Theodore I and Maria N Koulomzine

Theodore Iakovlevich Koulomzine (1906-1972)

and

Maria Nikolaevna (born Shcherbatoff) Koulomzine (1905-1972)

Theodore may be spelt Feodor, Fedor.

Iakovlevlich may be spelt Iakovlevitch, Yakovlevlich, Jakovlevich.

Iakov may be spelt Jakob, James.

Kolomzine may be spelt Koulomzin.

Maria may be spelt Marie.

Nikolayevna may be spelt Nikolaievna, Nikolaevna, Nicolayevna.

Shcherbatov may be spelt Shcherbatova, Shcherbatoff, Scherbatov.

Early life of Theodore (Feodor) Iakovlevich Koulomzine

On 16 September, 1906, Theodore Iakovlevich Koulomzine was born in Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire, to Iakov (Yakov) Anatolievich Koulomzine and Baroness Olga Feodorovna (born Meyendorff) Koulomzine. Iakov had been born into a noble family with history in the Kornilovo estate which belonged to the Kineshma county (now in the Ivanovo Oblast) of the Kostroma Governorate. There was also a substantial home in the capital city, Saint Petersburg. His siblings were Ekaterina (1902), Nikita (1903), Ekaterina (the second, 1910), Elizabeth (Elizaveta) (1912), Seraphim (1914), and Iaroslav (Yaroslav) (1918).

Even before his own birth, his first sister Ekaterina had reposed in childbirth ; and later, his brother Seraphim reposed in childhood from typhus or scarlet fever (1921). As may be expected, the repose of Seraphim affected Olga greatly.

Olga Koulomzine and 4 children, 1916, in Odessa

All the children were baptised and raised as Orthodox Christians, and they received the usual primary and secondary education available to them.

World War I, Revolution

In 1914, World War I began ; and before its end, the 2 revolutions (February, and October) occurred in 1917. Then followed immediately the Civil War.

Bereavement

It was in this context that in 1919, Iakov Anatolyevich Koulomzine reposed in the Lord in Uman, Uman Uyezd (Kiev Governorate) where he had been killed (brutally murdered by revolutionaries), together with his 2 brothers.

Exile

Meanwhile, with his brother Nikita taking up his father’s family responsibilities (at age 15), the rest of the family fled to exile in 1921. First, they went to Poland, and then they went to Czechoslovakia.

In 1928, they moved to Paris, France.

Like his elder brother, Nikita, Theodore kept the Orthodox Christian Church and worship of the Lord as an Orthodox Christian as a priority in his life.

Higher education

Like his elder brother Nikta, Theodore had continued his education in both Poland and in Czechoslovakia. He graduated from the gymnasium with a gold medal.

Then, he studied geological engineering at the Sorbonne University in Paris, from which he graduated in 1928.

Afterwards, in 1929, he graduated from the Ecole Superieure des Petroles at the University of Strasbourg with a degree in geophysics. Thus, he became a competent and noted geophysicist.

Beginning of working career

Upon graduating, Theodore found work in Algeria and in Morocco, where he was exploring possible iron ore deposits.

In 1933, again in France, he held a position as director of a company.

Theodore I Koulomzine

While he was in Paris, Theodore met his future wife Princess Maria Nikolayevna Shcherbatoff, who was living likewise in exile in Western Europe.

Early life of Princess Maria Nikolayevna Shcherbatoff

In 1905, Princess Maria Nikolayevna Shcherbatoff was born in Lubny, Poltava Governorate, Russian Empire (later, Ukraine), to Prince Nikolai Borisovich and Alexandra Mikhailovna (born Perovskaya-Petrovo-Solovovo) Shcherbatoff (they had been married in Berlin, Germany, in 1898). Besides Maria, there were 2 elder brothers, Oleg (1900-1928) and Gleb (1901-1966) from this marriage.

Their father had been a government official, who represented the Poltava Zemstvo of the Poltava Governorate in the Council of Ministers of the Russian Empire in Saint Petersburg.

Revolution, exile

After the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, he and his family fled to the south.

Bereavement

In 1918, Alexandra Mikahilovna fell asleep in the Lord in Kislovodsk in the North Caucasus region.

