Hieromonk Roman

Hieromonk Roman (Иеромонах Роман, secular name Alexander Ivanovich Matyushin, Александр Иванович Матюшин; born November 16, 1954, village Ryabchovsk, Trubchevsky District, Bryansk Oblast) is a Russian poet, singer-songwriter and hieromonk of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Alexander was born into a family of rural teachers. He graduated from the Philology Department at the University of Elista, then worked as a school teacher. In 1983 he was tonsured monk in the Pskov-Caves Monastery. In 1985, he was ordained. He served in the parishes of the Bryansk Oblast and in Kiev Pechersk Lavra.

Alexander began writing poetry in his youth. He published 19 books of poetry. He joined the Writers Union of Russia. Songs with Roman's lyrics are performed by Jeanne Bichevskaya, Oleg Pogudin, Sergei Bezrukov, Elena Vaenga, Maxim Troshin and others. According to Bezrukov, Roman does not recognize copyright and allows free reuse of his work.