Arseny Andreyev
Arseny Andreev (1st of March 1869, Riga, Russian Empire – 18th of August 1929, Riga, Republic of Latvia) – an archpriest, the prior of the All Saints Church in Riga.
Arseny Andreev was born in Riga, the son of a soldier. He studied at the Alexander Gymnasium and, beginning in 1884, at the Riga Theological Seminary, from which he graduated in 1890. While still a seminarian, he distinguished himself by his knowledge of church singing and by his exceptionally beautiful tenor voice.
After graduating from the seminary, he was appointed psalm-reader at St. John’s Church attached to the episcopal summer residence, and two years later became senior psalm-reader at the Holy Spirit Church in Jēkabpils. At the same time, he was a member of the episcopal choir, which he went on to lead after the death of its previous director, Vasily Kislov (1847–1892). For many years he also taught church singing at the Riga theological school and seminary. Among his students were the later choir director of the episcopal choir Ivan Mikelson, the opera singer Pauls Sakss, as well as Alexander Yankovsky, Nikolai Vasilyev, and others.
In 1907 Andreev was ordained priest and appointed second priest of the Church of All Saints in Riga. During the First World War he served as a military chaplain.
After the war, upon returning to Riga, Father Arseny was soon appointed rector of the Church of All Saints. As noted in an obituary published in the newspaper Nashe Slovo:
“The cultural and moral-religious significance of the talks held at the Church of All Saints every Tuesday was immense. They always gathered a full church of worshippers. These talks were always accompanied by communal singing, which Father Arseny so carefully cultivated.”
As the rector of the parish, Father Arseny also served as a teacher of religion in several Riga schools, and, as reported by the newspaper Segodnya,
“he was especially loved by children, toward whom he showed kindness and gentleness. He was also deeply respected by adults — his colleagues and spiritual children — for his devotion to church service and his benevolent pastoral care.”
Father Arseny was buried at the All Saints Cemetery near the church (his grave is preserved). The funeral service was conducted by Archbishop John (Pommers), assisted by fourteen priests; also present was Bishop John of Pechery, who had once been a pupil of Archpriest Andreev at the Riga Theological Seminary. As Nashe Slovo wrote,
“The multitude of people who filled not only the church but the entire cemetery testified to how great was the popularity of the late Father Arseny among Riga’s Russian population, especially in the Moskovsky suburb…”
Yury Sidyakov
Sources of information:
Скончался прот. Арсений Андреев // Сегодня 1929. № 229. С. 6;
† Прот. А. Андреев // Наше слово. 1929. № 13. С. 6.
