September 26 (September 13 according to the Julian calendar), 2023, marks the 100^th anniversary of Archbishop Pimen of Saratov and the Volga.

 

The future Archbishop Pimen (whose name in the world was Dimitrii Evgenievich Khmelevsky) was born in Smolensk on September 26, 1923. His father, Evgenii Mikhailovich Khmelevsky, was an attorney and his mother descended from the noble Lvov family.

• Archbishop Pimen (Khmelevsky) Archbishop Pimen (Khmelevsky)
• 1993-06-06. The Imperial Family in Saratov with Archbishop Pimen and other clergy 1993-06-06. The Imperial Family in Saratov with Archbishop Pimen and other clergy
• Archimandrite Pimen Archimandrite Pimen
• Archpriest Nicholas Agafonov Archpriest Nicholas Agafonov
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His parents raised him in the Orthodox faith and instilled in him a fervent desire to serve the Church, which was being persecuted by atheists

 

His parents died of starvation and privation during the Second World War, when the Germans were occupying Smolensk. Now orphaned, Dimitrii moved to Belorussia. On October 5, by decree of Metropolitan Panteleimon (Rozhnovsky)of Minsk and Belorussia, Dimitrii entered the Zhirovitsky Monastery, where, on February 16, 1944, the abbot of the monastery, Hegumen Bogolep (Antsukh), tonsured him a monk.

 

On October 27, 1944, Archbishop Vasilii (Ratmirov) of Minsk and Belorussia ordained him a hierodeacon. From 1946 to 1949, Fr. Pimen completed his education in pastoral and theological studies at the Minsk Theological Seminary. On May 20, 1949, Archbishop Pitirim (Sviridov) of Minsk and Belorussia ordained him a hieromonk (priest-monk) and awarded him the nabedrennik [a rectangular vestment worn on the hip with a strap over the shoulder—trans.].

 

In 1953, Hieromonk Pimen graduated from the Moscow Theological Academy with a Candidate’s degree in theology. He then began serving in the private chapel in the residence His Holiness Patriarch Alexis I of Moscow and All Russia.

 

In 1955, Fr. Pimen began serving in the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem, and on February 20, 1956, he was appointed the head of the Mission.

 

On March 27, 1956, on the Feast Day of the Feodorov Icon of the Mother of God, Hieromonk Pimen was elevated to the rank of archimandrite by the future Patriarch of Jerusalem (1957–1980) Benedicktos I (Papadopoulos), who, at that time, was the Archbishop of Tiberias.

 

In 1957, Archimandrite Pimen returned to Russia and became the abbot of the Holy Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra, while also teaching at the Moscow Theological Academy. This was a period of renewed persecution against the Church, but Archimandrite Pimen’s education, familiarity with the legal system, and personal qualities helped him prevent the closure of the monastery and protect the monks from oppression.

 

In 1964, the Holy Synod decided to elevate Archimandrite Pimen to the rank of Bishop and appoint him to the see in Saratov and the Volga, where he remained until his death. Shortly after his arrival in the eparchy, and despite the fiercest opposition from local authorities, Bishop Pimen succeeded in opening 5 churches that had been closed during the “Khrushchev Persecution.”

 

In 1968, Bishop Pimen was briefly transferred to the Astrakhan Eparchy.

 

In 1977, Bishop Pimen was elevated to the rank of Archbishop. With the beginning of “Perestroika” in the 1980s and into the early 1990s. Archbishop Pimen was earnestly involved in the reopening of churches and monasteries that had been closed in previous decades, and in the construction of new churches. He helped to restore the Saratov Theological Seminary (which had been closed in 1961); established a new journal, the Saratov Diocesan Gazette; and participated in public activities to protect the country’s natural and cultural heritage.

 

After the founding in 1991 of the separate Tsaritsyn (Volgograd) Eparchy, Archbishop Pimen’s title changed to “of Saratov and the Volga.”

 

Archbishop Pimen was known for his asceticism, humility, modesty, and courtesy toward all, and, at the same time, his firmness and courage in defending the rights of believers. He was a highly educated man, well versed in art, and collected recordings of classical symphonic and operatic works. Among his spiritual children were many prominent figures of Russian culture.

 

Archbishop Pimen’s health declined sharply in the last years of his life, but he never ceased to toil in the fields of his faith in Christ.

 

On June 6, 1993, on the Feast Day of the Holy Trinity, Archbishop Pimen solemnly welcomed to Saratov the Imperial Family, who were traveling along the Volga River. The warm memories of this meeting and of their prayers together are forever preserved in the hearts of the Head of the Romanoff dynasty, Grand Duchess Maria of Russia, Grand Duchess Leonida, and Grand Duke George. The memoirs of Archpriest Nicholas Agafonov (1955-2019), who also wrote a wonderful literary portrait of Archbishop Pimen, recount a funny and touching episode that took place during the visit of the Imperial Family to Saratov (see below).