In bereavement, the the family continued their flight to Western Europe. They settled in Germany. Later, Maria’s father married Evgenia Georgievna Ter-Azaturova.

It is not written in available sources where Maria Nikolayevna received her higher education, but her competence was demonstrated visibly during the course of her life.

Marriage

Theodore I Koulomzine was crowned in marriage with Maria Nikolayevna Shcherbatoff in Paris, France.

In time, they received from the Lord 4 daughters, Olga, Alexandra, Anna, and Catherine.

Emigration

In 1934, Theodore and Maria Koulomzine emigrated from France, since Theodore had received an opportunity to work in Canada.

They sailed from Cherbourg, France, to Charlesbourg, Québec, Canada. They arrived 15 June, 1935.

Val-d'Or

From Charlesbourg, Theodore and Maria settled at Val-d’Or, Québec.

It was there that all their daughters were born, and there that they all received their primary and secondary education.

Theodore Koulomzine and mining

In Val-d’Or, Theodore came to be considered one of the pioneers in mining exploration discoveries, and in exploration geophysics in Québec.

He was a co-founder of “Koulomzine, Geoffroy, Brossard & Co” in Val-d’Or, where he worked until 1959. Theodore Koulomzine, Paul René Geoffroy, and Leo Brossard were key figures in the exploration geophysics of early mining in Québec. Theodore and Paul had received their degrees from universities in France, and Leo from the University of Montréal, and the University of McGill.

The firm played a pivotal role in advancing geophysical methods in mineral exploration, particularly through their work on the Mogador Pluton, an intrusive rock body identified using geophysical surveys and drilling. Their 1948 and 1960 reports documented magnetic surveys and drilling results, linking the pluton to low gold values in quartz veins.

Theodore was a founder of 2 other such companies as well. They all specialised in geophysical and geological exploration. Under his leadership 470 sites with the potential to discover mineral deposits were explored. In the region of Val-d’Or, he began developing copper, gold, zinc, and nickel deposits, and the town of Val-d’Or began to grow quickly.

During this process, he developed his own methods for surveying and exploratory drilling, for which he received several patents.

In time, Mrs. Maria Koulomzine became active in Theodore’s business activities. Moreover, she became known as being the leader of the Russian community in northeastern Ontario and northwestern Québec.

Move to Montréal

In 1959, Theodore I Koulomzine became Professor and Chairman of the Department of Geophysics at the École Polytechnique de Montréal.

From 1963 to 1972, Theodore headed the Department of Geophysics at the École Technique Supérieure in Montréal.

As professor, he made a remarkable impression on several generations of students.

As an innovator, he obtained patents in 1951 and1952 for magnetometers, and in 1958 for a borehole electrical method.

He published 23 scientific articles in English, French, and German.

Emergency and rescue

In August, 1968, Theodore and Maria travelled to Czechoslovakia for a geological conference in Prague, at which Theodore presented a paper. The conference was the 23rd International Geological Conference. It had been intended at this conference to establish also the Society of Geology Applied to Mineral Deposits (SGA).

However, while Theodore and Maria were there, on 21 August, 1968, the army of the Warsaw Pact of the Soviet Union invaded and overcame Czechoslovakia. The conference was cancelled on 23 August. They were trapped there briefly. However, with help, they managed to make their escape by walking in hiding through forests to the border. They managed to return home in safety, to the great relief of their family.

At home, Theodore was a member of the Society of Engineers of Québec, the Canadian Society of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers, the Canadian Geological Society, the Society of Geophysicists, and the Russian Academic Group in the United States of America.

Theodore Koulomzine and the Orthodox Church in Québec

At the time of his arrival in Canada with his wife, there were at that time 3 Russian Orthodox Churches in the Province of Québec, all in Montréal. These were Saints Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Church (1907), Saint John of Sochava Orthodox Church (1911), and Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church (1927) ) in Montréal, Québec. There were also 1 Greek Orthodox parish, Evangelismos, and 2 Antiochian Orthodox parishes, Saint Nicholas, and Saint George.

