AND the rites of the first Russian saints, the passion-bearing princes Boris and Gleb, are especially loved by our people. Many generations of our ancestors were brought up on them. Reading a touching story about young princes who wished to share the sufferings of Christ and voluntarily accepted death at the hands of murderers, the Russian people learned to accept the will of God, whatever it was, cultivated in their hearts the seeds of humility and obedience.
However, the historical outline of the events of that time is also interesting, which makes it possible to imagine the circumstances in which the characters that gave us this great example were formed. We offer our readers an article by the historian D. V. Donskoy, who studies the period Ancient Rus' and compiled the Dictionary of Russian Princes-Rurikovich.
The holy princes of Ancient Rus', primarily the princes of the Rurik dynasty, constitute a special, very numerous rank of saints of the Russian Church. Until the end of the 15th century, more than a hundred princes and princesses were canonized for general or local veneration. These are princes equal to the apostles, monks, martyrs and princes, glorified by their public service. The passion-bearing princes Boris and Gleb were not the first saints of the Russian land, but they are the first saints canonized by the Russian Church. The main sources of information about their life and veneration have been preserved by Russian chronicles, hagiographic works and various liturgical monuments.
Let's turn to historical realities. The beginning of the first decade of the XI century, the reign of the Grand Duke of Kyiv Vladimir Svyatoslavich, the Baptist of Rus', is coming to an end. He firmly guides the political ship of the Russian state, which occupies an important place in the system of interstate relations of that time. The chronicler emphasizes the friendly nature of Rus''s relations with its western neighbors: "with Boleslav Lyadsky and with Stefan Ougrsky and with Andrihom Cheshsky". However, the Grand Duke is concerned about his intra-family affairs.
At the end of his life, seventy-year-old Vladimir Svyatoslavich had eleven relatives and one adopted son by various wives; The prince had fourteen daughters. Two eldest sons - Svyatopolk (adoptive; † 1019) and Yaroslav († 1054), having matured, are trying to pursue their own policy. This greatly worries the Grand Duke, who, despite his father's feelings, harshly and even cruelly cracks down on troublemakers.
Assassins at the tent of Prince Boris
(up); assassination of Prince Boris
and Georgy Ugrin (below).
Miniature from Silvestrovskiy
collection of the 2nd half of the XIV century
The first, Svyatopolk, was imprisoned with his wife (daughter Polish prince Bolesław I the Brave of the Piast dynasty) and her confessor, Bishop Reinburn of Kołobrzeg, to prison. The second, Yaroslav, who sat on the reign in Veliky Novgorod since 1010 after the death of his elder brother Vysheslav, in 1014 refuses to transfer the usual tribute of two thousand hryvnias to Kyiv. The Grand Duke perceives this as an open rebellion and announces his intention to go to war against his son. In turn, Yaroslav, "fearing his father," brings the Varangian squads from across the sea.
The confrontation between sons and father ended with his death, which followed on July 15, 1015 in the princely residence in the village of Berestovo near Kiev. The body of the Grand Duke, wrapped in a carpet and, in accordance with custom, laid on a sleigh, according to the chronicles, is transported to Kyiv. Here the Grand Duke is buried in the stone church of the Assumption Holy Mother of God(Tithing), to which he generously donated throughout his life. According to the testimony of the German chronicler, Bishop Titmar of Merseburg, the marble sarcophagus of the Grand Duke stood "in plain sight in the middle of the temple."
Upon the death of his father, Prince Svyatopolk, as the eldest in the family, is released from prison and occupies the Kiev throne contrary to the plans of his stepfather, who intended Boris, one of his younger sons, to be his heir. Svyatopolk, by distributing generous gifts, is trying to win over the inhabitants of Kyiv to his side, at the same time he begins a bloody struggle against his half-brothers Vladimirovich.
Now let's turn to the brothers Boris and Gleb. The following is known about them. Boris (in baptism - Roman) Vladimirovich - the ninth son of the Grand Duke of Kyiv Vladimir Svyatoslavich and a certain princess, "Bulgarian". According to the Tver collection, compiled in 1534, he and his brother Gleb were the sons of another wife of Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich - Anna, daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Roman II (from the Macedonian dynasty; † 963). According to non-chronicle data, their mother's name was Milolika.
The date and place of Boris's birth are not known; he was baptized in honor of the Monk Roman the Melodist. As a child, Boris was very friendly with his younger brother Gleb (in baptism - David, in honor of the prophet David). The date and place of Gleb's birth are also not known.
Boris, taught to read and write, reads the lives of the saints, praying to God to "walk in their footsteps." The brothers love to do alms, following the example of their father, whose poverty is repeatedly reported in the chronicle. Boris also shows the same mercy and meekness when he reigns in his parish, where he is already married (“for the sake of the Tsar’s law and obedience for the sake of his father”), Grand Duke Vladimir Svyatoslavich sends him.
First, the prince was planted by his father in Vladimir-Volynsky (on the right bank of the Luga, the right tributary of the Western Bug), where Boris lives after his marriage. Then, according to non-chronicle data, he owns Murom (on the left bank of the Oka), but is located in Kyiv. And finally, from 1010, the Grand Duke transferred his son to reign in Rostov (on the northwestern shore of Lake Nero). Gleb has been reigning in Murom since that time.
In the spring of 1015, Boris is in Kyiv near his dying father, because "we love our father more than anyone else." The Grand Duke sends him at the head of an eight thousandth army to repel the attack of the Pechenegs. historical sources preserved a portrait of Prince Boris, a real warrior, who “the body was red and tall, the face was round the shoulders of the great tunkk in the loins of the eyes of goodness, the face was merry, the beard was small and mustache, it was still young”.
