Anna M. Kaloyan is one of the newest martyrs, people who suffered for Christ in the modern, post-Soviet era. Born on December 18, 1987, to Kurdish Yazidi parents, she lived in the village of Bazkovskaya in the Sholokhov District of the Rostov Region. In the fall of 2012, she came to faith in Christ and converted to Orthodoxy.
The sacrament of baptism was performed at Sretensky Church in the village of Bazkovskaya by the rector, Archpriest Valery Kharitonov. Anna became an active parishioner, despite threats from her Yazidi relatives. She tried to spend all her free time at the church, strove to help the church, and took on any work related to the church. Her parents, her relatives, and the entire Yazidi community tried to persuade Anna to renounce Christ and return to Yazidism, but all attempts, including forceful beatings and threats, were unsuccessful. The Nativity Fast had begun. Anna frequently went to Confession and received Holy Communion, prepared to celebrate the Nativity of Christ, and sewed herself a beautiful dress. But the feast of the Nativity of Christ on earth was not destined for her. On the night of January 4, 2013, the girl was tortured to death by her own parents. First, both of Anna's legs were broken to prevent her from escaping, then her father began beating her all over with rebar, and her mother hit her on the head with a log. Each blow was accompanied by a demand that she renounce Christ, but the martyr invariably refused, right up until her death..jpg)
Thus, on the day when the Holy Church celebrates the feast day of the Great Martyr Anastasia the Deliverer from Bonds, the martyr Anna Kaloyan was martyred for Christ at the hands of her parents. The martyr's father took full responsibility for his daughter's murder and was sentenced to seven years in prison. The martyr was buried in a Yazidi cemetery near the village of Verkhnetokinsky, separate from other Yazidi burials. The grave of Martyr Anna is venerated by Orthodox believers.