December 17 marks the memorial day of the martyrs Ekaterina Arskaya and Kira Obolenskaya, who suffered in Petrograd in 1937.

Ekaterina Andreevna Arskaya was born in 1875 in St. Petersburg into the family of a wealthy merchant, Andrei Petrovich Urtyev, who was a hereditary honorary citizen of the capital of the Russian Empire. Her father served as the ktitor of the church of the icon of the Mother of God "Joy of All Who Sorrow" on Shpalernaya Street. Her mother, Ksenia Filippovna, raised nine children. Ekaterina and her sisters were educated at the St. Petersburg Alexander Institute and received higher education.

In 1899, Ekaterina married an officer of the Russian Imperial Army, Pyotr Nikolaevich Arsky, and devoted herself to her family. They had five children: four daughters and a son. Their family lived by church traditions and was deeply religious.

When in 1912 Pyotr Nikolaevich was discharged and became the ktitor of the Resurrection Smolny Cathedral, World War I began, and he returned to the army, where he was wounded and returned to Petrograd.

After the October Revolution, the lives of the Arsky family changed drastically. They lost their fortune, and then two daughters died of cholera. In 1920, Ekaterina lost her entire family: her husband and children died from a severe illness within a month. She found solace in faith and became an active member of the Alexander Nevsky Brotherhood, a spiritual daughter of Archimandrite Lev (Yegorov). She earned a living as a bookbinder, nurse, and seamstress. The Soviet authorities disapproved of the activities of the Orthodox brotherhood, and all its members were under the watch of the GPU. Soon, the "Case of the Alexander Nevsky Brotherhood" was initiated, leading to the arrest of 92 people.

In February 1932, mass arrests began. Ekaterina Arskaya displayed incredible courage during the investigation, refusing to name anyone despite torture. This quality, never betraying anyone, remained with her until the end. In the indictment, she was referred to as a "former noblewoman, wife of a royal colonel," highlighted in large print.