She remarks on the low salary and the
necessity of giving up a small room that they all shared placing them temporarily
on the street. She finally took it upon herself to go directly to the Archbishop to
plead her husband’s case. The result of her intervention was a transfer further up
the rail line to the small town of Hailar. Hailar was an important centre of the
Russian-Orthodox Church and in the 1920s there were two churches in the
community. In Hailar Father Valentin was the second priest and presumably this
meant some increase in salary. The Church Service Record shows the transfer
as effective October 11, 1927 as second priest with the Sapso-
Preobrazhenskaya Church.29 He also became the Bible teacher at the Hailar
Public School.30 In 1930 the second priest position in Hailar was eliminated and

106
Father Valentin became a non-staff31 priest of St. Modyagou-Alexiy32 Church in
Harbin.
In her Autobiography Augusta glosses over this posting and states only that
Father Valentin “was given a post as the third priest in the village of Modyagou
where he was to teach Religious Studies at the Pedagogical School.”33 Three
years went by and Father Valentin continued on as a non-staff priest at St Alexis
but on February 23rd, 1933 the parishioners of this church saw fit to take matters
into their own hands and made an appeal to Archbishop Meletii.

PETITION TO MELETI, ARCHBISHOP OF HARBIN AND MANCHURIA

From parishioners of St. Alexiy’s Temple in Modyagou

Father Valentin Nizkovsky has been serving as a non-staff priest here at the Modyagou St.
Alexiy’s Temple for over three years now.

We, the undersigned parishioners, have grown accustomed to him, we have come to love
and deeply respect him for his pastoral work, true Christian virtue and zealous service. In
all our emotional troubles, we have always found complete appeasement and relief after
conversations with Father Valentin and his prayers on our behalf. Father Valentin is dear
to us, and for us it would be a great delight to see him serving in the position of the second
priest of our temple.

An appointment of a priest from a different parish to our temple would be a great affliction
for us, as that would discount Father Valentin’s sacrificial service.

Therefore we are approaching Your Eminence with our humblest request to designate
Father Valentin for this position.

We ask you to trust that only our love to this modest shepherd of ours and his invisible
contributions to this parish have caused this necessity to address Your Eminence with this
humblest request, and we may cherish the hope that You will grant our request and thus
give us a great joy.

February 23rd, 1933

PARISHIONERS OF ST. ALEXIY’S TEMPLE IN MODYAGOU34

The response to this appeal was prompt and the decision clear.
“PRIEST VALENTIN NIZKOVSKY IS APPOINTED TO THE STAFF POSITION OF
DEACON WITH ST. ALEXIY’S CHURCH IN MODYAGOU”35

Father Valentin’s economic situation was, no doubt, improved by this

appointment but his health remained precarious. The following petition was sent
to Victor, Bishop of Beijing and China sometime after the marriage of Militza, his
daughter, to Victor Shoshin. Unfortunately the letter is undated. (Militza and
Victor Shoshin were married November 24, 1936.)

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 PETITION TO VICTOR, BISHOP OF BEIJING AND CHINA

From Valentin Nizkovsky, priest of St. Alexiy Church of Modyagou, Harbin

According to information I have, there is an opening for a second priest in the Tsindao
parish in your jurisdiction. Would it be possible for Your Grace to appoint me to that vacant
position?

My motives for this request are as follows: first, according to my doctors’ advice, a change
of climate is necessary for me due to health reasons; second, my own daughter is in
Shanghai, who is married to Victor Georgievich Shoshin, and being close to them would be
highly desirable for myself and my wife, especially considering the fact that there is only
one daughter in our family.

It is my duty to inform Your Grace that I completed the full course of Tobolsk Theological
Seminary in 1914 and was ordained the same year.36

There is no evidence to indicate that this petition was granted. There is also no
response to be found in Father Valentin’s papers. Another petition had been sent
to Archbishop Meleti in November of 1935. This petition also makes reference to
the state of Father Valentin’s health.

PETITION TO MELETI, ARCHBISHOP OF HARBIN AND MANCHURIA

From Valentin Nizkovsky, priest of St. Alexiy Church of Modyagou, Harbin

I humbly request to be granted a holiday to visit Shanghai with the purpose of blessing my
daughter before her entering lawful matrimony and on my way consult the professors at the
Japanese hospital in Dairen regarding my weak health.

