Boris and Gleb story. Holy noble princes Boris and Gleb

- Boris and Gleb

Holy noble princes of Russia and passion-bearers Boris and Gleb- the first Russian canonized saints who accomplished their spiritual feat in the 11th century. For ten centuries, people have remembered them and prayed to them, turning to heavenly patrons for help and healing.

Some Orthodox Russian icons depict two brothers. One is older, with a beard, the other is younger. They wear princely cloaks and hats with a round top and sable trim. The brothers stand or ride nearby on light-footed horses: one is black, black, the other is red, looking almost red. These are Boris and Gleb - the first saints of the Russian land.

The story of the brothers Boris and Gleb

The brothers were the youngest sons of the Kyiv prince Vladimir Svyatoslavovich - the same one whom the people nicknamed “The Red Sun”. Boris and Gleb heard the difficult story of their father from a young age. He had to take up arms against his older brother Yaropolk, whose struggle for princely power led to the death of their third brother, Oleg. Having defeated his brother’s squad, Vladimir showed generosity and did not intend to shed his own blood. However, Yaropolk still died from the swords of the Varangians, and his death lay like a heavy stone on Prince Vladimir’s soul.

Strife between the princes led to the great devastation of the Russian lands. Taking advantage of the turmoil, the Poles and Bulgarians moved to Rus', and the Pecheneg steppe inhabitants carried out raids on its southern borders. Vladimir Svyatoslavovich more than once had to lead his squad on campaigns, liberating and collecting captured lands under his wing. After one of these campaigns (to Chersonese), the Kiev prince baptized his subjects in the waters of the Dnieper.

The new, Orthodox faith was after the hearts of Boris and Gleb. The eldest, Boris, knew his letters well, often read the Holy Scriptures and talked with his brother about the lives of the great Christian ascetics and martyrs. Examples of people who did not flinch in the face of harsh life trials and did not compromise their faith inspired the brothers. Very soon they themselves had to make difficult choices in life.

In 1015, the elderly Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavovich became seriously ill and was unable to lead the next campaign against the Pechenegs. In his place, he sent his son Boris, who by that time had already reigned in the city of Rostov for almost a quarter of a century. Vladimir had several sons, but his choice fell on Boris not by chance. He was a good commander, he was kind to the common people, his squad loved him.

The struggle of brothers for the principality in Rus'

Boris did not have to fight on that campaign. The Pechenegs, having learned about the approach of a formidable army, went far into the steppes, and by that time sad news came from Kyiv - Prince Vladimir died. However, this was not the only thing that saddened Boris. Messengers reported that the Kiev throne was seized by his elder brother Svyatopolk. Fearing that Boris would also lay claim to the throne, he planned to kill him.

Boris's indignant squad made noise, offering to go to war against Kyiv, take the throne by force and throw off Svyatopolk, whom they did not love. However, Boris knew perfectly well what such actions would lead to. The fire of the old family drama was ready to flare up again, now scorching the children of Prince Vladimir. Rus' was again threatened with ruin; hundreds of warriors could have died in the princely battle for power.

Death of Boris

Boris did not want to allow this. He dismissed the squad and remained in his tent to pray. He knew that the killers sent by Svyatopolk were already nearby. They burst into the prince's tent in the morning and began to beat him with spears. His faithful servant, the Hungarian George, tried to cover Boris with his body. They didn't spare him either. The body of the bleeding prince was wrapped in tent fabric, thrown onto a cart and taken towards Kyiv. At the city walls, Boris was still breathing. Completing their dirty deed, the killers stabbed him with swords. The body of the murdered prince was buried in Vyshgorod, near the Church of St. Basil.

Death of Gleb

At that time, Svyatopolk sent messengers to Gleb, who reigned in Murom. The messengers informed Gleb that Prince Vladimir was seriously ill and was calling his son to Kyiv to say goodbye before his death. In fact, both Vladimir and Boris were already dead. With this trick, Svyatopolk tried to lure his brother out of Murom in order to deal with him too. Gleb believed the messengers and set off on the road.

