Danilo Balaev, a Merchant of the First Guild‌
Danilo Balaev (1806–1879) was born into a peasant family in the Vladimir Governorate. He amassed his wealth through trade in grain, wine, sugar, and groceries, becoming the wealthiest man in Birsk and a renowned philanthropist by the mid-19th century.
In the early 1840s, Balaev, together with merchant Nikita Serebryakov, contributed 62,000 rubles to the reconstruction of the Mikhailo-Arkhangelsky Church on Galkina Hill. The construction was completed in 1845, and the church was consecrated on November 7, 1847, by Ioannikii, the Bishop of Orenburg and Ufa.
In 1874, Balaev funded the establishment of an almshouse, and in 1883, a school for girls was opened in the Troitskii Women’s Monastery. A capital of 3,000 rubles was bequeathed to the school for its maintenance.