Pavel of Taganrog was a 19th-century Russian Orthodox ascetic who lived a life of extreme piety and wandering. Born Pavel Pavlovich Stozhkov in 1792 to a noble family in Krolevetsky Uyezd, he rejected his wealthy upbringing to pursue spiritual devotion. After years of traveling to various monasteries, he eventually settled in Taganrog, where he lived as a humble hermit. Despite his high-born origins, he adopted the simple clothing and speech of a peasant, dedicating his remaining years to constant prayer and fasting.