Not far from Smolensk, other messengers found Gleb. They were sent by Vladimir’s fourth son, Yaroslav, who wanted to inform his brother that their father was dead, Boris had been killed, and Gleb’s life was in mortal danger. Gleb did not want to believe these terrible words. He had the opportunity to return to Murom, surround himself with a squad, and wait it out. However, like his brother Boris, he did not want to resist evil and went to meet his death.

Death overtook Gleb on the Dnieper, at the mouth of the Medyn River. The killers' boat caught up with Gleb's boat, and a few moments later the young prince fell with his throat cut. The chronicles say that the body of the murdered man was thrown on the shore “between two logs.”

The Curse of Svyatopolk the Stinking

Boris and Gleb almost voluntarily accepted death, refusing armed struggle with their evil brother, but he was not destined to rule in Kyiv for long. In the fall, the Novgorod army, led by Yaroslav, approached the city walls. Fearing reprisals, Svyatopolk fled.

But he could not come to terms with the loss of power and appeared at the walls of Kyiv twice more. The first time he brought the Pechenegs, the second time - the Poles. Svyatopolk wanted to achieve power by any means. Yaroslav fought the fratricide for four long years. Once he was even forced to flee to Novgorod, but in 1019 Svyatopolk was finally defeated. The decisive battle took place near the Alta River - the same one on the banks of which Prince Boris was killed. Svyatopolk fled to Poland, where he did not find refuge for himself until the end of his days. People called him the Stinking One.

Boris and Gleb - the first Russian saints

Gleb's body was found several years later. Miraculously, he was not touched by decay. The remains of the martyr were buried next to his brother - in Vyshgorod.

Subsequently, the first of the Boris and Gleb churches was consecrated near the grave of the murdered princes. It was built by Yaroslav the Wise, and the consecration of the stone five-domed church on July 24, 1026 was carried out by John, Metropolitan of Kiev, together with a council of local clergy.

In 1071, Boris and Gleb were canonized. They were neither monks nor hermits. The brothers did not respond to evil with violence, accepted death and thus became the first Russian passion-bearers. Their memory is honored on May 2; on this day the relics of the brothers were transferred to a new church in Vyshgorod. Saints Boris and Gleb were and remain in Rus' “heavenly prayer books” for all Orthodox Christians.

The veneration of the holy brothers-princes Boris and Gleb was also started by their brother Yaroslav the Wise after he took the grand-ducal throne in Kyiv.

Chroniclers unanimously compared Svyatopolk with another fratricide, the biblical Cain, whose name became a household name, and argued that the villain could not find peace anywhere until the end of his days, and even his grave exuded stench and stench.

The blood shed by Gleb and his brother seemed to douse the fire of internecine strife that was burning in Rus', but the memory of the brothers survived them forever, for it is said in the Holy Scripture: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul.”

At times, at key moments in history, images of brothers appear in the world, blessing people for spiritual deeds.

Blessing of the brothers to Alexander Nevsky

In 1240, Swedish ships entered the mouth of the Neva. When news of the enemy invasion reached Novgorod, its prince Alexander, without waiting for help from his neighbors, set out with his squad to meet the enemy squadron. The legend says that on the night before the battle, a boat appeared on the waters of the river in the fog, on which stood two holy brothers. They blessed the Novgorodians for their feat of arms. The Swedes were defeated, and after that glorious victory.

Boris and Gleb patrons of the Rurikovich family

Boris and Gleb became the first Russian saints, patrons of the reigning ruler, and are revered by the Orthodox Church as miracle workers, healers and passion-bearers.

Sasha Mitrakhovich 25.01.2016 12:37

In the photo: Transfer of the relics of Boris and Gleb.

What is the peculiarity Saints Boris and Gleb, what was their spiritual feat that people remember about it for so many centuries? If you look at it, it seems that they did not do anything special - they are not even martyrs, but passion-bearers, that is, those who without resistance accepted suffering and death at the hands of their fellow believers, and did not make a martyr’s confession of faith.

Boris and Gleb were the sons of the Kyiv prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich; their older half-brothers were Svyatopolk, nicknamed the Damned, and Yaroslav the Wise.

