Saint Martyr Pavel Nikolaevich Elkin was born on June 23, 1876, in the village of Shoshka. In his childhood, he was raised by his grandfather in Ust-Sysolsk. He graduated from the parish school, acquired skills as a blacksmith and locksmith in Petersburg, and then worked at a factory. Since 1918, he became a member of the VKP(b) and actively participated in establishing Soviet power in the Komi region, but in the late 1920s, he withdrew from public life.
He lived with his family in Kochpon, near the church. In the 1930s, his acquaintance with archbishops and clergymen, as well as the influence of his wife, the church warden, transformed his life. Personal relationships with Bishop German contributed to his conversion to faith.
On February 24, 1937, Pavel was arrested in the case of the 'Holy Brotherhood' and sentenced by the Troika of the NKVD of the Komi ASSR under Article 58.10 of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR, sentenced to the highest measure of punishment. The sentence was carried out on September 15, 1937.
On March 12, 2002, by the decision of the Holy Synod, he was canonized.
