home · Other · The history of the holy faithful Prince Boris and Gleb. Holy noble princes-passion-bearers Boris and Gleb

The history of the holy faithful Prince Boris and Gleb. Holy noble princes-passion-bearers Boris and Gleb

On August 6, the Orthodox Church remembers the holy princes-passion-bearers Boris and Gleb. To a country that had said goodbye to paganism, they showed a new type of holiness: humility before the will of the Almighty and a willingness to accept suffering and death. This unprecedented behavior and perseverance 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 his brother Svyatopolk were standing at his tent, the prince sang psalms. And then he prays for a long time in front of the icon of the Savior. “Lord,” the prince cries. “Just as you accepted suffering for our sins, so grant me the ability to accept suffering.” And he asks for the murderer-brother: “Don’t hold it against him, Lord, it’s a sin.”

All this time, Svyatopolk's envoys do not dare to attack Boris. They hear the words of his last prayer, breathe noisily, and have spears in their hands. The chronicle names the killers by name: these are Putsha, Talets, Elovit and Lyashko - boyars from the city of Vyshgorod, who swore allegiance to Svyatopolk. They burst into the tent when the prince, having finished his prayers, goes to bed. They pierce him with spears - Boris's Hungarian servant tries to cover him, and he is killed too - and then they wrap the prince's body in a tent and put it on a cart to bring to Svyatopolk. On the way, it turns out that the prince is still breathing. Two Varangians sent by Svyatopolk to meet the murderers finish the job with swords.

What is known about Prince Boris from the chronicle? He was the beloved son of Prince Vladimir, the baptist of Rus'. From his father, Boris received Rostov as his inheritance. Shortly before his death, Vladimir, having fallen ill, called Boris to Kyiv 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). It was during this campaign that the young prince received news of Vladimir’s death. The chronicle reports: the warriors 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 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, they will all 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 sick and is calling you.” Obedient Gleb, who did not know that Vladimir had already died, set off on his journey. The news about the death of his father and the murder of his brother found him on the road, near Smolensk - this news was sent to Gleb by his elder brother Yaroslav, who advised him not to travel to Kyiv.

The chronicle says: having learned about what had happened, Gleb prayed with tears for his father and brother. “If your prayers reach God,” he cried out to Boris, “then pray for me, so that I too may accept the same martyr’s death.” At this time, the assassins sent by Svyatopolk boarded his ship. One of the messengers, whom the chronicle calls Goryaser, ordered the young prince to be stabbed to death - the order was carried out by the cook Gleb, stabbing 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 calls only the Accursed, needed to kill his brothers.

A partial answer to this question is given by a contemporary of those events - the German Bishop Thietmar of Merseburg. His chronicles tell the following about the confrontation between the heirs of the Baptist of Rus': Svyatopolk, who received an inheritance from his father in Turov (modern Belarus), shortly before the death of Vladimir, was taken into custody in Kyiv. The reason for this was Svyatopolk’s desire to overthrow Vladimir from the throne, says Thietmar.

This story explains how Svyatopolk ended up in Kyiv in the first place, and indicates that the throne was occupied by him illegally. And although Boris accepted his brother’s seniority, he still saw him as a competitor in the struggle for power in Kyiv. Thietmar points out that it was to Boris that Vladimir wanted to give Kyiv, 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 cried for him more than for his father. In a conflict between Boris and Svyatopolk, if one could happen, Gleb would probably side with the former.

Reverence

The exact date of canonization of the brother-princes is unknown. Most likely, it occurred in 1072, when the relics of the passion-bearers were transferred to a stone church in Vyshgorod.

Evgeniy Golubinsky, a historian at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, notes that the reason for canonization was not initially the martyrdom of the brothers, but the numerous healings that occurred to pilgrims at their relics.

By the beginning of the 12th century, the princes began to be considered the intercessors of the entire Russian land and the patrons of the princely family. The princes decorated the shrines with their relics with silver and gold and built churches in their honor. During Batu's invasion 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 with a squad sent against them, they do not draw their sword, but bow their heads in humility before the will of God and die, testifying to the vitality of that spiritual and moral ideal that entered into them and into many through the baptism of Vladimir, through Baptism of Rus'".