Vladimir called Boris to Kyiv and gave him soldiers to fight the Pechenegs. He set out on a campaign and, having not met the enemy, was about to return, and suddenly received news of the death of his father and that Svyatopolk wanted to kill him in order to seize power alone.

Boris did not flee, but stood up to pray in his tent - and here the killers sent by Svyatopolk attacked him. Mortally wounded, he prayed for forgiveness for his enemies.

“And, looking at his killers with a sad look, with a haggard face, shedding tears, he said: “Brothers, having begun, finish what has been entrusted to you. And may there be peace to my brother and to you, brothers!”

Yaroslav warned Gleb that Svyatopolk wanted to kill him after his brother, but Gleb also did not hide from his enemies and accepted suffering and death. His body was thrown in a deserted place, and for a long time the shepherds saw light there and heard angelic singing, but no one knew the reason until Yaroslav the Wise found Gleb’s body many years later and buried him next to Boris. The saint's body remained incorruptible, and wild animals did not touch it.

In 1072, the relics of the brothers were solemnly transferred to the new cathedral in Vyshgorod - since then May 15 has been considered the day of their glorification. For a hundred years, miracles of healing were performed at the tombs of the saints, so they were glorified as healers.

In all images - both on icons and in literary monuments - the humility and meekness of the brothers, their kind, gentle faces are emphasized. This is precisely where their holiness lies - in accepting suffering without resistance, in forgiveness and love.

People keep the memory of saints in the names of churches, monasteries and cities - in Russia there is the city of Borisoglebsk in the Voronezh region, Romanov-Borisoglebsk (Tutaev) in the Yaroslavl region, the city of Daugavpils in Lithuania also used to bear the name Borisoglebsk, and this is not to mention the many Borisogleb churches .

In Moscow, the famous temple of Boris and Gleb, destroyed in the 1930s, was located at the Arbat Gate - Boris Pasternak recalls it in his poem “Bacchanalia”:

City. Winter sky.
Dark. Gate spans.
Boris and Gleb have the light on, and the service is underway.
The foreheads of those praying,
vestments and old women
Shushun Svechek
flame from below
Poorly illuminated...

Boris's cry for his deceased father resonates in the hearts of readers even after a thousand years:

“Woe is me, my father and lord! To whom shall I resort, to whom shall I turn my gaze? Where else will I find such wisdom and how will I manage without the instructions of your mind? Alas for me, alas for me! How did you set, my sun, and I wasn’t there! If I had been there, I would have removed your honest body with my own hands and given it to the grave. But I did not carry your valiant body, I was not honored to kiss your beautiful gray hair. My heart is burning, my soul is confused, and I don’t know who to turn to, who to tell this bitter sadness to?”

Sasha Mitrakhovich 07.11.2018 18:16

Troparion to the Holy Blessed Princes of the Passion Boris and Gleb

Having sprinkled the purple with martyr's blood, the decorations that stand before you are glorious to the Immortal King, and having received the crowns of glory from Him, pray to our country for the tribute to overcome our enemies and for our souls great mercy.

2. Troparion - Transfer of the relics of the Holy Princes-Passion of the Russian Orthodox Church Boris and Gleb

Today the depths of the church are expanding, receiving the riches of God's grace, the Russian cathedrals are rejoicing, seeing the glorious miracles that you do for those who come to you by faith, holy miracle workers Boris and Gleb, pray to Christ God to save our souls.

4. Kontakion to the Holy Blessed Princes of the Passion Boris and Gleb

Today in the country of Russia the grace of healing appears to all, to you, blessed ones, who come and cry out: rejoice, intercessors of warmth.

Greatness to the holy noble princes of the passions Boris and Gleb

We magnify you, passion-bearers Saints Boris and Gleb, and honor your honest sufferings, which you naturally endured for Christ.

