Vladimir Svyatoslavich, who baptized Rus', had a great many children from several wives. In this complicated story, four of his sons usually appear: Svyatopolk (sometimes called the nephew of Vladimir and the son of Yaropolk), Yaroslav, Boris and Gleb. Being the sons of different mothers, they were still considered half-brothers, and therefore, after the death of the Grand Duke, a serious struggle for power unfolded between his heirs.
Vladimir died in 1015. Civil strife began to brew during his lifetime: Svyatopolk planned to overthrow his father and seize power, but the plot was discovered in time, and the rebellious son went to prison. Shortly before his father's death, Yaroslav also began to demonstrate an obstinate character. He flatly refused to transfer tribute and church tithes to Kyiv. Vladimir wanted to teach this son a lesson, but did not have time - he died before he could move towards Novgorod. When the soul of the Kyiv prince went to another world, his entourage chose to temporarily not make this information public. To begin with, they intended to inform Boris about the death of their father - the people of Kiev really did not want to see Svyatopolk in the role of prince, who was in the city at that time and in the bustle could usurp power. And Vladimir himself wanted Boris to take the throne after his death. The deceased baptist of Rus' was secretly taken to the Tithe Church, where he was buried.
Saints Boris and Gleb on the ship. Ivan Bilibin. (pinterest.com)
However, Svyatopolk could not be fooled - he quickly got his bearings in the current situation and proclaimed himself Grand Duke. Boris's indignant squad grumbled and called to move to Kyiv in order to teach Svyatopolk a lesson, but Boris - not without reason a future saint - did not want to fight with his own brother, considering such actions blasphemous. Desperate warriors abandoned the prince, and Boris was left practically alone.
Svyatopolk did not share his younger brother’s pacifist positions. He understood that Boris, the people's favorite, was his serious rival. The prince, later nicknamed the Accursed, sent his people to meet Boris. They approached Boris’s tent while he was praying. After waiting for the moment when the victim finished praying and went to bed, the killers entered the tent and stabbed Boris, as well as his servant George, who rushed to the prince’s defense. The brother's body had to be delivered to Svyatopolk. When Boris was brought to Kyiv, it turned out that he was still breathing, and Svyatopolk ordered to complete what he started.
Then Svyatopolk remembered Gleb, Boris’s half-brother. Fearing revenge on his part for a loved one, the usurper invited Gleb to Kyiv. The young man already knew about the death of his father and the death of his brother - Yaroslav warned him - however, having submitted to God’s will, he still went to the “mother of Russian cities” and shared the fate of Boris. But Svyatopolk did not have to rule for long: already in 1019, the Kiev throne was finally occupied by Yaroslav.
Construction of the Boris and Gleb Church in Vyshgorod and the transfer of the relics of the brothers. (pinterest.com)
This is the generally accepted version described in The Tale of Bygone Years. However, there is a hypothesis that has found many supporters among scientists, according to which it was not Svyatopolk who ordered the murder of the brothers, but Yaroslav, who went down in history as a wise ruler and, in general, a positive prince in all respects. He also dreamed of the title of Prince of Kyiv and subsequently achieved it. He had even more reasons to kill Boris and Gleb: when Svyatopolk proclaimed himself ruler of Kyiv, the martyred princes declared that they would “honor him as their father.” Other brothers - for example, Bryachislav, Mstislav - did not recognize the legitimacy of Svyatopolk’s rule. It turns out that Boris and Gleb were allies of Svyatopolk, therefore, there was no reason to kill them.
In the first half of the 19th century, Osip Ivanovich Senkovsky, a famous editor and expert in several foreign languages, translated the Scandinavian “Eymund’s Saga” into Russian. The text revealed information that Yaroslav hired the Varangian Eymund and his squad. Having thought about the goals of this enterprise, the researchers came to the conclusion that the mercenaries were needed precisely to kill Boris and Gleb.