When they wished to attend services, it was necessary to travel from Val-d’Or to Montréal. This continued throughout World War II. After the end of the war, there began an immigration of Russian- and Ukrainian-speaking refugees from Europe (as well as other Orthodox Christian migrants), and many of them arrived in the Abitibi-Témiskamingue region to work.

At about the same time, in 1948, Archpriest Oleg Boldireff arrived from France, and he was assigned to serve as Rector of Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral (as it was by then designated). Father Oleg had an energetic pastoral disposition, and he was ready to try to extend pastoral service as possible to the many Orthodox Christians who had been arriving. The first fruit of this was the establishment of the Holy Trinity Church in Québec City in 1950.

In the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region, this pastoral care began seriously with the construction of the first Temple of Saint Nicholas in the town of Val-d’Or in 1953. However, the construction did not stop there. In the following year, 1954, other temples were established : Saint George in Rouyn-Noranda, Holy Transfiguration in Kirkland Lake, Ontario, and Saints Peter and Paul in Kearns, Ontario.

It was written that Mrs. Maria Koulomzine was a "driving force" in the establishment of this series of parishes, and most particularly in Val-d’Or.

Saint Nicholas, Val-d'Or

Saint George, Rouyn-Noranda

Holy Transfiguration, Kirkland Lake

Bereavement, Repose of Maria

On Friday, 15 October, 1971, Maria Nikolaevna (born Shcherbatova) Koulomzine fell asleep in the Lord at the Montréal General Hospital in Montréal, Québec. She had been ill for a long time (as reported in “The Val-d’Or Star”).

On Saturday, 16 October, 1971, at 8:00 p.m., a Panikhida (Memorial Service) was offered for the newly-departed Maria Koulomzine in the chapel of Blythe Bernier Funeral Home, 3682, Park Avenue, Montréal

At 2:00 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, 17 October, 1971, the body of Maria Koulomzine was transferred to Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, after which there was a period of visiting. At 8:00 p.m., a Panikhida (Memorial Service) was offered in the cathedral for the newly-departed servant of God Maria.

On Monday, 18 October, 1971, at 10:00 a.m., the Funeral Service for the Burial of a Lay-person was offered at Saints Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Montréal, Québec, for the newly-departed servant of God Maria.

Following the funeral obsequies, the body of Marie Koulomzine was transferred for interment in the Saint Seraphim Russian Orthodox Cemetery at Rawdon, Québec, north of Montréal.

Marie was survived by her husband Theodore, by her children, Olga (born Koulomzine) Howe, Anna Theodorovna Koulomzine, Catherine Theodorovna Koulomzine, Alexandra (born Koulomzine) Kishkovsky, and by her siblings Oleg Nikolaevich Shcherbatov, and Gleb Nikolaevich Shcherbatov.

Blythe Bernier Funeral Home was entrusted with the arrangements.

Burial Cross for Maria

Repose of Theodore

On Monday, 1 May, 1972, Theodore I Koulomzine fell asleep in the Lord in the Montréal General Hospital in Montréal, Québec.

On Wednesday, 3 May, 1972, the body of Theodore I Koulomzine was taken to Saints Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Montréal, Québec. At 2 p.m., a period of visitation began. At 8:00 p.m., a Panikhida (Memorial Service) was offered at the cathedral for the newly-departed Theodore I Koulomzine.

On Thursday, 4 May, 1972, at 10:00 a.m., the Funeral Service for a Lay-person was offered for the newly-departed Theodore I Koulomzine.

Following the completion of the funeral obsequies, the body of Theodore I Koulomzine was transferred to Rawdon, Québec, for interment in the Saint Seraphim Russian Orthodox Cemetery there, next to the grave of his late wife. Arrangements were entrusted to M A Blythe Bernier Funeral Directors.

Theodore I Koulomzine was survived by his daughters Olga, Anna, Catherine, and Alexandra. He was survived also by his siblings Elizabeth, Nikita, and George ; and by his grand-children Peter and Sophia.

Burial Cross for Theodore

Reflections

The geological and geophysical work of Dr. Theodore I Koulomzine continued to have effects into the following century. In 2025, “Mosaic Minerals” acquired the “Golden Island” project at Val-d’Or, a project which “consists of 31 contiguous claims located in Tiblemont Township, NTS map sheet 32C06, near Senneterre in Abitibi-Témiscamingue”. This property had been prepared by Dr. Koulomzine in 1932, and its development had begun ; but it was abandoned in 1939 with the beginning of World War II.

