Draft:Konstantin Anisimovich Pavlov

File:Konstantin Anisimovich Pavlov, Riga 1937.jpg

Konstantin Anisimovich Pavlov (Russian: Константин Анисимович Павлов, Latvian: Konstantīns Pavlovs) (May 27, 1907, Jēkabpils, Russian Empire – January 29, 1976, Riga, Latvian SSR) was a renowned Latvian-born iconographer and restorer. He was one of the founders of the first icon-painting workshop and a member of the Grebenshchikov House of Prayer in Riga, the world's largest Old Believer church. Pavlov was also a founding member of the study group [https://www.russkije.lv/en/lib/read/the-group-of-enthusiasts-of-russian-antiquity.html "Circle of Devotees of Russian Antiquity"], established on June 2, 1927.

Konstantin Anisimovich Pavlov was born on My 27, 1907 into an Old Believer family of Glikeriya Fedot'evna and Anisim Minovich Pavlov in Jēkabpils, Russian Empire. His younger brother Mikhail was born on may 27, 1910. Both brothers faced many hardships in their youth. Their father, Anisim Minovich, owned a small store near Brody, by Jēkabpils, and was a wealthy and compassionate member of the Jēkabpils Old Believer community. However, he passed away when Konstantin was only 6 years old. Their widowed mother, Glikeriya, struggled to raise her sons, but the people and the Old Believer community supported them. In 1925, Konstantin Pavlov moved to Riga and enrolled in a technical school, where he studied for two years. During this time, he lived at the Grebenstchikov House of Prayer, and served as a choir singer at the Uspenskaya Church from September 10, 1925, to December 7, 1926.{{Cite web |title=Russians in Latvia |url=https://www.russkije.lv/en/lib/read/the-group-of-enthusiasts-of-russian-antiquity.html |access-date=2025-04-08 |website=www.russkije.lv}}. After serving in the Latvian army, in 1930, K. Pavlov became a permanent singer at the Grebenstchikov House of Prayer and also became one of the first members of the study group [https://www.russkije.lv/en/lib/read/the-group-of-enthusiasts-of-russian-antiquity.html "Circle of Devotees of Russian Antiquity"], established in 1927 and an active participant in it.File:1933 photo of Konstantin Pavlov in the embroidered shirt.jpg

At the initiative of the members of the study group, in 1928, an icon-painting workshop was established at the Grebenstchikov House of Prayer. The iconographers in the workshop aimed to preserve the ancient Russian traditions of icon painting, as they saw these icons as a source of spiritual revival. The workshop worked in two directions: the restoration of ancient monuments and the study and revival of ancient iconographic traditions. From 1928 to 1930, the workshop’s artists studied under the famous and prominent iconographer [http://www.russkije.lv/ru/lib/read/pimen-sofronov.html?source=persons Pimen Maximovich Sofronov] (1898-1973), including [http://www.russkije.lv/ru/lib/read/g-rykovski.html?source=persons Yuri Rykovsky], [http://www.russkije.lv/ru/lib/read/yevgeny-klimov.html?source=persons Evgeny Klimov], and the professor of the University of Latvia and lawyer [http://www.russkije.lv/ru/lib/read/vasily-sinaysky.html?source=persons Vasily Sinaiisky]. In 1930, Konstantin Pavlov became a student of [https://www.russkije.lv/ru/lib/read/pimen-sofronov.html?source=persons Sofronov]. In 1931, [https://www.russkije.lv/ru/lib/read/pimen-sofronov.html?source=persons Sofronov] immigrated to Paris, then Prague, later Belgrade, Rome, and the USA, where he also established icon-painting workshops.