 

In that same year, on December 10, 1993, Archbishop Pimen reposed in the Lord. His memory continues to this day to be honoured in Saratov: along with the usual commemorative church services, a conference takes place—The Pimen Readings—marking the day of his repose and dedicated to “understanding the historical experience of the Russian Orthodox Church, the role of Orthodoxy in the spiritual revival of the Russian nation, and identifying ways for effective collaboration between religious and secular research in the field of cultural and moral education in modern Russian society.”

 

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From the memoirs of Archpriest Nicholas Agafonov (1955-2019):

 

“There was a lot of bustle and commotion around the arrival of members of the Imperial House of Romanoff. They sailed down the Volga on a river cruise ship, visiting the cities along the way, each greeting them very warmly.

 

“They arrived in Saratov on the Feast of the Holy Trinity. Archbishop Pimen had already served the Divine Liturgy in the cathedral, which stands not far from the river station. After the service, he, along with a number of clergy, went down to the pier to meet the Grand Duchess and her son Grand Duke George.

 

“As the ship docked, an orchestra played, and then Archbishop Pimen (himself a hereditary nobleman) offered a welcoming speech in which he addressed His Imperial Highness Grand Duke George as the heir to the Imperial Throne. Then everyone walked together to the cathedral for a thanksgiving prayer service (moleben) for the health of the Imperial House of Romanoff.

 

Archbishop Pimen walked ahead of us and chatted with the Grand Duchess. I walked behind them with Grand Duke George, and next to him walked the rector of the Cathedral, Mitred Archpriest Evgenii Zubovich. He turned to the Grand Duke and asked,

 

“So, how old are you [using the informal form of “you”—trans.]?”

 

He replied, “I’m 12.”

 

One of the peculiarities of Archbishop Pimen was that he addressed everyone, without exception, from the mitred archpriest to the cleaning lady, only by the formal form of “you.” I don’t know how he heard Father Evgenii’s question, because there was a large noisy crowd of people all around, and especially since Archbishop Pimen was himself at that moment talking to the Grand Duchess, but he somehow heard the question anyway.

 

We accompanied the Grand Duchess and Grand Duke for the rest of their stay, and on the next day we served with the Archbishop in the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit for the altar feast. As we were sitting at the luncheon after the service, suddenly Archbishop Pimen turned and said:

 

“How dare you, Father Evgenii, address the Grand Duke with the informal “you”? What will they think of us in Europe: if Mitred Archpriests here are so uncultured as not to know how to speak to a Grand Duke, then what will they think of the rest of the people who live here?!”

 

Fr. Evgenii was confused and didn’t know what to say.

 

“Yes, well I,…I..”

 

“Yes, you what, Fr. Evgenii? What? Just imagine this picture: in ten years, Emperor George I of Russia comes to Saratov and asks us: where is the priest who was speaking so informally to me? And we, in order to divert anger from ourselves, say: Your Imperial Majesty, please do not be angry, here is his grave.”

 

At this point everyone burst out laughing and kept on laughing for a long time. The Archbishop himself laughed until he teared up. Father Evgenii at first shook his head in confusion, and then he began to laugh too—in my opinion, louder than anyone else.”

 

See the online version of Fr. Nicholas’s memoir (in Russian) here: https://www.mgarsky-monastery.org/omiliya/119

 

 

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NOTE: Archpriest Nicholas Viktorovich Agafonov was born in 1955 in the Urals into the family of an engineer. He spent his childhood on the Volga River.

 

After finishing high school in Stavropol-on-Volga (Tolyatti) and serving in the army, he entered the Moscow Theological Seminary in 1976.

 

On August 19, 1977, he was ordained a deacon by Archbishop Ioann (Snychyov) of Kuibyshev and Syzran in the Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God in Samara (Kuibyshev), and then served in the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in Stavropol-on-Volga (Tolyatti), where he formed a religious study group for young people.

 

In 1979, he was ordained to the priesthood and assigned as the rector of the Church of St. Michael in Kerensk (Vadinsk) in the Penza Eparchy. In 1982 he was transferred as rector of the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in Kuznetsk. In 1984, we was appointed the rector of the Church of St. Nicetas the Confessor of Midikion in Otradа (a part of the city of Tsaritsyn, present-day Volgograd). In 1985, he was transferred to the Kazan Cathedral in Volgograd.

 

In 1988, Fr. Nicholas entered the St. Petersburg (then still known as Leningrad) Theological Academy and served as the rector of the restored Church of the Archangel Michael in Oranienbaum (Lomonosov).

 

On July 18, 1992, by the resolution of the Holy Synod, Fr. Nicholas Agafonov was confirmed as the rector of the newly reopened Saratov Theological Seminary.

 

From 1995 to 1996, Fr. Nicholas served in the Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in the village of Vyazovka, in the Tatishchev district of the Saratov Region (presently the Church of the Nativity of Christ).

 

Beginning in 1997, he served as the rector of the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Paraskeva, and was head of Missionary Department of the Eparchy of Tsaritsyn (Volgograd).

 

From 2007 to 2009, Fr. Nikolas taught a course on basic theology at the Sretensky (Meeting of the Lord) Theological Seminary.

 

Fr. Nicholas reposed in the Lord in Samara on June 17, 2019, after a protracted illness.