First prayer to the holy noble princes of the passions of Yerevan Boris and Gleb

Oh, sacred duo, beautiful brothers, noble passion-bearers Boris and Gleb, who from their youth served Christ with faith, purity and love, and were adorned with your blood like crimson, and now reign with Christ!
Do not forget us who are on earth, but, as warm intercessors, with your strong intercession before Christ our God, have mercy on us, young ones in holy faith and purity, damaged from every excuse of unbelief and uncleanness, and save all of us who pray from all sorrow, bitterness and deliver from sudden death, and tame all enmity and malice raised up by the action of the devil from neighbors and strangers.
We pray to you, Christ-loving passion-bearers, to assist our ruler to victory over our enemies, ask the Greatly Gifted Master for all of us to forgive our sins, unanimity and health, deliverance from the invasion of foreigners, internecine warfare, plagues and famine.
Provide this city (or this whole city) and all who honor your holy memory forever and ever with your intercession. Amen.

Second prayer to the holy noble princes of the Passions Boris and Gleb

There is no ability and strength to glorify you, holy brothers! You are people in heaven and angels on earth, pillars and support of our land. Help your fatherland, offer up a prayer for the entire Russian land, about the blessed receptacle that has received your honest bodies, like a valuable treasure, the blessed church in which your holy shrines stand! And not only our tribe was given salvation by God, but also the entire earth. People from all countries come there and receive healing for free.
Oh, blessed passion-bearers of Christ, do not forget the fatherland where you lived physically, do not leave it by visiting, and in your prayers always pray for us, so that evil does not befall us and so that illness does not touch the bodies of your slaves. For you have been given grace to pray for us. We come running to you, we beg you, falling to you with tears. But hoping for your prayer, we cry out to the Savior: Lord, act mercifully with us, have mercy on us, be generous, intercede with the prayers of Your most honorable passion-bearers, do not give us over to reproach, but pour out Your mercy on the sheep of Your pasture, for You are our God, to You We send glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Third prayer to the holy noble princes of the Passion Boris and Gleb of Yerevan

Let us exalt the wonderworkers and martyrs, the never-setting stars, the sons of Grand Duke Vladimir, blessed Roman and David, who are angels on earth and men of God in heaven, for with your blood you sanctified the entire Russian land. Oh, sacred duo, beautiful brethren, noble passion-bearers Boris and Gleb, who from their youth served Christ with faith, purity and love, and adorned themselves with their blood like scarlet, and now reign with Christ! Do not forget us who exist on earth, but, as warm intercessors, by your strong intercession before Christ God, preserve the young in the holy faith and purity, unharmed from every excuse of unbelief and uncleanness, protect us all from all sorrow, bitterness and vain death, tame all enmity and malice, raised by the action of the devil from neighbors and strangers. We pray to you, Christ-loving passion-bearers, ask the Great-Gift Master for forgiveness of our sins, unanimity and health, deliverance from the invasion of foreigners, internecine warfare, plagues and famine. Provide your intercession to our country and to all who honor your holy memory, forever and ever. Amen.

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 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 remained 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.

Today, August 6, the Orthodox Church and all believers celebrate the day of remembrance of the first Russian saints, the Russian princes Boris and Gleb, the youngest sons of the holy Prince Vladimir. Born shortly before the Baptism of Rus', they were raised in the Orthodox faith and at baptism bore the names Roman and David.

And so great was their faith, so impressed were they by the image of Christ, that when the murderers came to them, they did not resist evil and shed blood, but gave themselves up as a sacrifice. Therefore, they are glorified as holy passion-bearers. This was 1003 years ago. And their elder brother Svyatopolk, who feared that they would challenge the grand-ducal throne, and therefore gave the order to kill them, has since remained in history under the nickname “The Accursed.”

