Fr. Elie Melia (February 20, 1915 – 1988) was a Georgian

Georgia (country)

Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...

 Orthodox priest and church historian.

Born in Kutaisi

Kutaisi

Kutaisi is Georgia's second largest city and the capital of the western region of Imereti. It is 221 km to the west of Tbilisi.-Geography:...

, he fled the Soviet

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

 regime to Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

 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

St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute

The Institut de théologie orthodoxe Saint-Serge in Paris, France, or St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute is a private school of higher education in Orthodox theology, founded in 1925, in conformity with French legislation and the norms of European university education, accredited by the...

. After World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, he served at the St. Seraphim of Sarov

Seraphim of Sarov

Saint Seraphim of Sarov , born Prokhor Moshnin , is one of the most renowned Russian monks and mystics in the Orthodox Church. He is generally considered the greatest of the 19th century startsy and, arguably, the first...

 Church at Colombelle (Normandy

Normandy

Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...

).

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