Orthodox Parables and Stories: Priest Anatoly Chistousov

On February 14, 1996, the priest Anatoly Chistousov was shot in captivity in Chechnya.

Before the ordination, Father Anatoly was an officer in the Armed Forces. Since March 1994, he served in the Mikhailo-Arkhangelsk Church of the city of Grozny.
He performed divine services, despite the fact that the temple was at the epicenter of hostilities.

On New Year's Eve 1995, he was forcibly brought by bandits to the Grozny railway station, where he was ordered to turn to the Russian soldiers holding the defense with a demand to surrender. In response to this, Father Anatoly blessed the soldier for military work.

Father Anatoly Chistousov did not serve for very long, less than two years as a priest. But he served in the literal sense of these words - at the forefront. Once an elderly singer of his temple came under fire from militants and would inevitably bleed, because the churchyard was shot through by Chechens. Then father Anatoly, under bullets at full height, in priestly vestments and with some kind of white leaf instead of a flag in his hand, went to the militants. And ... fell to his feet, begging: "Let the wounded old woman be taken away, she will die! .." The militants were taken aback by this act of the priest and did not find anything else but to agree to his request. The woman was saved.
And this was the only case when Father Anatoly bowed before the enemies to save the woman.

January 29, 1996 Father Anatoly Chistousov and Archpriest Sergiy Zhigulin went to Urus-Martan to fulfill the assignment of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II. On the way back, they were captured by the Dudayev militants.

Father Sergius managed to be freed. It became known from him how courageously Archpriest Anatoly kept himself. After another interrogation, Father Anatoly said: “Listen, brother, it’s happiness to suffer for Christ, die with His name on the lips.”

Metropolitan Gideon of Stavropol (2003) recalled:

“Before consecration, I asked Anatoly:

“ And if they send you to where it’s restless, where it is dangerous, will you go? ”

He calmly and firmly answered:

“ Wherever you bless, Vladyka, I’ll go there. I’m not afraid of circumstances. "