Paulos 26 was a brother of Peter of Atroa (Petros 34): Vita Petr. Atr. 17, 18, 23, 25, 26, 43, 59, 84, 89, 96, 103. He was therefore a son of Kosmas 13 and Anna 3 (and cf. below). He was younger than Petros 34: Vita Petr. Atr. 2, pp. 69-71. He also had a sister, Anonyma 12: Vita Petr. Atr. 44 (p. 159). Uncle of Iakobos 4: Vita Petr. Atr. 103 (Vita Petr. Atr. Retractata, p. 157). His baptismal name was Christophoros: Vita Petr. Atr. 17, p. 107. During the reign of Leo V (Leo 15), Petros 34 revisited his home town of Elaia in Asia and made himself known to Christophoros (Paulos 26), who promptly left to join him and to become a monk; he was tonsured by Petros 34 in the latter's cave on Mt Hippos in Asia and given the name Paulos: Vita Petr. Atr. 17, pp. 107-109. Soon afterwards they both visited their mother (Anna 3) at Elaia during her last illness (cf. also Ioannes 97); they buried her with all honour and then returned to live a long time in hardship in the cave on Mt Hippos: Vita Petr. Atr. 18, pp. 109-111. Paulos 26 accompanied his brother Petros 34 when he visited Athanasios 3, still in the reign of Leo 15: Vita Petr. Atr. 23, p. 121, 25, p. 125, 26, pp. 125-127. At this time Paulos 26 was offered a bishopric by Lamaris 2 on condition that he joined in the condemnation of images but he refused: Vita Petr. Atr. 26, p. 129. When the persecution slackened under Michael II (Michael 10) and the scattered monks were reassembled by Petros 34 at the monastery of St Zacharias, Paulos 26 was made oikonomos of the monastery, a function which he performed while Petros 34 remained a contemplative in his cell: Vita Petr. Atr. 43, pp. 157-159 (καταστήσας Παῦλον τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ οἰκονόμον, σπουδαῖον πάνυ καὶ ἐνάρετον ὄντα, ὁμολογητήν τε καὶ κατὰ πάντα θεάρεστον, ὃς καὶ εὐσεβῶς τὰ τῆς μονῆς διοικῶν ἀνελλιπῆ τὰ πρὸς τὴν χρείαν τῶν ἐπιτηδείων αὐτὴν ἐτήρει), cf. 59, p. 181 (τῆς μονῆς οἰκονόμου - he asked Petros 34 to pray for a family who had lost thirteen children) and Vita Petr. Atr. Retractata 61, pp. 118-119 (καταστήσας αὐτοῖς οἰκονόμον καὶ φροντιστὴν τῶν πρὸς τὴν χρείαν Παῦλον τὸν αὐτοῦ ἀδελφόν). He was still oikonomos when Petros 34 on his deathbed named him as his successor as hegoumenos of the monastery of St Zacharias (Petros 34 died on 1 January 837): Vita Petr. Atr. 84, p. 221. Hegoumenos of the monastery after the death of Petros 34: Vita Petr. Atr. 89 (Vita Petr. Atr. Retractata, pp. 137-139), 96 (Vita Petr. Atr. Retractata, pp. 145-147), 97 (Vita Petr. Atr. Retractata, p. 147). He was head of the monastery for seven years; then (in 844) he received a summons from the patriarch Methodios 1 and the metropolitan of Nikomedeia Ignatios 6 to present himself at Constantinople for ordination as bishop; he was unwilling but after a vision from his brother Petros 34 he set out on the journey, naming Iakobos 4, nephew of himself and Petros 34, to be his successor; en route however he fell ill near Nikaia and died; the date was Sunday, 24 August 844 (Sabas 1 gives a precise chronology of the last few days of the life of Paulos 26 but dates his death to Saturday, 26 August; for a discussion of his chronological errors, see Laurent, Vita Retractata, intro., pp. 45-46); his corpse was brought back to the monastery by the monks who were escorting him and he was buried to the east of the monastery, outside the Church of St Zacharias; his remains later worked miracles and cures: Vita Petr. Atr. 103 (Vita Petr. Atr. Retractata, pp. 153-157).

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