Boris Vladimirovich (Prince of Rostov) Gleb Vladimirovich (Prince of Murom)

Some of the first monuments of ancient Russian literature are dedicated to the story of Boris and Gleb: “The Legend” of Jacob Chernorizets and “Reading” of Nestor the Chronicler. Many temples and monasteries were built in honor of the brothers.

Biography

Brothers Boris and Gleb were the younger sons of the Kiev prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich from his wife, in the initial Kiev chronicle their mother was called a “Bulgarian”, in other chronicles she was called a Greek (perhaps she was a captive concubine), and half-brothers of Svyatopolk the Accursed and Yaroslav the Wise. Sources share the names of the brothers: Boris and Gleb - names received at birth, Roman and David - at baptism. However, the name Boris by that time had already ceased to be pagan and could be used for naming at baptism (in the 10th century, Prince Boris I, who baptized Bulgaria, was already canonized). The name Gleb refers to pagan names and is known from the story in the Joachim Chronicle about the murder of his brother Gleb by Svyatoslav Igorevich for his Christian beliefs. Around 987-989 Boris received Rostov from his father, and Gleb received Murom.

Death of brothers

Both brothers, according to the generally accepted version, were killed by Svyatopolk the Accursed during a struggle for power.

The canonical version, known both from chronicle material and from ancient Russian hagiographic legends, tells many details about the death of the brothers. In 1015, the brothers' father, Grand Duke Vladimir Svyatoslavich, fell ill, and Boris was called to Kyiv. Soon after his arrival, it became known about the Pecheneg invasion, and his father sent him with a squad to repel their raids. Boris did not meet the Pechenegs anywhere and, returning back, stopped on the Alta River. Here he learned about the death of his father and about the occupation of the grand-ducal table by his half-brother Svyatopolk. The squad offered to go to Kyiv and seize the throne, but Boris did not want to violate the sanctity of family relations and indignantly rejected this proposal, as a result of which his father’s squad left him and he was left with only his youths.

Meanwhile, Svyatopolk, who, informing Boris about the death of his father, offered to be with him in love and increase his inheritance, wanted to kill the sons of Vladimir (he himself should be considered the son of Yaropolk, since his mother, whom Vladimir took from his brother, was at that moment she is pregnant - that’s why he is called either Vladimir’s son or nephew) to eliminate rivals for the possession of the principality. Svyatopolk sent Putsha and the Vyshgorod boyars to kill his brother - since the sympathy of the people and squads for Boris made him a dangerous rival. Putsha and his comrades came to Alta, to Boris’s tent, on the night of July 24 (30); Having heard the singing of psalms coming from the tent, Putsha decided to wait until Boris went to bed. As soon as Boris, doubly saddened by both the death of his father and rumors about his brother’s villainous intentions, finished his prayer and went to bed, the murderers burst in and pierced Boris and his Hungarian servant George, who was trying to protect the master with his own body, with spears.

The killers wrapped Boris, who was still breathing, in tent cloth and took him away. Svyatopolk, having learned that he was still alive, sent two Varangians to kill him, which they did, piercing him with a sword in the heart. Boris's body was secretly brought to Vyshgorod and buried there near the Church of St. Basil. Boris was about 25 years old.

After the murder of Boris, Svyatopolk called Gleb to Kyiv, fearing that being with the murdered Boris not only a half-brother, but also a half-brother, he could become an avenger. When Gleb stopped near Smolensk, he received from his fourth brother, Yaroslav the Wise, news about the death of his father, about the occupation of Kyiv by Svyatopolk, about his murder of Boris and his intention to kill him, Gleb; at the same time, Yaroslav advised him not to go to Kyiv.