After the departure of his teacher, Pavlov continued working at the workshop. Here’s how Konstantin Anisimovich himself described this time: "I am only able to work properly and systematically here thanks to the Council of the Riga Grebenstchikov Old Believer community and [https://www.russkije.lv/en/lib/read/the-group-of-enthusiasts-of-russian-antiquity.html "Circle of Devotees of Russian Antiquity"], represented by [http://www.russkije.lv/ru/lib/read/i-zavoloko.html?source=persons I.N. Zavoloko]. I owe them everything. In this room where I live and work, [https://www.russkije.lv/en/lib/read/pimen-sofronov.html P.M. Sofronov] once lived. After all, he is my teacher. Now he lives in Yugoslavia with His Holiness Patriarch Varnava of Serbia, where he runs a large icon-painting workshop with more than 30 students, including Bishop John (Pechersky).Иконописец К.А. Павлов // Газета для всѣхъ, No. 13, 1936, p. 12. {{OCLC|831846997}}. https://id.oclc.org/worldcat/entity/E39PCjqQ4w947mwc6Xgbx4MVmd

In 1933, he restored icons at the [https://starover-pomorec.eu/starover/temples.php?country=latvia&page=2 Voitishskaya Old Believer Church]. In 1935-1936, the iconographer worked on restoring the iconostasis at the [https://ru.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A3%D1%81%D0%BF%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9_%D1%85%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BC_(%D0%95%D0%BB%D0%B3%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%B0) Old Believer chapel of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin] in Jelgava. At the same time, K. Pavlov received orders from private individuals. For example, in 1936, Pavlov completed an order from the American Vice-Consul [https://afsa.org/sites/default/files/fsj-1936-11-november-photo-supplement_0.pdf Leslie Gordon Mayer], painting the images of "St. Lawrence" and "St. Andrew the "First-Called".

In the 1930s, several articles about Pavlov were written in the Riga newspapers. He had a large collection of books, ancient icons, and photographs of ancient icons, which he carefully studied. Konstantin Anisimovich, like every Old Believer iconographer, was deeply moved by the words of Protopope Avvakum: "By God's permission, in our Russian land, there appeared iconographers who were unworthy of the art. They paint the image of Christ the Savior – the face is swollen, the lips are red, the hair curly, the hands and feet fat... Everything is painted by carnal thought, because the heretics themselves love bodily fatness and refute the upper parts…"Е.Квесит. Молодые рижские русские художники-иконописцы. // Газета "Сегодня", No. 63, 1935 - p. 4 - K. Pavlov quoted this excerpt from the writings of Proto-Priest Avvakum in a conversation with a correspondent. {{OCLC|50159356}}.

Master of Arts, Victoria Alexandrovna, on Konstantin Anisimovich’s iconography: "K. Pavlov… did not aim to paint saints to emphasize their earthly, bodily beauty. But following the traditions of ancient icon painting, he sought to depict the faces of saints so that the one praying could approach an understanding of the Divine and see the beauty of Heaven, the beauty of the image of God. It is also worth noting that, in accordance with the Pomor tradition of icon painting, Pavlov painted faces with ‘moderate delicacy,’ i.e., in the depiction of saints, he avoided excessive, intrusive asceticism, as well as the puffiness and corpulence that Protopope Avvakum noticed in icons painted in imitation of Western painting of the 17th century. Often, Pavlov’s style also had a graphic character: the lines were clear, straight, dry, sometimes harsh. But Pavlov always painted strictly within the framework of the canon and iconography developed by Byzantine and ancient Russian iconographers (before the 17th century)."{{Cite book |last=Барановский |first=Василий |title=Староверие Балтии и Польши : краткий исторический и биографический словарь |publisher=Aidai |year=2005 |isbn=9789955656043 |location=Vilnius |pages=274–275 |language=ru}},{{Cite journal |last=Александрова |first=Виктория |date=2005 |title=Иконописец Константин Анисимович Павлов |oclc=642698476 |journal=Поморский Вестник |issue=18 |pages=8 |via=Publisher: Старообрядческое общество Латвии, Riga}}

In the 1930s, K.A. Pavlov was also involved in teaching and educational activities: he gave lectures as part of the program of the study group [https://www.russkije.lv/en/lib/read/the-group-of-enthusiasts-of-russian-antiquity.html "Circle of Devotees of Russian Antiquity"]and delivered two courses of lectures – "Basic Concepts of Faith" and "The History of Iconography" in a Sunday school for both children and adults at the Grebenstchikov community.

