On October 1, 2026, Bishop Theoktist of Pereslavl and Uglich, in the service of the clergy of the diocese of Pereslavl, celebrated a prayer service at the site of the alleged burial of the Holy Martyr Konstantin Sniatinovsky before the start of the good deed, after which archaeological work began.
On October 4, employees of the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, led by archaeologist V.A. Seifer and with the active participation of the chairman of the Commission for the Canonization of Saints of the Pereslavl Diocese, Priest Anthony Zverkov, found the alleged remains of the holy martyr.
In the near future, anthropological and molecular genetic studies will be conducted to confirm the identity of the remains.
The archaeological work was preceded by many years of research by the diocesan commission for canonization: a complete analysis of archival documents concerning the circumstances of the death of the Holy Martyr Constantine, the place of his burial and the history of his veneration was carried out.
According to the head of the excavation, V.A. Zeifer, the spot of the grave pit was confidently read from the uppermost layers.: "The burial cut through earlier strata and was let into the cultural layer of the XII-XIII centuries. This confirms that the burial is much later and does not contradict its dating to the beginning of the 20th century."
The search for the remains is carried out in accordance with the resolution of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and with the active assistance of Archpriest Kirill Kaleda, a member of the Synodal Commission for the Canonization of Saints.
Archaeological work has also shed light on the early history of the territory of the Pereslavl Kremlin, adjacent to the Transfiguration Cathedral. During the research, a red brick structure based on lime mortar was identified and recorded — a furnace duct, and more than a hundred individual finds were discovered, including glass bracelets, a small amber cross and a moonstone of the XII-XIII centuries.
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The Holy Martyr Konstantin Sniatinovsky was rector of the Church of St. Peter, Metropolitan of Moscow, in Pereslavl for about 30 years. In 1918, he suffered a martyr's death and was buried behind the altar of the church to which he devoted most of his life.