As the life says, when the young prince prayed with tears for his father and brother, those sent to him by Svyatopolk appeared and showed a clear intention to kill him. The youths accompanying him, according to the chronicles, became despondent, and according to the lives of the holy prince, they were forbidden to use his weapons in defense. Goryaser, who stood at the head of those sent by Svyatopolk, ordered the prince to be stabbed to death by his own cook, a jerk by birth. The murder of Gleb occurred on September 5, 1015. The killers buried Gleb’s body “in an empty place, on a gap between two logs” (that is, in a simple coffin consisting of two hollowed out logs). E. Golubinsky believes that we are talking about the burial of the body directly at the scene of the murder on the banks of the Dnieper down from Smolensk, five miles from the city.

In 1019, when Yaroslav occupied Kyiv, on his order, Gleb’s body was found, brought to Vyshgorod and buried, along with the body of Boris, near the Church of St. Basil.

Discussion about the reliability of the generally accepted version

There is also a version according to which it is not Svyatopolk the Accursed who is actually to blame for the death of Boris, but the “good” brother Yaroslav the Wise, who later disguised his participation. In 1834, St. Petersburg University professor Osip Senkovsky, having translated “Eymund’s Saga” (“Eymund’s Strand”) into Russian, discovered that the Varangian Eymund and his retinue were hired by Yaroslav the Wise. The saga tells how King Yarisleif (Yaroslav) fights with King Burisleif, and in the saga Burisleif is killed by the Varangians by order of Yarisleif. Some researchers suggest Boris under the name "Burisleif", others - the Polish king Boleslav, whom the saga confuses with his ally Svyatopolk.

Then, some researchers, based on the saga about Eymund, supported the hypothesis that the death of Boris was the “work of the hands” of the Varangians sent by Yaroslav the Wise in 1017, given that, according to the chronicles, Yaroslav, Bryachislav, and Mstislav refused to recognize Svyatopolk as the legitimate prince in Kyiv . Only two brothers - Boris and Gleb - declared their allegiance to the new Kyiv prince and pledged to “honor him as their father,” and for Svyatopolk it would be very strange to kill his allies. To date, this hypothesis has both its supporters and opponents.

Also, historiographers and historians, starting with S. M. Solovyov, suggest that the story of the death of Boris and Gleb was clearly inserted into the “Tale of Bygone Years” later, otherwise the chronicler would not have repeated again about the beginning of the reign of Svyatopolk in Kyiv.

In ancient Russian literature

Saints Boris and Gleb are traditional characters in literary works of the hagiographic genre, among which a special place is occupied by “The Tale of Boris and Gleb,” written in the mid-11th century in the last years of the reign of Yaroslav the Wise. Later, the “Tale” was supplemented by a description of the miracles of saints (“The Tale of Miracles”), written in 1089-1115 successively by three authors. In total, “The Tale of Boris and Gleb” has been preserved in more than 170 copies, and Iakov Chernoritsa is considered the possible author, based on the research of Metropolitan Macarius and M.P. Pogodin.

There is also a “Reading about Boris and Gleb”, written by the Venerable Nestor the Chronicler. According to a number of researchers, “Reading” was written earlier than “Tale”, created, according to their version, after 1115 on the basis of “Reading” and chronicle material.

Regarding the stories about the murder of Boris and Gleb in the ancient Russian chronicles, there is an opinion that all of them before article 6580 (1072) are later insertions made no earlier than the transfer of the relics of the brothers described in this article. This is connected both with the beginning of the emergence of the cult of the holy brothers, and with the understanding in the middle - third quarter of the 11th century of the history of their death in the context of the biblical commandment “thou shalt not kill” after the abolition of blood feud in Rus'.

S. M. Mikheev believes that the source of all works is the Varangian legend about the murder of Boris, then supplemented by the Russian story about the death of Gleb and the struggle of Yaroslav with Svyatopolk. On their basis, the chronicle story about Boris and Gleb was created, and then “Reading” and “The Legend”. According to A. A. Shakhmatov, “Reading” and “Telling” are the result of a creative reworking of the general protograph, which, in his opinion, is the “Ancient Kiev chronicle code” of the second quarter of the 11th century.