File:Konstantin and Ludmila Pavlov 1938.jpg

In October 1938, K.A. Pavlov married Ludmila Trifonova (1920, Riga, Latvia - 1988, Plainfield, NJ, USA), the youngest daughter of a well-known wealthy Riga landlord and former chairman of the Grebenstchikov House of Prayer Council, [https://zarubezhje.narod.ru/tya/T_142.htm Ananij Yerofeyevich Trifonov] (1851-1937) (Russian: Ананий Ерофеевич Трифонов).

The couple had two sons: Daniel Carl Pavlov (Russian: Даниил Константинович Павлов) (December 16, 1940, Riga, Latvia - November 10 2010, New Paris, Pennsylvania, USA) and Vladimir Pavlov (1943, Riga, Latvia - 1950, Augsburg, Germany) Soviet and Nazi occupations separated the family forever. Ludmila, along with her two young sons, her mother Anna Leontjevna Paija (née Terentjeva) (1895, Riga, Russian Empire - 1962, Plainfield, NJ, USA, [https://www.hollywoodmemorialpark.com/ Hollywood Cemetery]) and her step father, Voldemars Paija (1889 - 1976, Plainfield, NJ, USA) fled to Germany in 1943 before the second Soviet occupation of Latvia. After the death of her younger son Vladimir, on January 20 1950, in Augsburg, Germany, the family boarded the transport ship USS General R.M. Blatchford on October 13, 1950, and arrived at Ellis Island, New York, on October 24 1950. Ludmila and Daniel later arrived to the train station in Summit, NJ, where they were welcomed and assisted by a group of volunteers from the "[https://www.dar.org/ Daughters of American revolution]".

To avoid being drafted into the Latvian legion, Pavlov worked as a draftsman at the railway administration. However, this did not help. He could not escape conscription. After Germany's surrender, the Soviet authorities exiled K.A. Pavlov to Vorkuta GULAG. Fortunately, his medical knowledge proved useful, and he was able to become a feldsher (medical assistant) in the camp. Having practically never fought against the Soviets and never held a weapon, he was soon released in 1947. He returned to his native Grebenstchikov community. However, Konstantin Anisimovich was greatly troubled by the lack of news from his family. He received no letters from his wife. When he asked for the return of at least one son, his wife refused, claiming he had allegedly died. He later learned that his wife and sons had permanently moved to the USA. A sense of doom and loneliness constantly tormented him, accompanied by feelings of paranoia. (From the memories of Maria Timofeevna Yanson (Emelyanova), a member of the Riga [https://www.russkije.lv/en/lib/read/the-group-of-enthusiasts-of-russian-antiquity.html "Circle of Devotees of Russian Antiquity"] and a former classmate of Ludmila Trifonova at the [https://www.russkije.lv/en/lib/read/the-government-russian-secondary-school-of-riga.html Lomonosov Gymnasium]).

In 1950, K.A. Pavlov returned to the Grebenstchikov community as a canonarch. He did not abandon icon painting but painted very little. In 1958, during the interior renovation of the Assumption Church of the community, Konstantin Anisimovich painted the image of the Lord Almighty on the ceiling of the church and the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the church vestibule.

In his final years, he almost stopped painting icons, which may have been explained by his mental state caused by depression, and persecution mania.

On January 25, 1976, Konstantin Anisimovich Pavlov passed away at the age of 69 in a hospital in Riga after suffering a stroke. He was survived by his brother, Mikhail; his wife, Antonina Pavlova; and his niece, Iya Asmolova. Having served at the Grebenstchikov House of Prayer for nearly 40 years, he was laid to rest at Ivanovo Cemetery in Riga, alongside the departed spiritual mentors of the of the Grebenstchikov community.

In 1933, Konstantin Pavlov restored icons in the church of the [https://starover-pomorec.eu/starover/temples.php?country=latvia&page=2 Voitish community] (Daugavpils district).