Having not met enemies, Boris turns back and, at a distance of one day's journey to Kyiv, on the Alta River (the right tributary of the Trubezh, near the city of Pereyaslavl-Russian), having set up camp, learns from the envoy about the death of his father. He is seized with a premonition that his older brother Svyatopolk, who by right of elder sat on the Kiev table, seeks to destroy him. But in the name of brotherly love, fulfilling the commandments of Christ, Boris decides to obey his brother and accept a martyr's crown, for power and wealth are transient. The governors from his entourage, on the contrary, advise him to go to Kyiv, start a fight with his elder brother for the Kiev table and become a grand duke. But Boris refuses, not wanting to "take his hands on his elder brother." The squad leaves him and, probably, goes over to the side of Svyatopolk, and Boris is left alone, only with his people: "and it was then a Sabbath day."
Vikings pierce the heart with a sword
Prince Boris (above); prince's coffin
Boris is being carried to his funeral (below)
In his tent on the river bank, on the eve of his death, the prince spends the night in prayer, then prays for Matins. On Sunday, July 24, he was overtaken by murderers, the Vyshgorod Bolyars, led by a certain Putsha, sent by Svyatopolk. The assassins burst into the tent and pierce Boris with spears. His faithful servant, Georgy, is “of Ugrin origin (Hungarian - Note. ed.)”, who tried to cover the prince, was killed on his chest. Having wrapped the body of Boris in a tent, the villains put him on a cart and take him to Kyiv. On the way, it turns out that Boris is still breathing, and two Varangians, Eymund and Ragnar, finish him off with their swords. The hat of Prince Putsha and other murderers present Svyatopolk as evidence of the accomplishment of villainy.
They bury Prince Boris in Vyshgorod, 15 versts north of Kiev, at the wooden church of St. Basil the Great, since the people of Kiev, for obvious reasons, fearing his half-brother Svyatopolk, “do not priash him.”
Having dealt with Boris, Svyatopolk, whose depth of fall knows no limits, decides on a second murder - his brother Gleb. Fear of revenge on the part of the surviving brothers, especially Yaroslav, fears for his throne and, last but not least, the audacity of despair push him to this new crime.
Svyatopolk sends a messenger to Gleb in order to lure him to Kyiv by deceit: “Go to the father’s side to call them, don’t hurt more Velmy.”
According to the chronicle and the anonymous "Tale of the Holy Martyrs Boris and Gleb", the prince travels by water, along the Volga and Dnieper, from his parish, from Murom to Kiev. Having reached Smolensk “in ships” and sailed about three miles downstream, Gleb moored to the left bank of the Smyadyn River (now dried up) at its confluence with the Dnieper. Unexpectedly, he receives news from Veliky Novgorod, from his brother Yaroslav, with a warning about an assassination attempt being prepared on him. This news does not stop him - he does not want to believe in the villainy of his brother Svyatopolk.
According to another version of events, according to the Monk Nestor the Chronicler, the author of "Reading on the Life and Destruction ... of Boris and Gleb", at the time of his father's death, Gleb is in Kiev and flees to the north ("there is another holy gate"), fleeing from Svyatopolk . He sails on a ship, sails to Smolensk (but only from the south) and also stops at Smyadyn.
On Monday, September 5, assassins sent from Svyatopolk appear. They capture the ship of Prince Gleb, and the combatant Goryaser, the messenger of the fratricidal Svyatopolk, orders one of Gleb's people, a traitor cook with characteristic name Torchin (that is, from the Torks, a Turkic nomadic tribe. - Note. ed.) to kill his prince. The body of the prince is buried on the shore "between two logs", that is, according to a simple peasant custom - in hollowed out logs, and not according to the princely one - in a stone sarcophagus.
The killers are waiting for Prince Gleb
(up); the murder of Prince Gleb (below)
At the end of the same or the beginning of the next 1016, the noble prince Yaroslav the Wise, having gathered a large army of a thousand Varangians and three thousand Novgorodians, goes to Svyatopolk, eager to avenge the innocently killed brothers. The posadnik Konstantin Dobrynich remains in Veliky Novgorod (died after 1034).
Svyatopolk, having learned about the approach of Yaroslav, in turn, attracts the Pechenegs to his side. The troops meet near the city of Lyubech (on the left bank of the Dnieper) and, separated by the river, wait for three months, not daring to start a battle. On the eve of the battle, Yaroslav receives news from his informant that Svyatopolk is barking with his retinue. He crosses the river to the right bank and unexpectedly attacks the enemy. Due to the fact that the lakes covering the position of Svyatopolk are covered thin ice, the Pechenegs cannot help him. Svyatopolk suffers a crushing defeat and flees to Poland to his father-in-law, Prince Boleslav I, and his wife is captured by Yaroslav. And then Yaroslav was 28 years old, the chronicler notes.
In the spring of 1016, Yaroslav enters Kyiv and occupies his father's throne. In 1017, he entered into an alliance with the German Emperor Henry II against Svyatopolk and Boleslav the Brave. In the same year, he goes to the city of Berestye (on the right bank of the Bug), where, according to some sources, Svyatopolk entrenched himself. Then he defeats the Pechenegs who approached Kyiv.
In the summer of 1018, the army of the Polish prince Boleslav, to whom Svyatopolk also joins, invades Rus' and on July 22 defeats Yaroslav on the Bug River. Yaroslav with only four husbands runs to Velikiy Novgorod, intending to further "run across the sea", however, the Novgorod posadnik Konstantin Dobrynich prevents him, and the Novgorodians "rake" his boats.
Wanting to continue the war with Boleslav and Svyatopolk, the Novgorodians collect money and hire a large army. Meanwhile, on August 14, Yaroslav's opponents enter Kyiv. Boleslav the Brave sends Metropolitan John I of Kyiv († circa 1038) to Veliky Novgorod with a proposal to exchange his daughter, who is in captivity, for Yaroslav's relatives captured during hostilities. The story of Merseburg Bishop Titmar specifies their composition: “There was the stepmother of the mentioned king (the widow of Father Yaroslav, her exact origin is unknown. - Note. ed.), his wife (her name Anna is known from later sources of the 16th century. - Note. ed.) and nine sisters; on one of them, Predslava, whom he had illegally sought before, forgetting about his wife, the old libertine Boleslav married. Yaroslav refuses this offer and at the same time sends an embassy to Sweden to the Swedish king Olaf Shetkonung († 1022) with a proposal to create an anti-Polish military alliance.
