Elie Melia

Who was Elie Melia?

Fr. Elie Melia was a Georgian Orthodox priest and church historian.

Born in Kutaisi, he fled the Soviet regime to Paris where he was closely associated with local Georgian émigré community and later became a priest. He supervised the Georgian parish of St. Nino at Paris, participated in the Russian Student Christian Movement, and taught church history and theology at St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute. After World War II, he served at the St. Seraphim of Sarov Church at Colombelles, Calvados.

He is the author and coauthor of several works on Eastern Orthodoxy and the Georgian Orthodox Church.