Leontovych was a deeply religious man who had studied to become a Ukrainian Orthodox Priest, a station that was well represented in his family. Having great musical talent, while a seminary student, he determined to become a composer instead. He's remembered in the West for his Carol of the Bells, a Christmas piece, but he also composed liturgies.
He was staying at his parents home on the eve prior to Orthodox Christmas. His parents took in boarders and the Chekist agents asked to stay in the home as well. They murdered him that night. The reasons remain vague, but it seems that it was connected with his support for Ukrainian independence as well as his intent to relocate personally to Romania. Of course, there's also the fact that the Communists were a bunch of homicidal bastards as well.
He is regarded as a martyr in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
Another interesting Orthodox figure, Fr. Ingram Nathaniel Irvine, died on this day in 1921. Fr. Irvine was an Irish born Episcopal Priest who had immigrated to the U.S. For reasons that are unclear, he was defrocked by his bishop in 1900 for "conduct unbecoming a clergyman", but whatever that conduct was, isn't really discernable. Apparently he didn't accept it as he fought for a period of five years for reinstatement before becoming ordained as a Russian Orthodox Priest. In that capacity, he was apparently controversial and was an advocate for the use of English in services in the United States.
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