It has also been proven that the episode describing the death of the brothers was inserted into the Tale of Bygone Years - possibly during the reign of Yaroslav or later. It is likely that the prince did not want to honor the memory of the murdered Boris and Gleb, but to rewrite history and shift responsibility to his deposed brother Svyatopolk.
The holy passion-bearers Boris and Gleb are revered as intercessors of the Russian land. They pray to them for the good morals of the authorities, for the strengthening of the Orthodox faith and for overcoming unbelief, deliverance from troubles, hunger, illness, sorrow and sudden death.
They pray to these saints to tame all enmity and malice between people. The pious princes are also asked to ask the Lord for the forgiveness of sins, unanimity and health, preservation from the invasion of external enemies, internal strife and courage in the face of mortal danger for those praying.
It must be remembered that icons or saints do not “specialize” in any specific areas. It will be right when a person turns with faith in the power of God, and not in the power of this icon, this saint or prayer.
And .
The holy noble princes-passion-bearers Boris and Gleb (in Holy Baptism - Roman and David) are the first Russian saints canonized by both the Russian and Constantinople Churches. They were the youngest sons of the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir (+ July 15, 1015).
Holy Prince Vladimir with his sons
Vladimir had twelve sons from different wives. Vladimir's older children often quarreled with each other; they were born at a time when the prince was trying to strengthen the pagan faith. Svyatopolk was born from a Greek woman, a former nun, whom Vladimir took as his wife after his brother, who was dethroned by him. Yaroslav was born from Rogneda of Polotsk, whose father and brothers were killed by Vladimir. And then Rogneda herself tried to kill Vladimir, jealous of Anna of Byzantium.
Boris and Gleb were born later, around the years of the Baptism of Rus'. Their mother was from Volga Bulgaria. They were raised in Christian piety and loved each other. Boris was named Roman in holy baptism, Gleb - David. There is evidence that Boris was reading some book, usually the lives or torments of saints, then Gleb sat next to him and listened attentively, and so Gleb remained persistently near his brother, because he was still small.
When his sons began to grow up, Vladimir entrusted them with the management of the territories. Boris got Rostov, and Gleb got Murom. Gleb's reign in Murom was not easy. They say that the Murom pagans did not allow him into their city, and the prince had to live outside the city walls, in the suburbs.
Saint Prince Boris
Prince Vladimir loved Boris more than his other sons, trusted him in many ways and intended to transfer Kyiv and the great reign to him. Boris was married to Agnes, a Danish princess, and over time became famous as a brave and skillful warrior.
Shortly before his death, Grand Duke Vladimir called Boris to Kyiv and sent him with an army against the Pechenegs. Soon after Boris's departure, Vladimir died. This happened on July 15, 1015 in the village of Berestov, near Kyiv.
At this time, only Svyatopolk found himself in the capital, who took advantage of his position and arbitrarily seized power in Kyiv, proclaiming himself the Grand Duke of Kyiv. He set out to quickly get rid of his rival brothers before they did anything. Svyatopolk decided to hide his father's death. At night, on his orders, the platform in the princely mansion was dismantled. Vladimir's body was wrapped in a carpet and lowered on ropes to the ground, and then taken to Kyiv, to the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, where they buried him without giving him due honors.
Boris, meanwhile, not finding the Pechenegs, turned back to Kyiv. The news of his father's death and Svyatopolk's reign in Kyiv found him on the banks of the small river Alta. The squad persuaded him to go to Kyiv and take the grand-ducal throne, but Saint Prince Boris, not wanting internecine strife, disbanded his army:
“I will not raise my hand against my brother, and even against my elder, whom I should consider as my father!”
Hearing this, the squad left him. So Boris remained on the Altinsky field with only a few of his servants.
Svyatopolk sent Boris a false message with an offer of friendship: “Brother, I want to live in love with you, and I’ll add more to what my father gave you!”
Murder of Prince Boris
He himself, in secret from everyone, sent hired killers, loyal boyars Putsha, Talets, Elovit (or Elovitch) and Lyashko, to kill Boris.