Construction of a five-domed church
(up); transfer of holy relics
to the newly built church (below)
Meanwhile, in the autumn of the same year, a quarrel occurs between Boleslav and Svyatopolk. Boleslav leaves Kyiv, taking with him the stolen goods, as well as the boyars of Yaroslav and his sisters. At the beginning of 1019, Yaroslav speaks from Veliky Novgorod. Upon learning of his approach, Svyatopolk flees from Kyiv to the Pechenegs, and Yaroslav again occupies the Kiev table.
In the same year, Svyatopolk, together with a large Pecheneg army, goes to Rus'. In the decisive battle on the Alta River, the site of the death of his brother Boris, Yaroslav wins a complete victory. His opponent runs to Berestye and soon dies a terrible death, which he deserves according to all the laws of God and man. Yaroslav, according to the chronicler, "here Kiev wiped sweat with his retinue, showing victory and great work."
Presumably in the summer of 1019, the Grand Duke of Kiev Yaroslav begins to collect information about the place of death of his brother Gleb. “According to the same flight (in 1020. - Note. ed.)" various witnesses report light and radiance at the murder scene on the Smyadyn River. Then Yaroslav sends priests to Smolensk with instructions to find the body of Gleb; upon acquisition, the body of Gleb is transported to Vyshgorod and buried next to the grave of brother Boris at the church of St. Basil, built by the father of the martyrs.
Once, at the burial site of the brothers, parishioners see a “pillar of fire” above the grave of the saints and hear “singing angels”, and then two incidents occur that became the beginning of the popular veneration of the passion-bearing princes. One of the Varangians "enter" out of ignorance on Holy place, where the princes were buried, then fire burst out of the grave and scorched the feet of the one who unintentionally defiled the holy place. Then a second sign occurs: the church of St. Basil, next to which the graves were located, burns down, but the icons and all church utensils are saved. This is perceived as a sign of the intercession of the martyrs.
The incident is reported to Yaroslav, who informs Metropolitan John I about it. And finally, the metropolitan comes in “awe and joy”, having believed in a miracle. Yaroslav and the metropolitan decide to open the princely tombs.
In Vyshgorod, where the burnt church stood, a small wooden chapel (“cage”) is being built, the shrines are solemnly opened, the newly acquired relics, which remained incorrupt, exude a fragrance. The coffins are brought "into that temple ... and I put it above the ground in the gums of the country."
Soon, two new miracles happen: a lame man - the youth of the city manager named Mironeg is healed after invoking the saints, and then the same thing happens to a certain blind man. Mironeg himself reports these miracles to the Grand Duke, who - to the Metropolitan. The metropolitan gives the prince “kindness pleasing to God”: to build a church in the name of the saints (“to reward the church with its name”), which is done. Then the relics from the "cage", where they still rested, are transferred to the newly built five-domed church and installed there. The day of their transfer, July 24, which coincides with the anniversary of the death of Boris, is declared a day of common memory of the princes and is included in church calendar. On the occasion of the holiday, the Grand Duke Yaroslav of Kiev arranges a feast.
Before us detailed story about the canonization of saints in all its stages, which is a rarity in Byzantine and Old Russian literature. After the first miraculous signs (fire from the grave, the fire of the church, in which its decoration and utensils did not suffer), which, due to their ambiguous nature, could not be immediately unconditionally attributed to genuine miracles, there is an assumption whether Boris and Gleb are saints. On this basis, the relics are raised and exposed for local, permitted by the Church, but not yet officially established veneration.
After some time and two subsequent miracles-healings, documented in detail and earned the confidence of the metropolitan, the latter, together with the Grand Duke, decides on canonization. In pursuance of this decision, a church is built in the name of the saints, an annual feast is established, and a service for the martyrs is compiled, which was either the personal work of Metropolitan John I, or the work of an unknown author who worked on the orders of Vladyka.
It remains to clarify the chronological detail - the year of the canonization of the holy princes Boris and Gleb. According to the testimony of St. Nestor the Chronicler, the healing of the lame takes place in the presence of Metropolitan John I and Grand Duke Yaroslav. Therefore, the miracle should be dated to 1039 at the latest.< . Поскольку акт перенесения мощей был совмещен с актом канонизации и приходился на праздничный день, на воскресенье, следует выяснить, на какие годы падает соотношение «24 июля - воскресенье» в период от середины 20-х до конца 30-х годов XI века. Юлианский календарь сообщает нам, что такими годами были 1026-й и 1037 годы.
Choice in favor last date obvious. Firstly, the year 1026 is too close to the events connected with the discovery of the remains and the beginning of the veneration of the holy princes Boris and Gleb. Secondly, it should be borne in mind that only after 1036, when with the death of his younger brother Mstislav (owner of the eastern Dnieper and the Left Bank) and the imprisonment (“in the cut”) of another younger brother, Prince Sudislav of Pskov, Yaroslav became an “autocrat » of the entire Russian land (excluding the Principality of Polotsk). By the same time, the establishment in Kyiv of a special metropolis of the Patriarchate of Constantinople (“the metropolis of the charter”), the opening of which was achieved by the Grand Duke of Kiev Yaroslav the Wise. The canonization of the holy martyr princes was supposed to strengthen the independent position of the Russian Church.
So, with all certainty, we can conclude that the holy princes Boris and Gleb were canonized under the Grand Duke of Kiev Yaroslav the Wise and Metropolitan John I of Kiev, on Sunday, July 24, 1037 in the Kiev diocese (first stage).
The subsequent fate of the holy relics of the brothers is also of considerable interest: they were transferred twice more, both times on Sunday and in May.
After the death of the Grand Duke of Kyiv Yaroslav the Wise, the veneration of the holy martyrs grows. Their new reburial takes place in 1072, when their nephews, princes Izyaslav (at that time the Grand Duke of Kiev; † 1079), Svyatoslav († 1076) and Vsevolod († 1093) Yaroslavichi, as well as Russian hierarchs headed by Metropolitan George († after 1073) on Sunday, May 20, the remains of the holy brothers are transferred to a new one-domed church. This church was built by the acquisition of the Grand Duke on the site of the former five-domed, already dilapidated.
