Father Pavel

This page is dedicated to the memory of Father Pavel Anatol'evich Adel'geim. Father Pavel was a Russian Orthodox priest at the Zhen Mironosic church in Pskov, Russia. Until early 2002, he also had a parish in the village Piskovichi, in the suburbs of Pskov, where he built and maintained an orphanage for destitute young people with serious problems.

In 2002, he published the book "Dogmat o Cerkvi v kanonakh i praktike", at a small publishing house in Pskov. The book was re-published in St. Petersburg. He was known as an outspoken and courageous critic of privilege and hierarchy, in the Church as well as in the State.

Below, you will find a description of Father Pavel, as I met him in 1983, and of his life story. My account was originally written in 1986, and at the time it seemed advisable to give Father Pavel a pseudonym. Not very originally, I called him Father Peter.

The picture to the right shows Father Pavel standing outside his church in Pskov in the spring of 1983.

Click here to read the English version of the text.
Click here to read the Russian translation of the text.

In 2013, Father Pavel was tragically knifed to death by a young man who was later arrested. For a short account of the murder, see this link. For an account of Adelgeim's funeral, see this link.

Click here to read about Father Pavel in "Kontinent" (in Russian).
The article describes some of the problems Father Pavel has faced, gives a short autobiography, an extract from his book, and details on the debate his book has occasioned.

Click here to see a site devoted Father Pavel and his book (in Russian).
The site contains the full text of the book, links to a wide range of information on Father Pavel's ongoing fight, as well as related texts.