Saint Boris was informed of such treachery by Svyatopolk, but did not hide and, like the martyrs of the first centuries of Christianity, readily met death. The assassins overtook him while he was praying at Matins on Sunday, July 24 (old style), 1015, in his tent on the banks of the Alta River. Like wild animals they attacked the saint and pierced his body. Boris's favorite servant, a certain Ugrin (Hungarian) named George, covered him with himself. He was immediately killed along with the prince and his head was cut off in order to remove from his neck a gold ornament - a hryvnia, which the prince had once given him as a sign of love and distinction.
However, Saint Boris was still alive. Coming out of the tent, he began to pray fervently, and then turned to the murderers:
“Come, brothers, finish your service, and may there be peace to brother Svyatopolk and to you.”
At this time, one of the killers pierced him with a spear. His body was wrapped in a tent, placed on a cart and taken to Kyiv. There is a version that Boris was still breathing on the road and, having learned about this, Svyatopolk sent two Varangians to finish him off. Then one of them drew a sword and pierced him in the heart. Boris's body was brought secretly to Vyshgorod and buried in the Church of St. Basil. He was about 25 years old.
Prince Gleb of Murom was still alive. Svyatopolk decided to lure Gleb to Kyiv by cunning: Messengers were sent to Gleb with a request to come to Kyiv, since his father was seriously ill (for which Svyatopolk hid his father’s death). Gleb immediately mounted his horse and with a small squad rushed to the call. But he was overtaken by a messenger from his brother Yaroslav:
“Don’t go to Kyiv: your father died, and your brother Boris was killed by Svyatopolk!”
Deeply grieving, the holy prince chose death rather than war with his brother. 
Gleb’s meeting with the killers took place at the mouth of the Smyadyn River, not far from Smolensk. He turned to them with a touching plea to spare “the ear, not yet ripe, filled with the juice of goodness.”
Then, remembering the words of the Lord, “Because of My name you will be betrayed by your brothers and relatives,” he entrusted his soul to Him. Gleb’s small squad, seeing the killers, lost heart. The leader, nicknamed Goryaser, mockingly ordered the cook who was with Gleb to kill the prince. He, “in the name of Torchin, took out a knife and slaughtered Gleb like an innocent lamb.” He was about 19 years old. His body was thrown on the shore, and so lay in obscurity, between two logs.
But neither the beast nor the bird touched him. For a long time no one knew about it, but sometimes lit candles were seen in this place and church singing was heard. Only many years later, by order of Prince Yaroslav, it was moved to Vyshgorod and placed in the Church of St. Basil next to Boris. Later, Yaroslav the Wise built a stone five-domed Boris and Gleb Cathedral on this site, which soon became the family temple of the Yaroslavichs, a sanctuary of their love and loyalty, fraternal harmony and service to the Fatherland.
The pious passion-bearing princes did not want to raise their hands against their brother, but the Lord Himself took revenge on the power-hungry tyrant:
“Vengeance is mine and I will repay” (Rom. 12:19).
Prince Yaroslav, having gathered an army of Novgorodians and Varangian mercenaries, moved to Kyiv and expelled Svyatopolk from Rus'. 
The decisive battle between them took place in 1019 on the Alta River - at the very place where Saint Prince Boris was killed. According to the chroniclers, when the defeated Svyatopolk fled from the battlefield, illness attacked him, so that he weakened all over and could not even mount a horse, and was carried on a stretcher. Svyatopolk, called the Accursed by the Russian people, fled to Poland and, like the first fratricide Cain, did not find peace and shelter for himself anywhere and was overwhelmed with such fear that everywhere it seemed to him that they were pursuing him, and he died outside his fatherland, “in a certain deserted place." And a stench and stench emanated from his grave. “From that time,” the chronicler writes, “sedition in Rus' died down.”