Reverence

Canonization

Boris and Gleb are considered the first Russian saints, but the exact date of their canonization is controversial:

  • according to A. A. Shakhmatov, this is due to 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;
  • 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, linking it with the Kyiv Metropolitan John I;
  • Metropolitan Macarius (Bulgakov) believes that the veneration of Boris and Gleb began after the construction of the first wooden church in the name of these saints in Vyshgorod in 1021 (consecrated on July 24 (30)). This was preceded by the discovery of the relics of the brothers after a fire that destroyed the Church of St. Basil, where they were buried.

The most reliable, according to researchers (E. E. Golubinsky, M. K. Karger, N. N. Ilyin, M. Kh. Aleshkovsky, A. S. Khoroshev, A. Poppe), is the canonization of Boris and Gleb, which occurred during transferring (or immediately after) their relics to a new stone church. This solemn ceremony was performed on May 20, 1072 with the participation of the children of Yaroslav the Wise, princes Izyaslav, Svyatoslav and Vsevolod, Kyiv Metropolitan George, a number of other bishops and Kyiv monasticism. At the same time, the brothers were immediately given not local, but church-wide veneration, which made them patrons of the Russian land.

There is a version of the later canonization of Boris and Gleb - on May 2, 1115, when their relics were transferred to the temple built by Prince Izyaslav Yaroslavich. This dating does not find support from researchers who point to the presence of the names of Boris and Gleb as saints in documents of the last quarter of the 11th century, the peculiarities of their hymnography and the fact of the transfer of a particle of their relics to the Czech Republic in 1094-1095.

The brothers were canonized as passion-bearers, which emphasizes their acceptance of martyrdom not at the hands of the persecutors of Christianity, but from fellow believers, and their martyrdom consisted of goodness and non-resistance to enemies. However, regarding the reason for canonization, E. Golubinsky notes that the brothers were canonized not for martyrdom, but because of the miracles attributed to their relics (he especially emphasizes that Prince Svyatoslav, also the son of Grand Duke Vladimir, killed by Svyatopolk, was not canonized because was killed and buried in the Carpathian Mountains and information about miracles from his coffin is unknown).

Veneration in Russia

Initially, Boris and Gleb began to be revered as miracle workers-healers, and then the Russian people and mainly the princely family began to see them as their intercessors and prayer books. In the praise of the saints contained in the “Tale”, they are called intercessors of the Russian land and heavenly helpers of the Russian princes:

The chronicles are full of stories about miracles of healing that took place at their tomb (particular emphasis on the glorification of the brothers as healers was made in the oldest church service to saints, dating back to the 12th century), about victories won in their name and with their help (for example, about the victory of Rurik Rostislavich over Konchak , Alexander Nevsky over the Swedes in the Battle of Neva), about the pilgrimage of princes to their tomb (for example, Vladimir Vladimirovich, Prince of Galicia, Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich - Prince of Suzdal), etc.

Academician D.S. Likhachev notes: “The political tendency of the cult of Boris and Gleb is clear: to strengthen the state unity of Rus' on the basis of strict fulfillment of the feudal obligations of the younger princes in relation to the elders and the elders in relation to the younger.”

In honor of Boris and Gleb, the following celebrations were established (according to the Julian calendar):

  • May 2 - transfer of their relics to a new church-tomb in 1115, built by Prince Izyaslav Yaroslavich in Vyshgorod.
  • July 24 is a joint celebration of the saints.
  • September 5 - memory of Prince Gleb.

The celebration of the memory of saints on July 24 since the beginning of the 12th century has been constantly found in monthly books (Mstislav Gospel, beginning of the 12th century; Yuryev Gospel, 1119-1128; Dobrilovo Gospel, 1164 and others). Initially, the day of remembrance in the monthlies was classified as a minor holiday (saints with doxology), then it began to be celebrated as a middle one (saints with polyeleos), and from the second half of the 12th century this day of remembrance in the monthlies began to be accompanied by the sign of a cross in a circle, which is used to mark the main ones after

Brothers Boris and Gleb were the sons of the Baptist of Rus of Kyiv. Their mother, according to various chronicles, was either a “Bulgarian” or a Greek. Most likely, they were born in 986-987, several years before the baptism of Rus', which, according to various sources, took place in 988 or 990. At baptism, Boris received the name Roman, and Gleb - David.