Transfer of the relics of Prince Boris
(up); transfer of relics
Prince Gleb (below)
The princes carry the wooden coffin of Boris on their shoulders, and then in the church they transfer the relics to a stone sarcophagus. Then they bring on a sleigh a stone sarcophagus with the relics of Gleb. At the opening of the tombs of the holy princes, the Metropolitan blesses the three brother-princes with the hand of Saint Gleb. Then the Divine Liturgy is performed, after which a feast is held.
From that time, the process of the all-Russian glorification of the holy martyrs Boris and Gleb began (the second stage of canonization).
It should be noted that when the coffin of Boris was first opened and the church was filled with the fragrance of the relics (an important fact during the canonization that had already taken place), Metropolitan George, being “not firm in faith towards him”, fell on his face and began to pray and ask for forgiveness: “ Forgive me, Lord, for I have sinned in disbelief towards your saints.
It should be clarified here that the doubts of the Greek Metropolitan were quite natural. Boris and Gleb are precisely the martyrs, partakers of the passions of Christ, and not martyrs for the faith (the canonization of the princes required additional coordination with Constantinople).
The princes fell victims of a political crime, perished in princely strife, like many before and after them. Simultaneously with them, the third brother, Svyatoslav, fell at the hands of Svyatopolk in the autumn of that year, and there was no talk of canonization. However, the motives of the holy brothers were completely different, never seen before in Rus': they strove to act according to the word of Christ, to preserve the world by their death.
We also note that almost all the saints of the Greek calendar are among the martyrs for the faith, saints (ascetics-ascetics) and saints (bishops). Lay people in the rank of "righteous" are extremely rare. It is necessary to keep this in mind in order to understand the entire exceptionalism of the canonization of princes killed in internecine strife, and, moreover, the first canonization in the new Church, which until quite recently nourished the pagan people.
At the end of the 11th century, the spread of the veneration of the holy princes Boris and Gleb becomes so wide that “grace from God in the country of this Russk sling and heal every passion and illness” prompts the Grand Duke of Kiev Svyatoslav Yaroslavich to start building a stone church already “80 cubits” high. Construction ends shortly before the death of the next Grand Duke - Vsevolod, but after the sudden collapse of the church dome for some time, "forget about this church".
Heavenly Intercession of the Saints
princes Boris and Gleb in battle
Russian troops with the Pechenegs
In 1102, attention to the shrine was already attracted by a new generation of princes: the great-nephew of the holy martyrs, Prince Oleg Svyatoslavich of Chernigov († 1115), undertook the task of building a new stone church in Vyshgorod, while another great-nephew, Pereyaslavsky (at that time time) Prince Vladimir Vsevolodovich Monomakh († 1125), ordered to forge silver boards with images of saints, arranged for their relics a fence of silver and gold, decorating it with crystal pendants, and installed gilded lamps. The tomb was so skillfully decorated that subsequently pilgrims from Greece, who repeatedly visited the shrine, said: “Nowhere is there such beauty, although in many countries we have seen the shrines of saints.”
Finally, in 1113, the church in Vyshgorod was completed, but the Grand Duke of Kiev Svyatopolk Izyaslavich († 1114), who was ruling at that time, envied Prince Oleg of Chernigov that he had not erected a church for the saints, did not give consent to the transfer of relics. And only after his death, when Vladimir Monomakh occupied the Kiev table, on Saturday, May 1, 1115 (in the year of the centenary of the death of the brothers), the newly built stone church was consecrated.
Borisoglebskaya Church was one of the largest in pre-Mongol Rus', it can be compared, for example, with the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Savior in Chernigov. The new cross-domed building, with a tower for climbing the choir stalls in the northwestern corner, had a length along the west-east axis of 42 meters, with a small width of 24 meters.
The walls were made of bricks using the “hidden row” masonry technique, the facades were decorated with arched niches with ledges, the roof was covered with lead. From the inside, the temple was painted with frescoes and paved with glazed tiles. Prince Vladimir Monomakh decorated the niches (“with silver and gold”). The temple stood until the end of 1240, when the army of Batu Khan ravaged Kyiv and neighboring cities. Mentions of him in chronicles after Tatar-Mongol invasion disappear. The relics of the holy martyrs were lost during those events.
On the Sunday of the Holy Myrrh-bearing Women, May 2, 1115, in the presence of the Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus' Nicephorus I († 1121), the cathedral of bishops, abbots, princes and boyars, the solemn transfer of the relics to the new stone cathedral took place. The procession passed with a huge crowd of people, so that shrines with relics moved forward with great difficulty. The ropes (“snakes”), on which the sleigh with crayfish was pulled, could not stand it and were continuously torn, so that they were transported from Matins to the Liturgy. The brought shrines were left at the entrance to the church and remained there until May 4, so that during these two days the people could venerate the relics of the holy martyrs.
After the cancer was brought into the temple, no place was chosen for them, since a dispute arose between the princes. Vladimir Monomakh wanted to place the remains in the middle of the temple “and put a silver tower over it”, while Oleg and his brother David († 1123) wanted to place them “in a mosquito (an arched crypt for burial. - Note. ed.), where the father ... announced (Grand Duke Svyatoslav Yaroslavich 40 years ago. - Note. ed.)" . The dispute between the princes was decided by lots cast on the throne in favor of the Svyatoslavichs.
