Vladimir Nikolaevich Megre (born 23 July, 1950 in Kuznichi village, Gorodnyansky District, Chernigov Region in Ukraine), the author of The Ringing Cedars of Russia book series, was a well-known entrepreneur. He spent most of his childhood with his grandmother Efrosinia Verkhusha, a village healer.
As a teenager Vladimir occasionally visited Father Feodorit, a priest of the Trinity-Sergiyev Monastery. Later he was shown there the picture «The One and Only» which he described in his second book before the picture was revealed to the world.