René Dorenlot

This article presents the spiritual testimony of Father René Dorenlot, an Orthodox priest who died in November 2023 at the age of 103. In the form of a dialogue, it traces his autobiographical journey from his condition as an agnostic physician to his ordination in the Orthodox Church. The interview reveals how the question of the meaning of existence, particularly that of suffering, constituted the driving force of his spiritual quest. Father Dorenlot sets out the stages of his conversion and the circumstances that led him to embrace the priestly ministry. This document constitutes a source for the history of Orthodoxy in France in the twentieth century, illustrating a type of intellectual and spiritual journey marked by the transition from agnosticism to Eastern Christian faith. It also bears witness to the reception of Orthodoxy in French medical and scientific circles.