Although this statement is but one indication of the fruits of the labours of Dr. Theodore I Koulomzine, very many of them are not visible. These invisible fruits are found, for instance, beyond such practical applications, in the lives of those with whom he worked, and of those who became his students in Montréal.

One cannot ignore the very great benefit to the souls of faithful Orthodox Christians whose lives were supported and strengthened through his labours in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region of Québec and Ontario. This came through the work he undertook in establishing 4 Orthodox Christian communities in that region. Of course, it was supplemented greatly by the priests who served these communities.

It must be noted that although people moved away from the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region when mining fell on hard times, mining did again begin to arrive in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Slavs and other Orthodox Christians returned to mining, and interest returned about reviving the 2 parishes in Québec. Even before this, Hieromonk Georges (Leroy) had arrived in the region and established a hermitage and chapel at Amos.

References

Geni.com record of Feodor Y Koulomzine

Geni.com record of Maria N Koulomzine

The obituary of Marie N Koulomzine was published in the Montréal Gazette newspaper, 18 October, 1971.

The obituary of Theodore I Koulomzine was published in the Montréal Star newspaper, 3 May, 1972, p. 92.

Religious Russian People Abroad record of Theodore I Koulomzine (in Russian)

Religious Russian People Abroad record of Theodore I Koulomzine (in English)

Additional information :

Aleksandrov E.A. “Russians in North America : A Biographical Dictionary” (Hamden ; San Francisco ; St. Petersburg, 2005), pp. 289-290.

Saints Peter and Paul Russian Orthodox Church (1907), Montréal, Québec.

Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, Val-d’Or, Québec

Saint George Russian Orthodox Church, Rouyn-Noranda, Québec

Holy Transfiguration Russian Orthodox Church, Kirkland Lake, Ontario

Église orthodoxe russe de Val-d’Or

Amos QC Hermitage and Chapel of Saint Mary-Magdalene 1990

Archdiocese of Canada (OCA)

The Orthodox Church in America (OCA)

Metropolitan Theophilus (Pashkovsky)

Metropolitan Leonty (Turkevich)

Archbishop Arseny (Chahovtsov)

Archbishop Joasaph (Skorodumov)

Bishop Antony (Tereshchenko)

Archbishop Nikon de Grève)

Bishop Anatoly (Apostolov)

Archbishop Sylvester (Haruns)

Archpriest Theodore Oustoutchenkov

Archpriest David Shevchenko

Archimandrite Goerges (Leroy)

Nikita and Sophia Koulomzin, Nyack, New York

Russian Wikipedia article about Prince Nikolai Borisovich Shcherbatov

Wikipedia article about Quebec's Abitibi-Témiscamingue region

Canadian Encyclopedia article about Val-d’Or, Québec

Findagrave reference about Theodore (Fedor) Iakovlevitch Koulomzin

Findagrave record for Maria N Koulomzin

Findagrave record for Georges Koulomzine

Findagrave record for Nikita Koulomzin

Findagrave record for Sophie Koulomzin

Findagrave reference about Prince Nikolai Borisovich Shcherbatov

Findagrave reference about Prince Gleb Nikolayevich Shcherbatov

Koulomzine, Theodore, and Brossard, Leo, “The Use of Geophysics in Prospecting for Gold and Base Metals in Canada” (1 October, 1947)

Geological Report on Mining Claims in La Corne Township, Abitibi, Québec (12 October, 1954)

Geological Report on the Québec Moly Mining Corporation (15 November, 1961)

Geological Report on the Nemrod Mining Company, Québec (27 March, 1963)

Facebook : “La Société d'histoire et de généalogie de Val-d'Or” (29 April, 2017)

“Mining exploration geophysics in Québec : Over 50 years of innovation” by Boivin, Marc (February, 2020)

Geological Report and photos on the “Golden Island Project” founded in 1932 by Theodore Koulomzine, Tiblemont Township, Québec (Fall, 2024)