Vladimir had other sons who died in the strife. Svyatoslav, Prince of Drevlyansky, was killed by Svyatopolk, but was not canonized, because he became involved in the struggle for power and was going to bring the Hungarian army to the rescue. Another brother - the winner Yaroslav - went against his brother with weapons in his hands. But he is not cursed like Svyatopolk. No wonder Yaroslav had the nickname Wise. Through many years of labor, the construction of temples, and the adoption of laws, he deserved to be numbered among the noble princes, representing an example of an outstanding ruler.
From a rational point of view, the death of the holy brothers seems meaningless. They were not even martyrs for the faith in the true sense of the word. (The Church honors them as passion-bearers - this rank of holiness, by the way, is not known to the Byzantines).
The lives of the holy passion-bearers were sacrificed to the main Christian value - love.
“Whoever says, ‘I love God,’ but hates his brother is a liar” (1 John 4:20).
They accepted death as a sign of boundless love for Christ, in imitation of his agony on the cross. In the minds of the Russian people, with their martyrdom they seemed to atone for the sins of the entire Russian land, which until recently had been vegetating in paganism. Through their lives, wrote the outstanding Russian writer and historian G. P. Fedotov, “the image of the meek and suffering Savior entered the heart of the Russian people forever as its most cherished shrine.”
The holy brothers did something that in those days in Rus', accustomed to blood feud, was still new and incomprehensible; they showed: evil cannot be repaid with evil, even under the threat of death.
The impression of their action was so great that the whole earth recognized them as saints. This was a revolution from pagan consciousness (lust for power and profit) to Christianity (the achievement of a spiritual and moral ideal).
Boris and Gleb were the first saints canonized by the Russian Church. Even their father, Prince Vladimir, was canonized much later. They were honored in Constantinople, the icon of Boris and Gleb was in Sofia of Constantinople. Their lives were even included in the Armenian Menaions (books for reading for each month). Glorifying the saints, the legend dedicated to them says that they became helpers of the people of “all lands.”
Saints Boris and Gleb are special patrons and defenders of the Russian land. In their name, innocent people were freed from their bonds, and sometimes bloody civil strife was stopped.
There are many known cases of their appearance in difficult times for our Fatherland, for example, on the eve of the battle on the Neva in 1240 (when St. Boris and Gleb appeared in a boat, among the rowers, “clothed in darkness,” with their hands on each other’s shoulders... “Brother Glebe, Boris said, they ordered us to row, so we can help our relative Alexander”), or on the eve of the great Battle of Kulikovo in 1380 (when the holy brothers appeared in a cloud, holding candles and naked swords in their hands, saying to the Tatar governors: “Who ordered you to destroy your fatherland ours, given to us by the Lord?”
The names Boris and Gleb, as well as Roman and David, were favorites among many generations of Russian princes. Oleg Gorislavich's brothers were named Roman (+ 1079), Gleb (+ 1078), Davyd (+ 1123), one of his sons was named Gleb (+ 1138). Monomakh had sons Roman and Gleb, Yuri Dolgoruky had Boris and Gleb, Saint Rostislav of Smolensk had Boris and Gleb, Saint Andrew of Bogolyubsky had the blessed saint Gleb (+ 1174), Vsevolod the Big Nest had Boris and Gleb. Among the sons of Vseslav of Polotsk (+ 1101) there is a full set of “Borisogleb” names: Roman, Gleb, David, Boris.
We magnify you, passion-bearers Saints Boris and Gleb, and honor your honest suffering, which you naturally endured for Christ.
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 (baptized Roman and David) are the first saints canonized by the Russian Church. They were the younger sons of the Kyiv Grand Duke Vladimir Svyatoslavich (Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir). The brothers were born shortly before the Baptism of Rus' and were raised 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 a new church-tomb 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 their hands against their brother and support the internecine war. The brothers chose death as a sign of boundless love for Christ, in imitation of his suffering on the cross. The feat of Boris, as well as 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 Grand Duke of Kyiv. Svyatopolk took advantage of the fact that Boris was on a campaign. However, the saint had no intention of opposing this decision. He disbanded his army with the words: “I will not raise my hand against my brother, and even against my elder, whom I should consider as my father!”