They pray to the holy princes

On liberation from envy and jealousy
About preserving young people in the true faith, about delivering them from temptations, intolerance and anger
About the gift of strong faith, which you can rely on in any adversity
About taming enmity and anger, about protection from ill-wishers
About solving a difficult situation at work, in conflicts with colleagues and superiors
About helping those who defend their homeland from enemy attacks, be they military, economic, political or ideological attacks
About deliverance from diseases, especially blindness and leg diseases, since there are many testimonies of miraculous healings in front of their icons
About spiritual purity and inner harmony
About peace in the family, about harmony with relatives and loved ones

How Boris and Gleb died

These troubled times came immediately after the death of Grand Duke Vladimir. His eldest son Svyatopolk, who was in Kyiv at that time, declared himself Grand Duke of Kyiv. Boris was returning with his squad from a campaign against the Pechenegs. Having received the news that brother Svyatopolk had arbitrarily taken the throne, he accepted this news with humility and disbanded his squad, although the boyars from among the senior warriors persuaded him to go to Kyiv and take the grand-ducal throne. Boris did not want to challenge Svyatopolk’s decision; he was disgusted by the very thought of an internecine war.

He was killed by order of Svyatopolk on August 6, 1015 while praying in his tent on the banks of the Alta River in the Kyiv region. The prince did not die immediately; the first to be speared was his faithful servant Georgy Ugrin, who rushed to his defense. Before his death, Boris said to the murderers: “Brothers, having begun, finish your service. And may there be peace to my brother and to you, brothers!”

Gleb, by order of his father, reigned at that time in Murom. He was informed in advance that Svyatopolk had sent soldiers to him and he was in danger of death. But, like Boris, he decided to accept it, since the bloody internecine war with his older brother was worse than death for him. Like Boris, he did not resist the soldiers sent to him. His murder occurred on September 9, 1015 near Smolensk, in the place where the Smyadyn River, flowing into the Dnieper, forms a small bay convenient for stopping ships.

What is their holiness?

“Several sources have reached us telling about Boris and Gleb, and they place emphasis slightly differently,” says Doctor of Philology, Scientific Secretary of the St. Philaret Orthodox Christian Institute, church history specialist Yulia Balakshina. - There is “Reading about the life of Boris and Gleb”, and there is “The Legend of Boris and Gleb”. “Reading,” which was less popular in Rus', suggests that they did not resist their brother out of reluctance to increase civil strife in Rus' and destroy these tribal relations. This is one motivation. The second motivation, which is offered by the “Tale,” suggests that imitation of Christ was more important for them. They found themselves in a situation where they could accept their death as a voluntary sacrifice in imitation of the feat of Christ.”

By this time, Rus' had only recently adopted Christianity, and quite recently the face of Christ, his feat and life’s path stood before the eyes of the Russian people. And so, Boris and Gleb were so inspired by this gospel ideal, the image and appearance of the Savior, that they wanted to end their lives imitating Christ - to make this voluntary sacrifice. According to Yulia Balakshina, this became a new special order, a special spiritual feat of passion-bearing, the meaning of which is to increase the power of love without increasing evil in this already infected world.

Why does this type of holiness seem not very clear to modern people?

“We are all children of the Soviet era, when a hero was considered a bearer of strength, but not spiritual strength, but strength as a powerful physical, even natural, principle that turns rivers back, plows up vast spaces, and so on. The beauty of the feat of voluntary sacrifice was lost because faith was lost, the gospel ideal was lost, and the national origin was destroyed. Another, triumphalist type of person has come to the forefront in people’s minds,” explains Yulia Balakshina.

But this seems to be a legacy of the Soviet era. People who lived in the Russian emigration and, unlike the Soviets, preserved the national tradition, very subtly felt this beauty of weakness, this power of external defeat, which turns into a spiritual, internal victory.

“We are accustomed to the fact that external force can only be responded to with force, and violence can only be responded to with violence,” says the church historian. – But such an answer makes this chain endless: for one evil force there will certainly be another. And at some point the action of this evil force must be interrupted and stopped. And this can only be done with a force even greater than this destructive energy. And such power is the power of love - love for another person, love for God, love for Christ. And it was in these people, Boris and Gleb, apparently, that this power of love was found, which turned out to be higher than the instinct of self-preservation, higher than the desire to take revenge on a brother, restore justice, and so on. Their victory was not revealed at that very moment. They were killed, and power did not go to them. But it is absolutely obvious that spiritual victory - in the centuries, in the Russian soul, in the history of Russia - remained with them.”