In 1934, at the request of Luka Konstantinovich Konstantinov, he painted a processional cross for the church of the [https://www.russkije.lv/en/lib/read/prayer-house-of-preili.html Vylcani Old Believer community] (Preiļi district). According to parishioners’ recollections, the acquisition of this cross became a true spiritual celebration for the local Old Believers. The cross was brought from Riga to the home of the patron in Vylcani, where the entire community first held a prayer service in honor of the Holy Cross. Then, in a solemn procession, they carried it to the church, where it was installed.

In 1935–36, he painted the iconostasis for the newly built Old Believer The Church of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary ( Uspensky Temple ) in Jelgava.

In 1938, Pavlov restored icons in the [https://www.russkije.lv/en/lib/read/k-pavlov-1.html Tiskadi Church]. In September 1938, the council of the [https://www.russkije.lv/en/lib/read/orthodox-church-in-tiskadi.html Tiskadi community] (Rēzekne district) decided to restore all the icons and the iconostasis. Iconographer K. Pavlov was invited to carry out the work. The restoration was successfully completed at a total cost of 580 lats.

By the late 1930s, Konstantin Anisimovich painted the central image "King of Kings" ("Christ Enthroned with Attendants") for the Puderov Old Believer Church (Rēzekne district), as well as icons for the newly built churches of the Skangali and Kostygi communities (Preiļi district). He worked extensively in prayer houses in the Daugavpils district, including painting the Apostolic tier of icons for the Niderkuni community’s church and creating icons for the Volodino community.File:Konstantin Pavlov restores the image of Jesus Christ in 1973.jpgIn the 1950s, he resumed his iconographic work and engaged in the restoration of icons at the Grebenstchikov House of Prayer. During this time, he created several rare iconographic works, including the image of "St. Martyr and Archdeacon Lawrence and St. Martyr Justina" for the family of Grebenstchikov community chairman and mentor Lavrenty Mikhailov, as well as the image of "Venerable Macarius of Zheltovodsk and Unzha, the Miracle Worker", featuring a finely detailed depiction of the monastery, among other works.

In the late 1950s, K. A. Pavlov painted a series of feast-day icons for the second tier of the central iconostasis of the Grebenstchikov House of Prayer.

In 1958, he completed a unique work—a 4x4 meter dome fresco of "Christ Pantocrator (Almighty)", along with ceiling paintings for the Grebenstchikov House of Prayer. The description of "Christ Pantocrator" is best captured by the words of the Apostle Paul: "God is a consuming fire." The Lord is depicted with a stern expression, reminding Christians of Judgment Day and the Second Coming. "Christ Pantocrator" is considered Pavlov’s last major work{{Cite book |last=Поташенко |first=Григорий |title=Культура староверов стран Балтии и Польши : исследования и альбом |publisher=Kronta |year=2010 |isbn=9786094010576 |location=Vilnius |pages=120–125}}.

The icons of Konstantin Anisimovich Pavlov are highly valued by Latvian Old Believers, but much of the iconographer's legacy has been irretrievably lost. In 1992, the church of the [https://starover-pomorec.eu/starover/temples.php?country=latvia&page=2 Voitish community] burned down. The iconostasis of the [https://www.russkije.lv/en/lib/read/k-pavlov-1.html Tiskadi church] was completely looted.

However, preserving what remains is the duty of today's Old Believers, so that the memory of a worthy successor to the great iconographers [https://www.russkije.lv/en/lib/read/g-frolov.html Gavriil Frolov] and [https://www.russkije.lv/en/lib/read/pimen-sofronov.html Pimen Sofronov]{{Cite book |last=Журавлев |first=Сергей |title=Русские иконы и иконописцы в Латвии (ХVIII в.-1944 г.) : сборник статей |work=Улей |year=2013 |edition=2nd |location=Riga |oclc=935335701}}, a devoted servant of Christ’s Church, is not forgotten{{Cite web |title=Александрова В. Иконописец Константин Анисимович Павлов |url=https://samstar-biblio.ucoz.ru/publ/166-1-0-595 |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=Книжница Самарского староверия}}.