RESOLUTION: There are no obstacles on my part to grant priest Father Valentin

Nizkovsky a three-week holiday.

Signed by Prior of St. Alexiy Church, Modyagou, Harbin, Archpriest. Father Mikhail
Roosting

November 3/16, 1936 ʋ 35237

The year 1940 was the 25th anniversary of Father Valentin’s ordination in
Tobolsk. This event brought forth an outpouring of congratulatory messages from
his parishioners and other organization with which he worked.

TO ARCHPRIEST VALENTIN NIZKOVSKY

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Father Valentin’s service to the Church of Christ
as an ordained priest, the doctors and personnel of Dr. Kazem-Bek’s Monastery Hospital
(18 Krestovozdvizhenskaya St, Modyagou, City of Harbin) are sending their best greetings
and wishes of good health, strength of spirit and flesh, to continue with your work for many
years to come.38

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YOUR BLESSING – DEAR FATHER VALENTIN VICTOROVICH

Twenty-five years have elapsed from the time when you started the path of working for the
church of our Lord and our Savior Jesus Christ.

You have spent one quarter of a century in front of the altar in the hardest years of all that
were ever lived through by humanity.

You began your church work in 1915 having finished the Spiritual Seminary in your native
community in Tobolsk.,

You are a modest fulfilling, sociable priest and have been noted by the elders who have
given you the calling of overall priest of the churches in your area because of your attentive
relationship to your position.

Your simplicity and good nature in dealing with people around you bring to you an overall
love and respect.

The terrible wave of the nation’s breakup tossed you with your subject priests in 1919 from
their native lands to the boundless spaces of rugged Siberia.

Because of your faith in the truth and hope in the Lord’s help you gave your love to the
downtrodden and to your wrecked motherland. You were driven into the ranks of the White
Army which entered into the uneven fight with the worldwide evil – Comintern.

The famous “Ice Campaign” has left you like a crown of thorns in the form of typhoid fever
which from time to time causes you overall weakness.

Like an ardent hope the White Army scattered into the world but did not lower its standards
before the Red beasts.

Finally you maintained the great spirit of Christ’s loving warriors and together with your co-
workers settled in blessed Manchuria.

Here you have reached the 26th year of your standing on God’s guard.

And so we who are your nearest priests and pastors the congregational council of the Saint
Alexiy Church, the management council, the educators of the Harbin Spiritual Seminary
and the members of the Modyago Congregation have become convinced through our long
association with you that those valuable qualities that were noted for in the first years of
your priesthood have not left you in spite of all the vagaries of all your subsequent hard
working life and instead have multiplied and strengthened. For this reason we are happy to
make this jubilee greeting to you, dear Father Valentin.39

May you receive from the leadership of the flock the heavenly rank of priest and archpriest.
Blessings are passed to you for all your good deeds over many, many years.

May 20, 1940

YOUR REVERENCE, DEAR FATHER VALENTIN

Please accept our heartfelt congratulations on the memorable anniversary of your service
to the Christian Orthodox Church and wishes of good health for many long years to come.

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 Your spiritual children,

Yuzefovich Charity for the Poorest Children

M. N. Yuzefovich, founder of the Charity

June 2, 194040

RUSSIAN HOUSE
Named after Crown Prince Alexey Nikolaevich
People’s School, Advanced People’s School, and Orphanage
HARBIN

June 2, 1940

Dear Father Valentin,

Best greetings and deepest respect on the occasion of 25 years of serving the Russian
Orthodox Church; our heartfelt wishes to continue your ministerial duties.

What is left for us, Russian people existing in dispersion - Just the Russian Orthodox
Church and its good shepherds? You are one of such good shepherds, first working in the
homeland providing direction and consolation for warriors, now continuing this work across
the border.

You have been instrumental in the first years of the Russian House.

May the Lord help you in the future in your hard work of serving the Church and helping
your neighbours. We can see how much love you have conciliated from your faith in Christ.

With sincere respect,

Principal Secretary41

There can be little doubt that Father Valentin was held in high esteem by the
community and that all wished him many more years of productive service. This
was not, however, to be. His health continued to deteriorate and on January 1,
1943 Augusta sent the following postcard to her daughter and family in
Shanghai. The message is somewhat contradictory but the implications are clear.
On the 1st of January 1943 Augusta sent the following card to her daughter and
son in law in Shanghai. She was clearly alarmed at the state of her husband’s
health and at a loss, as to what she should do. Medical treatment in Harbin
seems to be in the broad area of alternate medicine and it is not surprising
Father Valentin is close to death.