This is an article about the church cult of Boris and Gleb; for the biography of the brothers, see Boris Vladimirovich (Prince of Rostov) and Gleb Vladimirovich (Prince of Murom)

Boris and Gleb(at baptism Novel And David; killed in 1015) - Russian princes, sons of the Kyiv Grand Duke Vladimir Svyatoslavich. In the internecine struggle that broke out in 1015 after the death of their father, they were killed by their elder brother Svyatopolk the Accursed. Boris and Gleb became the first Russian saints; they were canonized as martyrs-passion-bearers, making them intercessors of the Russian land and heavenly helpers of the Russian princes.

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

Main articles: Boris Vladimirovich (Prince of Rostov) , Gleb Vladimirovich (Prince of Murom)

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.

Murder of Boris

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.

Murder of Gleb

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. Gleb's body was buried by the killers “in an empty place, on a gap between two decks”(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, a professor at St. Petersburg University, Osip Senkovsky, having translated “Eymund’s Saga” (“Eymund’s Strand”) into Russian, discovers that the Varangian Eymund, together with his retinue, was 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

Main articles: The Legend of Boris and Gleb , Reading about Boris and Gleb

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 Chernorizets 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, however the exact date of their canonization is controversial:

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”.

Memorial Days

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 post-Twelfth church churches holidays. The remaining days of memory are less common in Old Russian monthly calendars.

For the first time, all three days of remembrance are found together in the Moscow Typicon of 1610. In it, on May 2, it is supposed to commemorate the saints with polyeleos and more solemnly than the celebration of the memory of St. Athanasius of Alexandria (one of the Fathers of the Church), which falls on the same day. The charter of church services of the Kremlin Assumption Cathedral on June 2 states: “For Athanasius the Great, when it is inappropriate to sing together with Boris and Gleb, then sing on the 4th day, the middle trezvon, and for Boris and Gleb the big trezvon, the good news is roared.”. In modern menaions of the Russian Orthodox Church on May 2 it is indicated to perform a polyeleos service to the saints.

Construction of temples and monasteries

The center of veneration for Boris and Gleb in the pre-Mongol period was the church in their honor, built in Vyshgorod in 1115. In addition to the relics, it also contained other relics associated with the brothers. Among them was the sword of Boris, taken to Vladimir in 1155 by Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky. The church was destroyed during Batu's invasion of Kyiv in 1240. At the same time, the relics of the holy brothers were lost and attempts to find them again, undertaken in 1743, 1814 and 1816, did not yield results.

In the 1070s, wooden temples were also built at the sites where the brothers were killed. Soon they were replaced with stone ones: in 1117 on the Alta River (the place of Boris’s murder), and in 1145 on Smyadyn (the place of Gleb’s murder). Monasteries were already formed at wooden churches (on Alta - earlier than 1073, on Smyadyn - no later than 1138).

In honor of the holy brothers, many churches and monasteries arose in different cities of Russia. Until the middle of the 16th century, the chronicler cites more than 20 cases of churches being built in their honor. The oldest of them include:

Boris and Gleb Cathedral in Chernigov (before 1123);
Boris and Gleb Church in Kideksha near Suzdal (1152);
Boris and Gleb Church in Polotsk (mid-12th century);
Boris and Gleb Church in Novgorod (1167);
Kolozha Church in Grodno (1180-1190).

In the pre-Mongol period, in addition to monasteries at churches built on the sites of the murder of brothers, monasteries were founded: Borisoglebsky Monastery in Torzhok (1038, founded by Efrem Ugrin, who served in the retinue of one of the brothers) and Borisoglebsky Nadozerny Monastery in Pereslavl-Zalessky (closed in 1788 ).

For later churches and monasteries dedicated to Saints Boris and Gleb, see Boris and Gleb Monastery and Boris and Gleb Church.

