Aleksander (Paulus) (1872-1953)

Guardian of the Independent Estonian Orthodox Church

Metropolitan Aleksander (Paulus) was the first leader of the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church (EAOC): his dedication to the Church, education, and national self-awareness helped shape the face of Estonian Orthodoxy in the twentieth century. His sermons and theological reflections reflect a profound spirituality, the importance of the Church’s mission, and a sense of responsibility towards parishioners.

Aleksander Paulus was born on 14 February 1872 in Oriküla, Pärnu county. His childhood was spent in poverty - at the age of five, he was orphaned when his father drowned during a nighttime river crossing. The family thus lost its sole breadwinner. However, his mother did her best to ensure that he received an education. Aleksander’s education began in the Saalema parish school and continued in the Vändra parish school, whence he went to study at the Riga seminary in 1887. He graduated in 1894.

Metropolitan Aleksander’s clerical career began as a parish schoolteacher in Lees, Harju county: he then moved to the parishes of St Nicholas in Kolga-Jaani and St John the Forerunner in Viljandi. His wife Sinaida (nee Roost, 1880-1909), whom he married before becoming a priest, died young. They had two children: a son, Aleksander, and a daughter, Tamara. In 1901, he was ordained as a deacon and then as a priest. He served in various parishes, including Kõrgessaare, Karksi-Nuia, Laiuse, Pärnu, and Surju. His ministry was marked by a commitment to preaching, teaching, and parish work: his generosity and cordiality made him highly respected by his parishioners.

Metropolitan Aleksander was remembered by his contemporaries as a deeply religious, gentle, and dedicated clergyman whose personal example inspired many. Timotheus Grünthal, a member of the Estonian parliament in the interwar years for the Labour Party, highlighted Aleksander’s uncompromising loyalty to the autonomy of the Church and its spiritual mission, even in the most difficult times. Archpriest Joann Ümarik described him as an empathetic pastor whose greatest virtue was heartfelt care for his parishioners and colleagues, although he could sometimes show excessive leniency when screening candidates for ordination. Elga Eliaser stressed his patriotism and humility - he never sought recognition, but won it with his poise and peacefulness.

In 1919, the Estonian Orthodox parishes began to move away from the Russian Orthodox Church. On 10 May 1920, Patriarch Tikhon (Bellavin) of Moscow recognised limited autonomy for the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church. On 5 December 1920, Aleksander was consecrated as archbishop of Tallinn and all Estonia. In 1923, the Estonian Orthodox Church entered the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and received a tomos of autonomy: Aleksander was promoted to metropolitan.

Under the leadership of the new metropolitan, the structure of the Estonian Orthodox Church was developed, new parishes established, and the preparation of local Orthodox clergy strengthened. His tenure from 1920 to 1939 can be considered the EAOC’s heyday, with parish life becoming more active and new forms of social outreach being established: in 1939, for instance, a youth centre was established, appointing individuals responsible for youth work to each parish. In 1940, a new service book was printed. A seminary tasked with educating the next generation of Estonian Orthodox pastors was opened at the Pechory monastery in 1933. During Metropolitan Aleksander’s tenure, 15 new Orthodox churches were built; 16 deacons and 113 priests were ordained, some of whom, like Roman Tang and Ioann Alekseev, became bishops in the Soviet era. In addition, the metropolitan participated in the consecration of ten bishops, including four in Estonia, two in Finland and three in Latvia.