Over the following centuries, the veneration of the holy princes Boris and Gleb, as assistants to the Russian princes and defenders of the Russian Land, constantly increased. Their miraculous help and intercession manifested itself in the fight against the Polovtsians and Pechenegs (XI century), then before the Battle of the Neva (1240), when Saints Boris and Gleb appeared in the boat, among the rowers, “clothe them with darkness”, putting their hands on each other’s shoulders. “Brother Glebe,” Boris said then, “let us row, so we can help our relative Oleksandr” (Grand Duke Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky; † 1263). The victory on Lake Peipsi (1242) was also won by "the holy martyr Boris and Gleb ... with great prayers", their prayerful help came when the Novgorod army captured the Swedish fortress of Landskrona at the mouth of the Neva (1301), during the uprising in Tver (1327) during Prince Alexander Mikhailovich († 1339), who raised against the Tatars "with a prayer of the newly appeared martyr of the holy Russian Tsars Boris and Gleb"
September 18 (September 5 O.S.) Orthodox Church celebrates the day of memory of the holy noble prince Gleb. Blessed Prince Gleb, in holy baptism David, is one of the first Russian martyrs-passion-bearers. He suffered along with his brother Prince Boris (in holy baptism Roman).
The author of the "History of the Russian State" N.M. Karamzin emphasizes: Prince Gleb, son of the baptist Kievan Rus, Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, became the first prince of Murom. Gleb's mother, like his older brother Boris, according to the great Russian historians Solovyov and Tatishcheva, was Byzantine princess Anna. Gleb Vladimirovich, Prince of Murom, was born around 984, but the exact date is unknown.
Grand Duke Vladimir had a special weakness for the "younger royal" children, singling them out among his twelve sons. This probably played a fatal role in their future fate.
THE ARRIVAL OF THE PRINCE
Here is how our first local historian Aleksey Alekseevich Titov describes the arrival of Prince Gleb to his patrimony, the city of Murom, in the Historical Review of the City of Murom:
“The young prince, having reached the city without hindrance under the guidance of a trustee, thought that the citizens, having accepted him as a strong ruler, distinguished more than others by the love of Vladimir the Great, would soon turn to the knowledge of the Christian faith. But in this respect he did not have the blissful inheritance of his parent. The inhabitants of Murom did not accept the Christian teachings from Gleb and the spiritual mission that was with him. Even the example of their Suzdal neighbors, who adopted the Christian faith in 991, did not affect them. According to the conviction of Vladimir himself and two bishops who came there publicly for this, they were not accepted because the people of the Murom region, who applied more than others in matters of trade and local industry, were reluctant accepted religious suggestions, fearing to admit, without a special test, a faith that does not agree with their domestic traditions ... ".
So the young prince had to establish his court not in the center of Murom, in the fortress, but to arrange it on the very edge, in the forest. For his own safety, he ordered to strengthen his courtyard with a strong and high wall.
In it he lived with his courtiers and clergy, as the son of the sovereign of Russia, for several years.
It is difficult to say when Prince Gleb left Kyiv for Murom to his inheritance. According to the chronicle, Vladimir distributed the cities to his twelve sons in 988. At that time, Gleb was still a baby, or, more likely, according to historians, was not born at all. Indeed, in the tragic year 1015, Prince Boris, his beloved brother, is depicted as a young man whose mustache and beard are just breaking through; and Gleb was younger than Boris. It is believed that the arrival of Gleb on the Murom land can be roughly attributed to the year 1010.
A GAP IN PAGAN IGNORANCE
There is no doubt that the main concern of the young prince was the planting of Christianity in connection with the concerns of Grand Duke Vladimir about the spread of a new religion. But he did not manage to solve this problem fundamentally. As it is said in the prologue about Saint Gleb: “... having bitten a lot, it is impossible to overcome him (Murom) and turn him into Holy Baptism; but live far away from him two fields (two summers) and from Svyatopolk he was called to flattery.
After the death of Prince Gleb, paganism remained the basis of the faith of the inhabitants of the land of Murom. It was only Prince Constantine who managed to “graft” the foundations of Christianity after almost a hundred years.
Murom at the turn of the X-XI centuries was considered a fairly large and economically developed city. He had close trade ties with Kama Bulgaria, the Arab East and Scandinavia. Therefore, regarding religion, the inhabitants of the city had their own arguments. They didn’t trade in principles, but they didn’t betray their natural faith and kept it as long as they could.
Prince Gleb settled and founded the princely court up the river. Here he built the first temple in the name of the All-Merciful Savior, and then a monastic monastery to enlighten the Murom land with the faith of Christ. Now it is Spaso-Preobrazhensky monastery. After the brutal murder, Prince Gleb was canonized and became the first holy martyr in Rus'.
Later, St. Basil, the Bishop of Murom and Ryazan, the holy nobles Prince Peter and Princess Fevronia, the righteous Savva Moshoksky, stayed in the monastery at the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery. And the Monk Seraphim of Sarov visited the holy elder Anthony Groshovnik in the monastery.
There is another version of the stay in Murom of his first prince. It is known that in 988 Prince Vladimir divided his land between his sons. Moore went to Gleb. When he arrived in the city, he was out of luck. The inhabitants turned out to be malicious pagans. They did not accept the Christian faith and did not let him into the city.
Having a squad, the young prince could force the people of Murom to let him in. But he decided not to enter the city by force. Prince Gleb left Murom and settled 12 versts away "on the river Ishna" (now Ushna).
According to legend, he strictly carried out the will of his father, the Grand Duke of Kyiv Vladimir, who "ordered him to build holy churches in Murom." It is believed that it was Prince Gleb who founded the monastery next to his princely court on the river Ushna, where the village of Borisogleb later grew up. St. Boris and Gleb Monastery successfully existed for over 600 years and was liquidated by decree of Empress Catherine the Great in 1764, like many other monasteries in Russia. Its remains adorn this ancient village to this day.
But in any case, it is to Prince Gleb that the honor of the first sower of Christianity on the Murom land belongs. It was he who made the first breach in the pagan ignorance and darkness that reigned in our ancient land for a long time.
TRAGEDY ON THE RIVER SMYADYN
1015 year. He entered the history of Ancient Rus' as one of the darkest. It was in this year that a terrible atrocity happened in the grand ducal family of Rurikovich. On the way to Kyiv, at the direction of his half-brother Svyatopolk, who was striving for power, the first prince of Murom, Gleb, was killed. In The Tale of Bygone Years, Svyatopolk is shown as an example of an exclusively negative prince. There is not a single bright line in his appearance, all his actions are atrocities.
