Hieromonk Photius is a sensation not only in the world of music, but also in the world of Orthodoxy. Today he is the only clergyman who managed to achieve fame and popularity in the field of vocals.
Hieromonk Photius is an unusually modest person who is reluctant to discuss not only his successes, but also his biography, his path in Orthodoxy and on the stage. He decided not to come immediately to the project that brought him all-Russian fame, although he was invited there. The path in Orthodoxy was chosen by him in spite of the family, but with her tacit consent. So who is he - Hieromonk Photius, who conquered millions of hearts with his enchanting voice?
Biography of Hieromonk Photius
In the life of Hieromonk Photius, the name is Vitaly Mochalov. He was born in November 1985 in the city of Gorky (Nizhny Novgorod), in a family that is far from religion and art. The boy’s mother at one time graduated from music school, but she did not choose this direction as her main profession.
As a child, Vitaly was modest, close friendship with classmates he did not succeed. In parallel with general education, the boy received music, sang in the choir at the school and the local church, willingly attended classes at a church school.
After the 10th grade, Vitaly moved with his family to the German city of Kaiserslautern, where he went to study the basics of playing the organ, since there was a basis for this - he learned to play the piano in Gorky.
In Germany, Vitaly himself earned money - he played and sang at concerts, took part in church services in Orthodox churches. In 2005, the young man decided to return to Russia, as he could not get used to the alien European way of life and mentality. The desire to be useful to his homeland led him to the draft board - he wanted to serve in the army, but his vision problems did not allow him to choose this path.
Hieromonk Photius - the path in Orthodoxy
Having received a ban on military service, the young man went to one of the monasteries of the Kaluga region, took tonsure, and became a monk named Savvaty. In 2011, he received the rank of hierodeacon and the name Photius.
Two years later, Vitaly Mochalov became Hieromonk Photius. The higher clergy speaks of him as a diligent, inquisitive monk with a strong character. Father Photius took up the work of layout and design at the publishing house of St. Pafnutiev Monastery, he studied foreign languages, studied music and vocals, and these classes did not harm his faith.
Creativity in the life of Hieromonk Photius
In the life of Vitaly Mochalov, and then Hieromonk Photius, creativity always occupied a special place. Since childhood, he was passionate about music and vocals, tried to gain new knowledge in this area, but still chose Orthodoxy as his main life path.
At the St. Pafnutiev Monastery, he met with a unique vocal teacher - Viktor Tvardovsky, who developed an individual system of solo singing exercises for him.
Along with singing, music and serving the Lord, Photius is also engaged in other creative and educational areas - he has mastered the art of photography, learns foreign languages and is already fluent in German, English.
Hieromonk Photius sings in several languages - native Russian, English and German, Georgian, Italian and even Japanese. He did not initially plan to enter the big stage, but still sent an application for the show "Voice" and even received an invitation. In 2013, he did not dare to go to Moscow, but fate brought him to the capital, albeit a little later.
Hieromonk Photius in the project "Voice"
The first application of Hieromonk Photius, received by the project organizers in 2013, was approved, but the priest did not appear at the casting. The trip was supposed to be blessed, and Photius did not dare, did not dare to ask for blessings.
For two long years, he mused, shared doubts with spiritual mentors, and received their blessings. In 2015, Photius again sent his recording to the organizers of the Voice project, and it was again approved.
The goal of Hieromonk Photius was not fame and recognition. With his participation, he wanted to call on the Orthodox world to communicate through music, expand his borders, and he managed to do it.
Grigory Leps became both a vocal and a kind of spiritual mentor on the project for him - he was the only member of the jury to open his chair during the performance of an unusual participant and did not regret it at all.
Leps managed to understand his student, to choose for him that repertoire that does not contradict the Orthodox canons. Neither the mentor nor the contestant hoped for victory, but it happened - Hieromonk Photius reached the final, more than 70% of the project’s viewers voted for him.
Leps said that working with such an unusual ward was difficult, but very interesting - I had to follow certain requirements when choosing a repertoire, but despite this, I managed to try the forces of the contestant in different directions - from opera arias to vocal works in the style of "rock". Hieromonk Photius easily coped with all the tasks that his mentor gave him, and became the winner of the television contest.
