Jean Liamine

This article constitutes a personal account by Jean Liamine about Maxime Kovalevsky (1903-1988), a major figure in Russian Orthodox liturgy in France. The author, son of the composer Ivan Liamine, shares his childhood memories from the years 1942-1944, a period during which he attended the Russian Orthodox parish of the Montagne Sainte-Geneviève in Paris with his father. He describes Kovalevsky as the center of a remarkable intellectual and spiritual circle, bringing together notably André Bloom, Vladimir Lossky and Léonid Ouspensky. The article highlights Kovalevsky's dual identity, deeply Russian yet open to the West, as well as his conception of liturgical chant as a living tradition and embodied theological teaching. Its contribution lies in the documentation of a foundational period for Francophone Orthodox liturgy, whose influence has extended to contemporary Catholic circles.