Having taken the vacant throne after the death of the Grand Duke of Kyiv and the baptist of Rus' Vladimir, he was afraid of everyone and everything. Svyatopolk felt insecure. And he planned the murder: "I will beat all my brother, and I will take the power of the Russian one."
And it happened in the following way. In 1015 Prince Gleb of Murom received a message from his elder brother Svyatopolk from Kyiv. He wrote that Gleb needed to come to the capital city of Kyiv as soon as possible, because his father was ill and called him to say goodbye: “Go to the borze, father calls you, order me unhealthy.” Like a loving son, Prince Gleb could not remain indifferent and, taking a small squad with him, set off.
The prince did not immediately leave for Kyiv. He first went to his brother Boris in Rostov the Great, where he reigned. But Gleb did not find his brother at home. He had previously been sent by his father at the head of a large grand ducal squad to fight the Pechenegs. And the prince of Murom did not know that his brother had already died at the hands of hired killers.
Then the prince of Murom was seen in Veliky Novgorod, where the elder brother Yaroslav reigned. Gleb invited him to go with him and visit his sick father. But Yaroslav refused. Moreover, he tried to dissuade him from a suspicious trip. But the younger brother did not listen.
From the horse, Gleb and his retinue moved to the boat and headed along the Smyadyn river, a tributary of the Dnieper, towards Smolensk. It was then that the envoys of his brother Yaroslav caught up with him, who in the near future will go down in the history of Ancient Rus' under the nickname the Wise.
In his message, the older brother warned: "Do not go, brother, your father is dead, and Boris was killed by Svyatopolk."
Great grief seized Prince Gleb. Hearing this, he began to cry and pray, and in the meantime, the killers sent by Svyatopolk arrived, whom he sent to intercept Gleb on the road. Having quietly crept up to the prince's ship, the murderers captured him and disarmed all his servants. This tragedy happened at the confluence of the Smedyn into the Dnieper, five miles from Smolensk.
The body of the Murom prince was thrown ashore and left between two birches in a simple, roughly knocked together coffin, like a commoner, and they themselves galloped away. When local residents, a few years later, discovered him, it seemed to them that Gleb had been killed quite recently. He was brought to Vyshgorod and buried in the church of St. Vasily next to his brother Boris, who suffered the same tragedy a month and a half earlier.
Later, Grand Duke Yaroslav expelled the traitorous fratricide Svyatopolk from Kyiv. Soon he ordered that the relics of Gleb and Boris be transferred to the capital and buried in the church of St. Basil. After the great fire of this temple, it seemed that the bodies should have been burned clean. But the fire spared them. And on May 2, 1072, the relics were transferred to the newly built temple in the name of Boris and Gleb in the capital city of Kyiv. The last reburial happened under Vladimir Monomakh on May 2, 1115.
Christian feat of the prince
Why did the prince let himself be killed? This question worries many generations of researchers of the history of Ancient Rus'. From the height of our time, it is difficult to understand that Prince Gleb Vladimirovich of Murom behaved humbly at the approach of death. Moreover, he knew that inevitable death awaited him on the way to Kyiv.
There were other harbingers of the tragedy. Happened while driving on the road Bad sign: Gleb's horse stumbled. The prince injured his leg. There was also a direct warning when he received from his elder brother Yaroslav a written message about the death of Grand Duke Vladimir and the murder of Boris at the hands of mercenaries sent by Svyatopolk. But Prince Gleb did not even try to defend himself in order to save his life. He pleaded: “Alas for me, Lord! It would be better for us to die with a brother than seven lives in the world.
On all icons and in many narratives, Prince Gleb of Murom is shown as still quite young and almost a child. Although he was appointed to reign in the bright city of Murom by his father in 988, as reported in The Tale of Bygone Years. The insidious murder took place in 1015. It turns out that Gleb reigned on Murom land for 27 years! Unfortunately, history does not convey to us his age of real entry into the reign. Perhaps the governors did it for him. But even if he was proclaimed prince of Murom in the year of his birth, he was clearly not a youth and could well stand up for himself. Especially since his team was nearby.
The author of The Tale of Bygone Years, in a digression from the tragic narrative, spoke about the "meeting of brothers in paradise." They were very happy and rejoice that they will never be separated again. The author completed the biography of the martyr princes with great praise. He compared their feat with the feat of Christ himself, for Boris and Gleb sacrificed their lives, praying for the happiness of their living compatriots.
The names of the brothers were covered with a halo of holiness already in ancient times. Their death was perceived as a feat of civil and religious asceticism. The over-humility of the brothers raised their deed to the rank of a religious feat. They were not just killed, but voluntarily accepted death so as not to violate in anything not only related and civil institutions, but also religious, not only human, but also divine.
The first Russian saint
Prince Gleb gave his life for the sake of peace between the princes and the tranquility of his homeland. This is how he secured eternal life. The exact date of his canonization is disputed. According to A.A. Shakhmatova, it is connected with the transfer of Gleb's body from the banks of the Smyadyn River to Vyshgorod around 1020 and his burial near the Church of St. Basil. And the historian V.P. Vasiliev, in his essay “The History of the Canonization of Russian Saints” (1893), also connects the beginning of veneration with the above fact, but expands the time frame for canonization to 1039. But in any case, Prince Gleb of Murom, like his half-brother Boris, is the first Russian saint. He is also considered the enlightener of the Muromo-Ryazan country, where the memory of him from ancient times is still preserved as the first preacher of the Christian faith and the patron.
In 1072, an annual feast was established in honor of the holy princes. “As the first Russian saints,” says Professor Golubinsky, “they were recognized as the patrons of the Russian land, and for this reason, in the pre-Mongolian period, their memory was celebrated very solemnly, was ranked among the annual holidays of the Russian Church.”