But Svyatopolk was still afraid that Boris would want to take the throne away from him. He ordered his brother to be killed. Boris knew about this, but did not hide. He was attacked with spears while he was praying. It happened on July 24, 1015 (August 6, new style) on the banks of the Alta River. He said to his murderers: “Come, brothers, finish your service, and may there be peace for brother Svyatopolk and you.” Boris's body was brought to Vyshgorod and, secretly from everyone, was laid in a church in the name of St. Basil the Great.
Soon Svyatopolk killed his second brother. Gleb lived in Murom at that time. Gleb also knew that they wanted to kill him, but the internecine war was worse than death for him. 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 passion-bearers. "Passion-bearer" is one of the ranks of holiness. A saint who accepted martyrdom for fulfilling God's Commandments. An important part of the passion-bearer’s feat is that the martyr does not hold a grudge against the murderers and does not resist.
When writing the text, materials from the site were used
Saints Boris and Gleb are traditional characters in literary works of the hagiographic genre - Life of Boris and Gleb.
The very fact of the murder serves as a favorite theme for individual legends for ancient chroniclers. In total, “The Tale of Boris and Gleb” has been preserved in more than 170 copies, of which the oldest and most complete are attributed to the Monk Nestor and the monk Jacob.
It says, for example, that after the death of Vladimir, power in Kyiv was seized by Vladimir’s stepson Svyatopolk. 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 died, then let this one be my father instead.” But the murderers - the Vyshegorod residents, sent by the treacherous Svyatopolk - entered him, praying in the tent, and stabbed him with spears.
The memory of both sufferers remained sacred for Russia. The Russian people and mainly the princely family saw them as their intercessors and prayer books. The chronicles are full of stories about miracles of healing that took place at their tomb, about victories won in their name and with their help (for example, the victory of Rurik Rostislavich over Konchak, Alexander Nevsky over the Germans), about the pilgrimage of princes to their tomb (for example, Vladimir Vladimirovich, Prince of Galicia, Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich - Prince of Suzdal), etc.
Wikimedia Foundation.
See what “Saints Boris and Gleb” are in other dictionaries: BORIS AND GLEB - [in Epiphany Roman and David] (90s of the 10th century? 1015, after 15.07), St. princes of the passion-bearers (memorial May 2, July 24, in the Cathedral of the Ryazan Saints and in the Cathedral of the Tula Saints; in the Cathedral of the Rosto-Yaroslavl Saints of B.; September 5, in the Cathedral of the Vladimir Saints and in ... ...
Orthodox Encyclopedia
This is an article 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) Martyrs of passion: the noble princes Boris and Gleb ... Wikipedia The sons of the Kyiv Grand Duke Vladimir Svyatoslavich, killed in 1015 by order of Prince. Svyatopolk during the civil strife between Vladimir's successors over the grand princely throne. Nothing about the life and work of B. and G. and even their attitude towards Christianity... ...
Large biographical encyclopedia Boris and Gleb - Russian princes, ml. sons of the prince Vladimir I Svyatoslavich, the first saints of Russia. Orthodox churches (1071). Killed on the orders of his elder brother Svyatopolk I the Accursed (in Russian folklore, Oporkhol, Holy Repose), who, after the death of his father, sought to establish himself in ... ...
Russian humanitarian encyclopedic dictionary
On September 18 (September 5, O.S.), the Orthodox Church celebrates the day of remembrance of the holy noble Prince Gleb. The blessed Prince Gleb, in holy baptism David, is one of the first Russian martyrs and passion-bearers. He suffered along with his brother Prince Boris (in holy baptism Roman).
Author of “History of the Russian State” N.M. Karamzin emphasizes: Prince Gleb, the son of the baptist of Kievan Rus, the 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 Tatishchev, was the 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.