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Postcard sent by Augusta Nizkovsky to Militza Shoshin in Shanghai
January 1, 1943

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 Congratulations my grandchildren, Vetia and Milichka. Greetings to Valia. Grandfather
walks with a cross and feels better. The holiday is warm and there are is absolutely no
snow. Today is already the second day (8 January 43, the day after Christmas on the
Orthodox calendar.) Grandfather is getting treatment from Dr. Karepev. He found in him
malaria which has almost passed but complications remain on the lungs [and] heart in
addition to appendicitis – that is most important. He will most likely need an operation to
remove the appendix. He has already received 22 injections. [It is] too bad the doctor is not
nearby and was not aware of his age but he saved him from malaria which it turns out he
has had for ten years. Miliya [do you] remember how Father Paul and poppa were
swimming in September in the River [Nokki] when the river’s temperature may have been
10 c. Well this joke has a sad ending. What is bad is that this doctor does not give any
prescriptions. He has his own system. It is special – he apparently earns his keep – from
his injections. Grandfather probably already wrote how many cows remain but he says he
is still uncertain. I worry terribly. Grandfather received a present yesterday – on Christmas
Eve at six o’clock. He is very pleased at this time. And now he sees you in his dreams
almost every night. He was even in Shanghai. There is nothing [more] to tell. I am very
disturbed and worried. Don’t make any mistakes with your apartment. I hope that
everything will work out well with you. Is it worth it for you to change your apartment? You
are, after all, happy with it. I don’t know anything!

God save you, Deda and Baba”

Valentine Victorovich Nizkovsky died on the 20th of January 1943 at the age of
52 in the city of Harbin, Manchuria. He is buried in the Harbin Cemetery.

This pin is inscribed in Cyrillic with the initials of Father Valentin.

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Endnotes – Chapter 6
1
Examination of a Candidate prior to Ordination, Valentine Victorovich Nizkovsky, 1914.
2
Alexander Bloc, Confessions of a Heathen, 1918, p.
3
Examination of a Candidate, 1914.
4
In her Autobiography Augusta Nizkovsky states that “My father was a deacon in the church and
when his first wife died he decided to leave the active priesthood.” This was may have been
because of his intent to remarry.
5
Examination of a Candidate, 1914.
6
Ibid.
7
Ibid.
8
Church Service Record, Valentin Victorovich Nizkovsky.
9
The location of this church was about 75 km south-east of Tyumn.
10
Church Service Record.
11
Ibid.
12
Autobiography, Augusta Nizkovsky, 22 March 1967.
13
Personal History Statement, Mrs. A.C. Nizkovsky, May 8, 1950.
14
Church Service Record.
15
Ibid
16
A form of ceremonial headgear presented to priests for distinguished service.
17
Church Service Record.
18
Ibid.
19
Ibid.
20
Benson Bowbrick, East of the Sun (New York, Poseidon Press, 1920), p. 409.
21
25th Anniversary Congratulatory Document, Valentin Victorovich Nizkovsky, March 20, 1940.
22
Church Service Record.
23
Ibid.
24
Ibid
25
A tall cylindrical hat worn by Russian priests.
26
Church Service Record
27
Ibid.
28
Ibid.
29
Ibid.
30
Ibid.
31
This appears to have been a supernumerary position used for record keeping purposes.
32
This church is variously referred to as St. Alexis, St. Alexei or St, Alexiy.
33
Autobiography. 1967.
34
Petition of the Parishioners of St. Alexiy’s Temple in Modyagou, 23 February 1923.
35
Decree of Harbin Diocesan Council, February 22, 1933.
36
Petition to Victor Bishop of Beijing and China, undated.
37
Petition to Meletiy, Archbishop of Harbin and Manchuria, November 3/16, No. 352.
38
Letter from Dr. Kazem-Bek’s Monastery Hospital, 2 June 1940.
39
Congratulatory Letter from the Staff and Parishioners of St Alexis Church and the educators of
the Harbin Spiritual Seminary, May 20, 1940.
40
Congratulatory Letter from Yuzefoich Charity for the Poorest Children, June 2, 1940.
41
Congratulatory Letter from Russian House, June 2, 1940.

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