And in the post-Mongol period, their memory enjoyed great honor among us: this is evidenced by the many temples and monasteries in different places dedicated to their name. During the invasion of the Mongols, Vyshgorod was completely devastated, its churches were plundered or destroyed. The relics of Saints Boris and Gleb disappeared to no one knows where. Although attempts to find their traces were made over many centuries, including under Empress Elizabeth Petrovna in 1743, under Alexander I in 1814 and 1816, and in modern times. But all searches were in vain.
In Murom already in the XII century there was a church of Saints Boris and Gleb. And there were many such throughout pre-Mongolian Rus'. Images of Gleb and Boris were popular. It is interesting to note that the Muromo-Ryazan diocese in the old days was called Borisoglebsk in honor of St. Gleb, the ruler and first enlightener of the Muromo-Ryazan land.
Today, few people know that in 1853, on the site of the death of St. Gleb, the ancient Smyadynsky well was superbly equipped. This was done at his own expense by the Murom merchant, the city head A.V. Ermakov as a sign of special reverence for the memory of the keeper and patron of the city of Murom.
Today in Murom there is no church in honor of the patron saint of the city, Prince Gleb. There is no monument to the holy Prince Gleb, although he deserves it like no other. Such a monument would certainly not only decorate Murom and attract new tourists and believers to the Orthodox Church, but would also play a positive role in educating new generations of citizens.
Saints Boris and Gleb - traditional characters literary works hagiographic genre - Life of Boris and Gleb.
The very fact of the murder serves as a favorite topic for individual legends for the ancient chroniclers. In total, the “Tale of Boris and Gleb” has been preserved in more than 170 lists, of which the oldest and most complete are attributed to the Monk Nestor and the Chernorizet Jacob.
It says, for example, that after Vladimir's death, Vladimir's stepson Svyatopolk seized power in Kyiv. Fearing the rivalry of the Grand Duke's own children - Boris, Gleb and others, Svyatopolk first of all sent assassins to the first contenders for the table in Kyiv - Boris and Gleb. Not wanting civil strife, Boris recognized the supreme power of his brother Svyatopolk and disbanded his squad with the words: “I will not raise my hand against my elder brother: if my father also died, then let this one be my father instead.” But the murderers - Vyshegorodtsy, sent by the insidious Svyatopolk - entered him, praying in a tent, and stabbed him with spears.
The memory of both sufferers remained sacred for Russia. Russian people and mainly the princely family saw them as their intercessors and prayer books. Chronicles are full of stories about miracles of healing that took place at their coffin, about victories won in their name and with their help (for example, about the victory of Rurik Rostislavich over Konchak, Alexander Nevsky over the Germans), about the pilgrimage of princes to their coffin (for example, Vladimir Vladimirovich, Prince of Galicia, Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich - Prince of Suzdal), etc.
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BORIS AND GLEB- [in Baptism Roman and David] (90s of the 10th century? 1015, after 15.07), St. princes of the passion-bearers (commemorated May 2, July 24, in the Cathedral of the Ryazan Saints and in the Cathedral of the Tula Saints; in the Cathedral of Rosto Yaroslavl Saints B.; September 5, in the Cathedral of the Vladimir Saints and in ... ... Orthodox Encyclopedia
This article is about the church cult of Boris and Gleb, about the biography of the brothers, see Boris Vladimirovich (Prince of Rostov) and Gleb Vladimirovich (Prince of Murom) Passion-bearing martyrs: noble princes Boris and Gleb ... Wikipedia
The sons of the Kyiv Grand Duke Vladimir Svyatoslavich, who were killed in 1015 by order of Prince. Svyatopolk during the internecine strife of Vladimir's successors because of the grand throne. Nothing about the life and work of B. and G., and even their attitude towards Christianity ... ... Big biographical encyclopedia
Boris and Gleb- Russian princes, ml. sons of Prince Vladimir I Svyatoslavich, the first saints of Rus. orthodox churches (1071). They were killed on the orders of the elder brother Svyatopolk I the Accursed (in Russian folklore Oporkhol, Holy Repentance), who, after the death of his father, sought to establish himself on ... ... Russian humanitarian encyclopedic dictionary
On August 6, the Orthodox Church commemorates the holy princes-passion-bearers Boris and Gleb. To a country that said goodbye to paganism, they showed new type holiness: humility before the will of the Most High and readiness to accept suffering and death. This unprecedented behavior and stamina in the face of death ultimately did no less in the Christianization of Rus' than its recent baptism.
Boris
The chronicle speaks of the death of Prince Boris: already knowing that the murderers sent by brother Svyatopolk are standing at his tent, the prince sings psalms. And then he prays for a long time before the icon of the Savior. “Lord,” the prince cries. “Just as you accepted suffering for our sins, so grant me to accept suffering.” And he asks for the murderer-brother: "Do not impute him, Lord, this is a sin."
All this time, the envoys of Svyatopolk did not dare to attack Boris. They hear the words of his last prayer, breathe noisily, spears in their hands. The chronicle calls the killers by name: they are Putsha, Talets, Elovit and Lyashko - the boyars from the city of Vyshgorod, who swore allegiance to Svyatopolk. They break into the tent when the prince, having finished his prayers, goes to bed. They pierce him with spears - Boris is trying to cover himself with a Hungarian servant, and they kill him too - and then they wrap the prince's body in a tent and put it on a cart to bring Svyatopolka. On the way, it turns out that the prince is still breathing. Two Varangians, sent by Svyatopolk to meet the killers, finish the job with swords.
What is known about Prince Boris from the annals? He was the favorite son of Prince Vladimir, the baptist of Rus'. Boris received Rostov from his father. Shortly before his death, Vladimir, having fallen ill, called Boris to Kiev and sent him to war with the Pechenegs (by the way, he never found the Pechenegs - reports that they were preparing a campaign against Rus' turned out to be false). In this campaign, the young prince found the news of Vladimir's death. The chronicle reports: the combatants advised Boris to go to Kyiv and sit down there, but he refused - knowing that his elder brother Svyatopolk had already taken his place in Kyiv. “I will not raise my hand against my elder brother: if my father also died, then let this one be my father instead,” the chronicler quotes Boris as saying. In response to this, the army left him. Only a few servants remained - "youths", as the chronicle calls them. In a tent on the Alta River, not far from Kyiv, where the prince spent his last night, all of them will die with him.