ARRIVAL OF THE PRINCE
“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 blessed lot of his parent. The residents of Murom did not accept Christian teachings from Gleb and his spiritual mission. Even the example of their neighboring Suzdal residents, who accepted the Christian faith in 991, did not influence them. According to the conviction of Vladimir himself and the two bishops who came there for this purpose, they were not accepted because the people of the Murom region, who converted more than others in matters of trade and local industry, were reluctant accepted religious suggestions, fearing to admit without special testing a faith that did not agree with their domestic traditions ... ".
So the young prince had to found his court not in the center of Murom, in the fortress, but on the very edge, in a forest. For his own safety, he ordered to strengthen his courtyard with a strong and high wall.
He lived there with his courtiers and clergy, as the son of the Russian sovereign, for several years.
It is difficult to say when Prince Gleb left Kyiv for Murom as 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, he was not born at all. Indeed, in the tragic year 1015, Prince Boris, his beloved brother, is depicted as a young man who is just growing a mustache and beard; and Gleb was younger than Boris. It is believed that the arrival of Gleb on the Murom land can be approximately dated back to 1010.
THE GAP IN PAGAN IGNORANCE
There is no doubt that the main concern of the young prince was the inculcation of Christianity in connection with the concerns of Grand Duke Vladimir about the spread of the new religion. But he never managed to solve this problem radically. As it is said in the prologue about Saint Gleb: “... having made many attempts, it is impossible to overcome him (Murom) and convert him to Holy Baptism; but after living two miles away (two summers) he was called to flattery from Svyatopolk.”
After the death of Prince Gleb, paganism remained the basis of the faith of the inhabitants of the land of Murom. Only Prince Constantine managed to “instill” the foundations of Christianity almost a hundred years later.
At the turn of the 10th-11th centuries, Murom 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 city residents had their own arguments. They did not trade their principles, and they did not betray their natural faith and preserved it as long as they could.
Prince Gleb settled and founded a princely court further 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. Nowadays it is the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Monastery. After the brutal murder, Prince Gleb was canonized and became the first passion-bearer saint of Rus'.
Later, Saint Basil, Bishop of Murom and Ryazan, the holy saints Prince Peter and Princess Fevronia, and the righteous Savva of Moshok 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 first prince’s stay in Murom. It is known that in 988 Prince Vladimir divided his land between his sons. Murom went to Gleb. When he arrived in the city, he was unlucky. 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 Murom residents to let him in. But he decided not to enter the city by force. Prince Gleb left Murom and settled 12 versts from it “on the Ishna River” (now Ushna).
According to legend, he strictly carried out the will of his parent, Grand Duke of Kyiv Vladimir, who “commanded 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 Ushna River, where the village of Borisogleb later grew. The 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 Prince Gleb who holds the honor of the first sower of Christianity on the Murom land. It was he who made the first breach in the pagan ignorance and darkness that reigned on our ancient land for a long time.
TRAGEDY ON THE SMYADYNI RIVER
1015 He went down in the history of Ancient Rus' as one of the darkest. It was in this year that a terrible crime occurred 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 Murom prince, 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 feature 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 a murder: “I will beat all my brothers, and I will take over the Russian power alone.”
And it happened as follows. In 1015, Prince Gleb of Murom received a message from his older 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 sick and was calling him to say goodbye: “Come on board, your father is calling you, he’s not well.” Like a loving son, Prince Gleb could not remain indifferent and, taking a small squad with him, set off on the road.
The prince did not immediately leave for Kyiv. He first visited 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 Murom prince did not know that his brother had already died at the hands of hired killers.
Then the Murom prince was seen in Veliky Novgorod, where his 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 the suspicious trip. But the younger brother did not listen.
From the horse, Gleb and his squad moved onto the boat and headed along the Smyadyn River, a tributary of the Dnieper, towards Smolensk. It was here that the envoys of his brother Yaroslav caught up with him, who in the near future would go down in the history of Ancient Rus' under the nickname Wise.