In 1015, Grand Duke Vladimir fell ill. His future successor Yaroslav sat on the throne in, Boris was a prince, and Gleb was. Shortly before Vladimir's illness, Yaroslav refused to pay tribute to his father from his lands.

The old prince began to prepare for a campaign against the obstinate, but illness disrupted his plans. Vladimir summoned his son Boris to Kyiv, who, apparently, was his favorite and the main contender for the throne. At this time, it became known about the campaign of Turkic-speaking nomads - the Pechenegs - against Rus'. Vladimir sent his squad led by Boris against them.

According to, further events occurred in this way. Boris did not meet the Pechenegs, who most likely turned away to the steppe upon learning of the approach of a large Russian squad. Meanwhile, the old prince died. Power in Kyiv was seized by one of Vladimir’s eldest sons, Svyatopolk, who is known to have previously been a prince in Turov or Pinsk. He was supported by the boyar elite of the wealthy suburb of Kyiv, Vyshgorod.


The news of his father's death overtook Boris on the Alta River near Pereyaslav. The squad invited the prince to go to Kyiv and take power. However, Boris replied that he would not go against his older brother. After this, the army left the prince. The chronicle reports that Svyatopolk sent assassins from among the Vyshgorod residents to Boris.

They burst into the prince’s tent at night and pierced him with spears and bullets, and then took the body to Kyiv. At the same time, it is further said that Boris was still alive, but the Varangians specially sent by Svyatopolk finished him off. This happened on July 24th.

After the murder of Boris, Svyatopolk decided to deal with Gleb. He sent messengers to Murom, calling his brother to Kyiv. Nearby, Gleb received news from Yaroslav, who reported the death of Boris and warned of danger. However, the Murom prince did not resist fate and soon, on September 5, he was killed by his own cook (“torchin”) at the instigation of people sent by Svyatopolk.

A few years later, Yaroslav defeated Svyatopolk, and Boris and Gleb subsequently became the first Russian saints. We do not know exactly when they were canonized. Various dates are given, from 1020 to 1115. However, it is almost certain that their cult already existed in 1072. At the end of the 11th century, parts of the saints' relics were sent to the Czech Republic. Svyatopolk received the nickname of the Damned.

Boris and Gleb are saints of the Russian Church, who are revered as passion-bearers and miracle-working healers.

They were also patrons of the princely and then reigning Rurik family. Many churches were built in their honor and several monasteries were founded.

The days of their memory are celebrated on July 24, September 5, and May 2 (on this day their relics were transferred to the new temple).

There are biographies of saints recognized by the Orthodox Church: “The Tale of Boris and Gleb”, “The Tale of Miracles” and “Reading about Boris and Gleb”, written by the famous. In addition to the canonical version of the life story of Boris and Gleb, there are alternative hypotheses.

For the most part they are based on the news of the Scandinavian “Saga of Eymund”. According to this source, written down several hundred years after the events described, the Varangian Eymund served Yaroslav (Yaritsleiv) and killed his brother Buritsleiv. At the same time, some researchers are inclined to believe that Buritsleiv should be understood specifically as Boris (Borislav). Other historians note that Yaroslav fought not only with Svyatopolk, but also with his father-in-law, the Polish prince Boleslav, who could have become the source of the name for the character in the saga.

One way or another, in any case, the holy princes Boris and Gleb are one of the most revered martyrs of the Russian Orthodox Church, the first saints of Rus'.

In the summer of 1015, Prince Vladimir died. None of his entourage expected such an early death of the prince. Confusion reigned in Kyiv. But the Russian people were even more struck by the death of their youngest sons - Boris of Rostov and Gleb of Murom.