Gleb
Gleb, Boris's younger brother, reigned in Murom. Svyatopolk, who by that time had already killed Boris, sent a message to him: "Come to Kyiv, your father is very ill and is calling you." Obedient Gleb, not knowing that Vladimir had already died, set off. The news of the death of his father and the murder of his brother found him on the road, near Smolensk - this message was sent to Gleb by his elder brother Yaroslav, who advised him to refuse a trip to Kyiv.
The chronicle says: having learned about what happened, Gleb prayed with tears for his father and brother. “If your prayers reach God,” he cried to Boris, “then pray for me so that I accept the same martyr’s death.” At this time, the killers sent by Svyatopolk went up to his ship. One of the envoys, whom the chronicle calls Goryaser, ordered to slaughter the young prince - the order was executed by the cook Gleb, who stabbed him with a knife. This happened in the first half of September 1015 - a month and a half after the murder of Boris.
Version
Historians argue about why Svyatopolk, whom the chronicle refers to as the Accursed, needed to kill his brothers.
A partial answer to this question is given by a contemporary of those events - the German Bishop Titmar of Merseburg. His chronicles tell the following about the confrontation between the heirs of the baptizer of Rus': Svyatopolk, who received from his father an inheritance in Turov (modern Belarus), shortly before the death of Vladimir, was taken into custody in Kiev. The reason for this was the desire of Svyatopolk to overthrow Vladimir from the throne, says Titmar.
This story explains how Svyatopolk ended up in Kyiv at all, and indicates that the throne was occupied by him illegally. And although Boris accepted the seniority of his brother, he still saw him as a competitor in the struggle for power in Kyiv. Titmar points out that Vladimir wanted to give Kyiv to Boris, bypassing the seniority of Svyatopolk.
Prince Gleb could have become a victim for the same "competitive" reasons: the chronicle indicates that he loved his brother Boris and wept for him more than for his father. In a conflict between Boris and Svyatopolk, if such a thing could happen, Gleb would probably take the side of the former.
veneration
The exact date of the canonization of the brothers-princes is unknown. Most likely, it happened in 1072, when the relics of the martyrs were transferred to a stone church in Vyshgorod.
Yevgeny Golubinsky, a historian at the turn of the 19th–20th centuries, notes that the reason for canonization was not the martyrdom of the brothers, but the numerous healings that took place with the pilgrims at their relics.
TO beginning of XII centuries, princes began to be considered intercessors of the entire Russian land and patrons of the princely family. The princes decorated shrines with their relics with silver and gold, built churches in their honor. During the invasion of Batu in 1240, the relics of the saints were lost.
“The life of Boris and Gleb is a clear evidence of the changes that occurred as a result of the civilizational choice of their father, Grand Duke Vladimir, an example of the destruction of old values and the acquisition of new ones,” said Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus'. - Even when faced face to face with the retinue sent against them, they do not draw their sword, but bow their heads in humility before the will of God and perish, testifying to the vitality of that spiritual and moral ideal that entered them and many through the baptism of Vladimir, through Baptism of Rus'".
Photo kudago.com/ icon painter Viktor Morozov
On August 6, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the day of remembrance of the holy noble princes-passion-bearers Boris and Gleb.
Who are Boris and Gleb?
Princes Boris and Gleb (in baptism Roman and David) are the first saints canonized by the Russian Church. They were younger sons Kyiv Grand Duke Vladimir Svyatoslavich (Equal to the Apostles Prince Vladimir). The brothers were born shortly before the Baptism of Rus' and were brought up in the Christian faith.
Why is the day of Saints Boris and Gleb celebrated several times?
Indeed, there are several days a year dedicated to the memory of Saints Boris and Gleb. So, May 15 is the transfer of their relics to the new tomb church in 1115, which was built by Prince Izyaslav Yaroslavich in Vyshgorod, September 18 is the memory of the holy Prince Gleb, and August 6 is the joint celebration of the saints.
What feat did the saints accomplish?
The lives of the saints were sacrificed for love. Boris and Gleb did not want to raise a hand against their brother and support the internecine war. The brothers chose death as a sign of their boundless love for Christ, in imitation of his cross torment. The feat of Boris, as well as of his brother Gleb, lies in the fact that they voluntarily abandoned the worldly, political struggle in the name of brotherly love.
How did Boris and Gleb die?
Vladimir, shortly before his death, called Boris to Kyiv. He gave his son an army and sent him on a campaign against the Pechenegs. Soon the prince passed away. His eldest son Svyatopolk arbitrarily declared himself the Grand Duke of Kyiv. Svyatopolk took advantage of the fact that Boris was on the campaign. However, the saint was not going to oppose this decision. He dismissed his army with the words: "I will not raise my hand against my brother, and even against my elder, whom I should consider as a father!"
But Svyatopolk was still afraid that Boris would want to take the throne from him. He ordered to kill his brother. Boris knew about this, but did not hide. He was attacked with spears right during prayer. It happened on July 24, 1015 (August 6, according to a new style) on the banks of the Alta River. He said to his killers: "Come, brethren, finish your service, and may there be peace to brother Svyatopolk and to you." The body of Boris was brought to Vyshgorod and, secretly from everyone, they laid it in the church in the name of St. Basil the Great.
Soon Svyatopolk killed the second brother. Gleb lived in Murom at that time. Gleb also knew that they wanted to kill him, but the civil war for him was worse than death. The killers overtook the prince at the mouth of the Smyadyn River, near Smolensk.
Why were Boris and Gleb canonized?
Boris and Gleb were canonized as martyrs. "Passion-bearer" is one of the ranks of holiness. Saint who was martyred for the execution God's commandments. An important part of the feat of the martyr is that the martyr does not hold a grudge against the murderers and does not resist.
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