Alexandra, New Martyr

Born into a pious peasant family in 1882 When she turned 15, she entered the Spaso-Borodino Monastery. In 1919 the monastery was officially closed but continued to exist under the guise of an agricultural labor commune. In 1931 the labor commune was liquidated, and the nuns were evicted from the territory of the monastery.

Nun Alexandra returned to her native village and lived with her mother (her father had already died), engaged in peasant labor, and fulfilling the monastic rule. Together with her mother, she sang in the choir in the Church of the Nativity in Grydnevo.

On December 12, 1937, she did not go to elections to the Supreme Soviet, and when members of the election commission came to her with a request to vote, she refused.

From the testimony of a witness a member of the local party cell:
[Nun Alexandra] told women, "In December 1937, there will be elections to the Supreme Council, and will distribute leaflets, and you will vote for the Antichrists. You have not yet completely departed from the Lord God, come to your senses…" On the day of the elections, Alexandra Samoilova did not vote. Members of the election commission came to her home and asked why she did not go to vote. She answered, "I’m sick and can not go to the polls." 
[They] offered to take her on a horse, and then bring her back, but she answered, "All the same, I will not vote for antichrists, I’d rather live in a tomb and die."
And she put on a white dress, went to bed, crossed her arms, and did not go to the vote.

She was arrested in January 1938.

From the record of the interrogation on March 11, 1938:

Interrogator

On the day of elections to the Supreme Soviet, why did not you come to the polls?

St. Alexandra:

I did not come due to my religious convictions.

Int

You expressed counter-revolutionary beliefs aimed at disrupting the elections to the Supreme Soviet.

St. A

I did not express any counter-revolutionary beliefs.

Int

The investigation has data that you told members of the election commission to the Supreme Council, that you will not vote for antichrists.

St. A

I did not tell anyone that I will not vote for antichrists; I did not take part in the voting, but for whatever reason - I can not say. I do not consider myself as disseminating counter-revolutionary beliefs.

On March 15, 1938, the nun of Alexandra was sentenced to be shot. She was executed on March 22. Nun Alexandra was 56 years old.

Reflection:

What really got to me about her is the way she denied the more exciting version of her story. When I first read this, I was excited by her theatrical response. Then I read more closely and realized my error and felt convicted.
Her humble and meek response, her avoidance of saying why she wouldn’t vote, is much more impressive to me. Not unlike Christ’s own response when arrested and interrogated.