Their death followed almost immediately after the death of their father. It was a villainous murder. Boris and Gleb fell victims of a crime committed on the orders of their older brother Svyatopolk.

How many villainous murders have been and are being committed in the world! The struggle for power claimed the lives of many people both before and after Boris and Gleb. However, it was their death that made a huge impression on ancient Russian society.

Their posthumous veneration quickly spread throughout Rus', ahead of church glorification.

We know little about the brothers’ lives before their deaths. They were the youngest of Vladimir's sons and, in addition to the Slavic names Boris and Gleb, had Christian names - Roman and David.

But more than two hundred literary monuments have been preserved about their last days of life - lives, legends, chronicles. All this indicates that it was not worldly piety, but death that became the reason for their glorification.

In what way did the Russian people see the holiness of the two princes and the meaning of their Christian feat?

The news of his father's death found Boris on a campaign against the Pechenegs. Having defeated the enemy, he returned to Kyiv and on the way he learned of Svyatopolk’s intention to kill him as a competitor to the Kiev throne.

Boris decides not to oppose his brother, despite the persuasion of the squad, who then left him. Boris spends the night in his tent in prayer, waiting for the killers. The ancient author dwells in detail on the events of this night.

Boris reflects on the vanity of the world and the meaninglessness of power. He reminds himself of the basic Christian virtues - humility and love. But what Boris feels most strongly is the thought of martyrdom.

He remembers the suffering of the holy martyrs Nikita, Vyacheslav and Varvara, who died at the hands of their father or brother. Confirmed in the idea that free torment is an imitation of Christ, Boris repeats twice: “If my blood is shed, I will be a martyr to my Lord.”

At dawn, Svyatopolk's accomplices burst into Boris's tent and pierced him with spears. The faithful servant, who tried to cover the prince with his body, was killed on his chest.

Having wrapped Boris's body in a tent, he was taken to Kyiv on a cart. Under the city, seeing that Boris is still breathing, two Varangians finish him off with swords.

The second brother, Gleb, is overtaken by the killers on the Dnieper. Svyatopolk tricks him into calling him to the capital. Brother Yaroslav's warning does not stop the prince.

Until the last moment, he does not want to believe in Svyatopolk’s treachery. Seeing the boats of the killers, Gleb “rejoiced in his soul, wanting to receive a kiss from them.” But realizing that they had come to kill him, Gleb begs them for mercy on “his youth.”

The description of Gleb's murder pierces the reader's heart with acute pity. A young man, almost a boy, trembles under the killer’s knife. Not a single detail of brave and voluntary acceptance of one's share mitigates the horror of this murder.

On the orders of the killers, Gleb’s own cook cuts his throat with a knife. Gleb’s dying prayer ends with his confidence that every disciple of Christ is left in the world to suffer, and every innocent and free suffering in the world is suffering for the name of Christ.

This spirit of free suffering triumphs in Gleb over his human weakness and desire to live.

The prince's body was thrown on the shore, and only a few years later was found by Yaroslav, who buried him next to Boris.

The martyrdom of the holy princes is devoid of any semblance of heroism. This is not a firm expectation of death and not a challenge to the forces of evil, which is so often heard in the suffering of ancient martyrs. On the contrary, the idea of ​​sacrifice, distinct from heroic martyrdom, appears with particular force.

And the feat of the two young princes was that in the face of death, only one thing turned out to be important for each of them - to be with Christ, to be like Christ. The Russian Church did not make a distinction between death for faith in Christ and death in following Christ, especially honoring the latter.

The feat of non-resistance to evil became a national Russian feat, a true religious discovery of the Russian people. Through the holy passion-bearers Boris and Gleb, as through the Gospel, the image of the meek and suffering Savior entered the heart of the Russian people, as their most cherished shrine.

The Christian meekness and humility of the two brothers helped the Russian people for centuries to maintain patience and wisdom in the most difficult moments of history.

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

This is how our first local historian Alexey 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 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 Suzdal neighbors, 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.