Veneration outside Russia

The veneration of Boris and Gleb as saints in other Orthodox countries began soon after their canonization in Rus':

The veneration of princes became especially widespread in the 13th-14th centuries in the South Slavic countries (especially in Serbia). This is due to the development of church-cultural ties between Russia and these countries through Athos and Constantinople, as well as the liberation of the Bulgarian and Serbian states from the rule of Byzantium. Days of remembrance of saints appear in South Slavic monthly books (the earliest mention in the Gospel of aprakos of the first half of the 13th century), prayers to them are placed in kondakars (the earliest example is the Serbian kondakar of the beginning of the 14th century), but the facts of the dedication of temples to these saints in Bulgaria and Serbia in the Middle Ages unknown.

Hymnography

The first hymns to Boris and Gleb appear at the end of the 11th century, the oldest of them are contained in the July menaion of the late 11th - early 12th centuries and Kondakar under the Studite Charter, written at the same time. In the 12th century, hymns to the princes included 24 stichera, 2 canons, 3 kontakia with ikos, sedalion and luminary. The composition of the chants indicates that they formed 3 services, that is, for each of the days of remembrance of the saints. According to the instructions in the menaion of the first half of the 12th century, the author of the service to the brothers is Metropolitan John of Kiev.

Despite the extensive composition of hymns to Boris and Gleb, in the pre-Mongol period they were placed only under July 24 (for the holiday of May 2, only one kontakion was given during this period). The first texts of services for May 2 appear at the end of the 14th century and are composed of previously known stichera. New stichera for this holiday appear in the 15th century and are associated with the work of Pachomius Logothetes. In the 15th-16th centuries, the mention of the murderer of the brothers, Prince Svyatopolk, disappeared from the chants.

At the turn of the 11th-12th centuries, paroemic readings to the saints appeared, which are atypical for the Byzantine rite - instead of biblical readings, prose tales about the saints were used, although called in the traditional form “Reading from Genesis.” The text of the proverbs contains allusions to passages from the Old Testament, but the basis is the teaching about love and hatred between brothers (1st proverb), the story of the murder of Boris and Gleb and the war between Yaroslav and Svyatopolk (2 and 3 proverbs). In the 17th century, these proverbs were substitutes for traditional biblical ones, included in services to martyrs.

Settlements

See also: Borisoglebsky and Borisoglebsk (meanings).

A number of settlements were named in honor of Boris and Gleb:

Boryspil (known since the beginning of the 11th century, received its modern name in honor of St. Boris at the beginning of the 16th century);
Daugavpils in 1657-1667 bore the name Borisoglebsk;
Borisoglebsk (1698);
Tutaev - formed from the merger of the cities of Romanov and Borisoglebskaya Sloboda, in 1882-1918 it was called Romanov-Borisoglebsk;
The Borisoglebsky village in the Yaroslavl region (the center of the district of the same name) arose around the Borisoglebsky monastery, founded in 1363;
The Borisoglebsky settlement in the Murmansk region was built for the personnel of the Borisoglebskaya hydroelectric power station, which was commissioned in 1964.

Iconography

Nestor reports the first fact of painting the image of the holy brothers in his "Readings about Saints Boris and Gleb" and connects this with the instructions of Yaroslav the Wise:

However, researchers note that the iconography of the saints was not developed until the 1070s, their images are not in the St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, and seals with their images have not been preserved. Among the works of the 11th - first half of the 12th centuries, the images of Boris and Gleb were preserved on works of “small forms” (reliquary crosses, etc.), which is associated with the veneration of princes as healers and patrons of the customer of the product.

The holy brothers are usually represented on icons together, in full growth. They are depicted in princely clothes: round hats trimmed with fur, and cloaks; a martyr's cross or a cross with a sword is placed in their hands, indicating their origin and military glory. Data about Boris's appearance was preserved in the Legend of Boris and Gleb, written no later than 1072:

There is no such information about Gleb’s appearance, and he, like his younger brother, is depicted as young, beardless, with long hair falling over his shoulders. On icons of the 15th-16th centuries, the image of saints in identical frontal poses becomes traditional; on some icons, the figures are given excessive elongation in order to emphasize their external fragility. The brothers are also depicted turning slightly towards each other, depicting their conversation.

