According to historian Alexander Avdeyev, the future Patriarch Adrian was born in the last days of September 1638.

Adrian's life path before being appointed Archimandrite of the Chudov Monastery remains unknown.

[2] Already being a monk, he was known for his piety and virtues to Patriarch Joachim, who in 1678 appointed him Archimandrite of the Chudov Monastery.

Adrian's relations with the tsar were tense; however, he had to accept some of Peter's criticism about deficiencies in management of the Russian Orthodox Church.

He introduced a confession requiring bishops-elect to state that the epiclesis, rather than the Words of Institution, transforms the gifts at the liturgy into the body and blood of Christ.