In his message, the elder brother warned: “Don’t go, brother, your father died, and Boris was killed by Svyatopolk.”
Great grief gripped 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 killers captured it 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 onto the shore and left between two birch trees in a simple, roughly put together coffin, like a commoner, while they galloped away. When local residents discovered him several years later, 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 traitor-fratricide Svyatopolk from Kyiv. Soon he ordered the relics of Gleb and Boris to 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 completely burned. But the fire spared them. And on May 2, 1072, the relics were transferred to a newly built temple in the name of Boris and Gleb in the capital city of Kyiv. The last reburial took place under Vladimir Monomakh on May 2, 1115.
Christian feat of the prince
Why did the prince allow himself to be killed? This question worries many generations of researchers of the history of Ancient Rus'. From the heights of our time, it is difficult to understand that Prince Gleb Vladimirovich of Murom behaved humbly as death approached. Moreover, he knew that inevitable death awaited him on the way to Kyiv.
There were other harbingers of tragedy. While moving along the road, a bad omen happened: Gleb’s horse stumbled. The prince injured his leg. There was also a direct warning when he received written news from his elder brother Yaroslav about the death of Grand Duke Vladimir and the murder of Boris at the hands of mercenaries sent by Svyatopolk. But Prince Gleb didn’t even try to defend himself in order to save his life. He prayed: “Woe is me, Lord! It would be better if you died with your brother than live seven times in the world.”
On all icons and in many stories, the Murom prince Gleb is shown as still very young and almost a youth. Although he was appointed to reign in the blessed city of Murom by his father in 988, as reported in the Tale of Bygone Years. The insidious murder occurred in 1015. It turns out that Gleb reigned on Murom land for 27 years! Unfortunately, history does not tell us the age of his actual entry into the reign. Perhaps the governors did this 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. Moreover, his squad was nearby.
The author of “The Tale of Bygone Years,” in a departure from the tragic narrative, spoke about “the meeting of siblings in paradise.” They were very happy and rejoice that they will never be separated again. The author concluded the biography of the martyred 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 already in ancient times were covered with an aura of holiness. Their death was perceived as a feat of civil and religious asceticism. The brothers' hyper-humility elevated their act to the rank of a religious feat. They were not just killed, but voluntarily accepted death so as not to violate in any way not only family and civil institutions, but also religious ones, 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. By this he secured eternal life for himself. The exact date of his canonization is controversial. According to A.A. Shakhmatov, it is associated with the transfer of Gleb’s body from the bank of the Smyadyn River to Vyshgorod around 1020 and his burial at the Church of St. Basil. And 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 of canonization to 1039. But in any case, the Murom prince Gleb, like his half-brother Boris, is the first Russian saint. He is also considered the health educator of the Murom-Ryazan country, where the memory of him from ancient times has been preserved to this day as the first preacher of the Christian faith and patron.
In 1072, an annual festival was established in honor of the holy princes. “As the first Russian saints,” says Professor Golubinsky, “they were recognized as patrons of the Russian land, and for this reason, in the pre-Mongol period, their memory was celebrated very solemnly and was included in 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 Mongol invasion, Vyshgorod was completely devastated, its churches were looted or destroyed. The relics of Saints Boris and Gleb disappeared to an unknown location. Although attempts to find their traces have been 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 12th century there was a church of Saints Boris and Gleb. And there were many of these throughout pre-Mongol Rus'. Images of Gleb and Boris were popular. It is interesting to note that the Muromo-Ryazan diocese in the old days was called Borisoglebskaya in honor of St. Gleb, the sovereign 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 Smyadyn well was superbly equipped. This was done at his own expense by the Murom merchant, city mayor A.V. Ermakov as a sign of special respect for the memory of the guardian 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 Saint Prince Gleb, although he deserves it like no one else. 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 townspeople.
