An excerpt from The Chronicle:

 

To pacify the Pugachev riot, when Pugachev himself had already been executed in Moscow, they began trial and reprisal against those who took part in the rebellion. Empress Catherine II had such great respect for Bishop Methodius that the whole trial and reprisal of clergymen, leaning on the side of the impostor, instructed him:

“What he does over us, so be it.”

And in May 1775 they brought to Astrakhan up to 1000 people of monks, priests, deacons and chastisers and brought to the cathedral in fetters, torn, exhausted from hunger and all sorts of hardships of the then imprisonment. At 2 p.m., Bishop Methodius ordered rarely to strike a large bell. At this unusual ringing at such a time, people rushed to the cathedral in droves; gathered in the cathedral and all the clergy. The saint in a small bishop’s vestment and with a staff went out to the circle, gave the unfortunate sign that they should approach him, looked at them, cried and said: “God and the Most Merciful Sovereign forgives everyone, and I, by the authority given from her, forgive you and I authorize; knock the shackles off them! ”… When the governor Beketov began to tell Methodius that they didn’t do this with the rebels, he told him: “Are they to blame? You – the military and all the officials – what did you do with the guns? – fled, left their title, violated the oath! Can priests with a cross and a censer protect you? ”

Soon after, in 1776, Bishop Methodius fell into a boiling well and passed away. The news of the unexpected death of his beloved archpastor struck the inhabitants of the city of Astrakhan with deep grief, which was especially expressed when his mortal remains were brought to Astrakhan. Almost all the inhabitants of the city went bitterly out to meet their late archpastor. There were even Tatars and pagans who shouted: “Who will feed and dress us now?” Who will intercede for us? ”