Metropolitan Aleksander played an important role in developing contacts with the neighbouring Orthodox Churches of Finland and Latvia. In the 1930s, regular consultations began between the bishops of these Churches: these were based on Aleksander’s previous participation in the Finnish Synod of Bishops with his colleague Bishop Herman (Aav) of Helsinki, himself an Estonian. The first of these regular consultations took place in Sortavala in 1937, where it was decided to intensify cooperation in the harmonisation of liturgical practices, calendar matters, the training of clergy, and the standardisation of baptismal names. At the meeting in Pechory in 1938, cooperation between clerical educational institutions was intensified, the organisation of religious education in schools was discussed, and the need to contribute to the translation of worship texts in local languages was stressed. It was also decided to set up a centre for the coordination of ecumenical cooperation, and it was proposed to establish a joint representation of the Baltic countries and Finland in ecumenical relations. Between 1933 and 1938, the bishops of all three churches attended the consecrations of new members of the episcopate. Thus, Metropolitan Aleksander participated in the consecrations of Aleksander (Karpin, made the bishop of Vyborg in 1935), Augustīns (Pētersons, made archbishop of Riga in 1936), and Jekabs (Karps, made bishop of Jelgava in 1936).

During the Soviet occupation of Estonia, which began in June 1940, the Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church was subordinated to the Moscow Patriarchate, which essentially meant that the Church’s autonomy was lost. Metropolitan Aleksander remained in office as the bishop of Tallinn, but his activities in the patriarchate’s Baltic exarchate were restricted. During the German occupation (1941-44), however, he succeeded in restoring the autonomy of the EAOC and its connection with the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

In the autumn of 1944, as the Soviet troops approached, Metropolitan Aleksander, together with 24 clergymen, evacuated to Sweden via Germany. In exile, he continued to actively lead the Church: he organised an administrative structure, established parishes in Sweden, Germany, and elsewhere, and in 1948 appointed a Provisional Synod to ensure the canonical continuity and coherence of the Church. Under his leadership, hymnbooks were printed, missionary materials created, and links with diaspora communities maintained. He tenaciously upheld the Estonian Church’s membership in the Ecumenical Patriarchate and opposed attempts to join the Moscow Patriarchate, considering it a threat to both spiritual freedom and national self-determination.

Metropolitan Aleksander died on 18 October 1953 in Stockholm and was buried in a local cemetery. Towards the end of his life, he expressed the wish to repose in the soil of his homeland. This was fulfilled in 2024, when his remains were brought to Estonia and reburied in the Transfiguration Church in Tallinn. His tomb today is a tribute to his life’s work and service.

Metropolitan Aleksander’s theological legacy reflects deep pastoral care, evangelical clarity and national responsibility. His dozens of homilies between 1920 and 1953, both in times of peace and crisis, were aimed at affirming Christian faith, hope, and love.

In Aleksander’s view, at the heart of the Christian faith was the redemption of Christ and man’s communion with God. For example, in his 1924 Easter sermon, the metropolitan compared the Resurrection to the coming of the light and warmth of spring, saying that Christ had risen as the sun of righteousness. He stressed the need for repentance, highlighting the faith of the thief on the cross and the guiding role of the Holy Spirit in the life of a Christian: in one of his Christmas sermons, the metropolitan contrasted the path of godliness with that of worldly desires, calling for a life in the light and at the command of Christ.

During national holidays, the metropolitan intertwined Christian faith with national self-awareness and moral responsibility. For example, in his addresses for Estonian Independence Day in 1921 and 1928, he stressed that national freedom was both a political and a spiritual task. In his addresses to young people, he called youth the spring of life and called for a strong spiritual foundation for all life. The metropolitan's missionary addresses were prominent. In 1925, he argued that the task of the Church was to uplift religious life, to revive the weary, and to warm cold souls.

In exile, the metropolitan continued his teaching activities, standing firmly for the autonomy of the EAOC. In his 1952 Easter epistle, he wrote: ‘Christ will not leave us, even when we are abroad, if we do not leave Him. The homeland may be occupied, but in the temple of the heart the risen Lord can still reign’. This eschatological emphasis - hope in Christ, regardless of temporal conditions - pervaded all his teaching.

The metropolitan’s messages combined doctrine, spiritual care, and patriotic responsibility. His messages remain resonant today for Estonian Orthodox believers.

Author

Father Andrei Sõtšov

SOURCES

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