Early Life and Monastic Career
Pitirim was born in Vyazma and given the name Procopius at baptism. According to his life, he was a devout child who learned to read and write early, attended the church services, and formed the habit of prayer, taking particular delight in the writings of the holy Fathers and the Lives of the Saints. He was also endowed with artistic talent, occupying himself with the painting of icons and with church singing.
At about the age of twenty-one he entered the Monastery of Saint John the Baptist at Vyazma, a community noted for its strict rule, where he received monastic tonsure and the name Pitirim. His ascetic manner of life won him the respect of the brethren, who chose him igumen, and in 1684 he was raised to the dignity of archimandrite.
Episcopate at Tambov
Nominated to the episcopate on September 1, 1684, Pitirim was consecrated Bishop of Tambov by Patriarch Joachim on February 15, 1685, and governed the diocese under the Church of Russia until his death in 1698. Tambov was a poor frontier region, recently settled and surrounded by peoples who had not yet embraced Christianity, including the Mordovians and the Cheremis.
As archpastor he worked to build up the church life of his diocese. He constructed a two-story stone cathedral in honor of the Transfiguration, established a school for clergy and a spiritual library, and founded monastic communities. He was constantly concerned with the return of schismatics and dissenters to the Orthodox Church; according to his life, his deep piety, active compassion, and patient discourse disposed many to trust his word and led them to the Faith.
Monastic Foundations
Among Pitirim's foundations was the Tregulaev Monastery of Saint John the Baptist, which he built together with Saint Metrophanes (Mitrophan) of Voronezh. In 1690 he founded the Ascension women's monastery, of which his sister Katherine became the first abbess.
Relics and Shrines
Saint Pitirim was buried in the lower level of the Savior-Transfiguration cathedral at Tambov. Pilgrims sought his intercession at his tomb, where healings were reported, and from 1819 records of such miracles were kept.
Glorification
On July 28, 1914, more than two centuries after his repose, Pitirim, called a wonderworker, was numbered among the saints. He is commemorated on July 28.
