,,Born in Bessarabia on February 24, 1906, a teacher by profession, Mother Blandina was deported to Siberia for 15 years, where she experienced the harsh life of prisons and camps. She spent the last part of her life serving Saint Parascheva and her fellow people at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Iași. She passed away on May 24, 1971."

Excerpt from the book The Sufferings of Mother Blandina (1906-1971), a martyr of Siberia, Sihăstria Monastery Publishing House, pp. 23-26

,,In the courtyard came several dozen men, probably also convicts, and at the order of the security officers, we undressed completely for the disinfection of our clothes. Those men took our clothes, meaning the dresses and the underwear, as that was all we had on us and with us. They took the clothes to the sterilization chamber for disinfection, and they assigned us, naked, to rooms.

The cathedral was divided into multi-story rooms, and in the rooms were tiered shelf-beds, four rows high. The beds had been washed with chlorinated water and were still wet. Bare and wet boards, and us naked—this is how the prison received us. We were also hungry, as part of the bread given at Tighina had grown moldy. Evening came. Three security officers came to check how many we were, making several coarse jokes at our expense because we were stark naked. They told us they would not give us food today, as they were not prepared for so many guests. Nevertheless, embittered to the last degree, more morally than physically, we fell asleep, surrendering our fate into the hand of God.

The next day, at four in the morning, we were awakened by the rattling of heavy keys opening our room door. They counted us, lest any of us had fled. After them came other men. Some brought boiling water in a large cauldron, others 300 grams of bread for each. The first day of prison passed and we stood naked, shivering with cold. The second day passed just like the first, especially since every morning they threw 2-3 buckets of chlorinated water on our floor to disinfect it, and we had to stand on it while it was wet. In the evening, when the inspection came, we began to ask for our clothes. We received a very calm reply: "What? Does it not suit you this way? There are many of you and we cannot manage the sterilization so quickly, arm yourselves with patience!" (...)

On the third day morning, after the inspection, after they distributed the bread—still 300 grams—they brought us our clothes in an awful state. Some were even burnt. We were happy to cover ourselves with what we had. There were 90 women in a room instead of 60. An indescribable crowding. When we slept, we could only turn over all at once, because there were 10 women on each shelf. I must say that for political prisoners there were neither doctors nor medicines. If someone fell ill, they lay under the "nara"—as the boards we slept on were called—until, by God's mercy, they got well or died, which of course happened more often.

The daily schedule was as follows: waking up at 4 in the morning to receive 300 grams of bread and a cup of boiled water; at 6 o'clock the inspection came to count us to see if anyone had escaped overnight, then until 5 in the afternoon no one came again; at 17:00 they took one room at a time to the toilet, that was all a prisoner was entitled to for these natural necessities; at 19:00 inspection again, and with this our day ended. Indeed, we women could sleep as much as we wanted, whereas men were not given this right.

Many women, especially the old and weak, after about two months of such a life, fell ill with diarrhea. And because they only took us to the toilet once a day, they put a wooden barrel in the room for this purpose. Life became even more unbearable. A heavy smell stifled us and then I asked the sentry who stood by our door in the corridor to let us take out the "parasa"—as the barrel was called—twice a day. After many requests to the superiors, it was approved. I obtained the approval to take out the "parasa," but not one among so many women was willing to take it out, considering it a humiliation. Then I and my cousin, who was arrested with me, offered to perform this service, considering, according to Christ's teaching, that "it is good to be the servant of your brother."

Taking the "parasa" to the pit which was quite far from our room, washing it there with a broom dipped in chlorine and water, I gained two benefits: one, that we stood in the fresh air for half an hour, and second, that some time passed. Of course, we were escorted by a security officer who supervised us, but he was a very good Ukrainian and would tell us: "Don't hurry, stay in the air longer!" In our room there was almost no light, as there was a small window high up that gave an obscure light, so we could barely see each other, and in the fresh air each convict was allowed only 10 minutes a day.