Archimandrite
Saint Pimen (in the world, Peter Dmitrievich Myasnikov) was born on August 10, 1810, in the city of Vologda. His parents, Dmitry Afanasyevich and Avdotya Petrovna, came from a merchant family. From an early age, Peter began to read the Bible and often attended church, as his father was a church elder.
At the age of seventeen, he read the book "Spiritual Alphabet" and decided to renounce the world. In June 1832, Peter entered the Novozersky Kirillov Monastery, and in 1833, he moved to the Holy Vvedensky Optina Monastery, where he became a cell attendant to Hieromonk Ilarion. In 1834, Hieromonk Ilarion was appointed the abbot of the Nikolai-Ugresh Monastery, taking his disciple Peter with him.
On March 26, 1838, Igumen Ilarion tonsured Peter into the mantle, naming him Pimen, and in February 1839, he was ordained to the rank of hierodeacon, and on April 25, 1840, to the rank of hieromonk. On October 16, 1853, Pimen was elevated to the rank of igumen and appointed the abbot of the monastery.
On August 24, 1858, Metropolitan Filaret of Moscow elevated Igumen Pimen to the rank of archimandrite for his outstanding contributions to the organization of the monastery. At that time, through the efforts of Father Pimen, five churches were built, all consecrated by Metropolitan Filaret. In 1869, Archimandrite Pimen was appointed the dean of communal monasteries of the Moscow diocese. The righteous repose of Archimandrite Pimen occurred on August 17, 1880.