In 1102, the shrines with the relics of the holy brothers, on the orders of Vladimir Monomakh, were covered with gilded silver plates. After transferring the relics to the new church, he ordered them to be decorated with relief images of saints: “Having searched for silver coins and torn and gilded the saints from them”- these images became the basis for rare single images of Boris and Gleb.

The hagiographic icons of Boris and Gleb have been known since the second half of the 14th century: in their hallmarks, icon painters emphasize the brothers’ humility and meekness, their Christian love for their neighbors, their readiness for martyrdom, and also place images of miracles attributed to them. Academician V.N. Lazarev, describing the hagiographic icon of Boris and Gleb of the Moscow school of the 14th century, writes:

In the post-Mongol period, the late antique and Byzantine tradition of depicting saints on horses appeared in the iconography of Boris and Gleb, which arose under the influence of the images of Saints Sergius and Bacchus, George the Victorious, Demetrius of Thessalonica and others. This reveals the intercessory and military function of the cult of these saints.

There are known icons that reflect the idea of Boris and Gleb as defenders and patrons of cities (for example, an early 18th century icon painted in memory of the rescue of the city of Kargopol from a fire, attributed to the intercession of the brothers). They are characterized by the image of saints in prayer to the cloudy Savior (the image of Jesus Christ in the sky). On one of these icons from the second half of the 18th century, the brothers’ clothes are painted with cinnabar, symbolizing both the blood they shed and the scarlet robe of Christ.

Image in fiction

Notes

? Nikitin A. L. Svyatopolk and the legend of Boris and Gleb. Foundations of Russian history. Mythologems and facts. Retrieved July 13, 2009.
Tatishchev V. N. Russian history. - M.-L.: 1963 T. 2. - P. 218.
? Rummel V.V.
? Ekzemplyarsky A.V.// Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: In 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional ones). - St. Petersburg. : 1890-1907.
Golubinsky E. E. History of the canonization of saints in the Russian Church // Theological Bulletin. - 1894. - T. 3. - No. 7. - P. 66.
The Saga of Eymund (The Strand of Eymund Hringsson). Retrieved June 27, 2009.
"ABOUT. Golovko, following M. Ilshiy and A. Grabsky, on the basis of the saga about Eymund, very bravely described the death of Boris before the hands of the Varangians, who were sent by Yaroslav the Wise in 1017.” - Leonty Voytovich. Princely dynasties of Converging Europe (end of IX - beginning of XVI century): warehouse, suspenseful and political role. Historical and genealogical research. - Lviv: Institute of Ukrainian Studies named after. I. Kripyakevich, 2000. - ISBN 966-02-1683-1
Mikheev S. M. The bifurcation of the murder of Boris and the history of the Boris and Gleb cycle // Ancient Rus'. - M.: 2005. - No. 3. - P. 74.
Solovyov S. M. History of Russia from ancient times Vol. III-IV // Works. - M.: 1988 T. 2. - P. 104.
? The Legend of Boris and Gleb. Institute of Russian Literature (Pushkin House) RAS. Retrieved July 4, 2009.
Rozhdestvenskaya M.V. The beginning of Russian literature. Retrieved July 12, 2009.
Pogodin M. P. Ancient Russian history before the Mongol yoke. - M.: 1999 T. 2. - P. 313-314. - ISBN 5-300-02727-8
Mikheev S. M. The story about Svyatopolk and Yaroslav and the legend about Boris and Gleb: “The most ancient arch” and the arch of the 70s of the 11th century // Ancient Rus'. - M.: 2008. - No. 3. - P. 46.
Gorsky A. A.“The Russian land is filled with everything...” Personalities and mentality of the Russian Middle Ages: Essays. - M.: 2001. - P. 99-100.
Mikheev S. M. Differences in descriptions of events and relationships between the texts of the Boris and Gleb cycle // Slavic studies. - M.: 2007. - No. 5. - P. 3-19.
Shakhmatov A. A. Research on the most ancient Russian chronicles. - St. Petersburg: 1908. - P. 92-94.
? Uzhankov A. Holy passion-bearers Boris and Gleb: on the history of canonization and writing of lives. Retrieved June 28, 2009.