2nd quarter (lesson No. 12)
“Singing about Russia - that strives for the temple”
Lesson topic: “THE SAINTS OF THE RUSSIAN LAND.
Prince Alexander Nevsky. Sergius of Radonezh».
Lesson objectives: activation of emotional and intellectual student activities based on the partial search method; acquaintance with the images of especially revered Russian Orthodox Saints And genre of glorification of Orthodox Saints in ancient Russian church music; spiritual and moral education of students.
Lesson objectives:
- study historical memory Russian people based on the analysis of lives Russian Orthodox Saints (Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky, Venerable Sergius of Radonezh), within the framework of the problem field of morality and the significance of their actions;
Genre musical design The Greatness of the Russian Orthodox Saint ;
- derivation of a “symbolic” definition of human holiness in Russian national culture.
Equipment:
Recordings of ancient Russian church chants (“Praise the Lord from Heaven”, “Russian Land”, “Glorification of the Mother of God” Znamenny chant) and bells;
Cantata "Alexander Nevskiy" S.S. Prokofiev (No. 4);
Faces of Saints; fragments of paintings by N. Nekrasov “Battle on the Ice” and A.D. Kivshenko “Battle of the Neva”, “Reverend Sergius of Radonezh blesses Dmitry Donskoy for the Battle of Kulikovo”;
Computer support materials.
Lesson type: integrated ( folk culture And music ).
During the classes.
1. Introduction.
The words of the epic storyteller sound: “The ancestors kept a chronicle about the affairs of their native land, in a cramped monastery cell, within four blank walls, a monk wrote down stories about the ancient Russian land...”
Teacher's word:
Every nation has its heroes. And these are not only the bravest and strongest people. Brave and strong people There are many, but every nation knows its heroes by name and keeps the memory of them for centuries. They are pure in heart and thoughts, selfless and do not live for themselves. And we honor the heavenly patrons of Holy Russia, in them we look for examples and revelations for our own path in life. Why is it so necessary for a person to become better, smarter, kinder? And are there people in Russian history who have succeeded in this?
2. SAINTS OF THE RUSSIAN LAND. From the Lives of the Saints.
On a sound background Old Russian church chant of the late 17th and early 18th centuries (“Praise the Lord from heaven” - znamenny chant) screensaver with the lesson theme “SAINTS OF THE RUSSIAN LAND” And passes the visual a series of graphic files with images of Russian Orthodox saints (holy noble prince Alexander Nevsky, Venerable Sergius of Radonezh, faces of saints, icon of all saints).
Teacher:
- Who are these people? Who were they? What do they have in common?
Graphic file: “Princes Alexander Nevsky and Dmitry Donskoy.”
Teacher(against the background of bells ringing (alarm) and the painting “The Siege of Vladimir by Batu Khan”):
The Russian land was filled with groans from the Mongol-Tatar raids, cities and villages were plundered, residents were killed or taken prisoner. Did Rus' perish?
A fragment of the cantata “Alexander Nevsky” by S. S. Prokofiev is played (“Get up, Russian people” - No. 4) .
Teacher:
No, heroes appear - Princes Alexander Nevsky and Dmitry Donskoy.
Teacher:
Two historical figures, almost two generations separate them from each other, but how similar are they?
As the chronicles say (the teacher refers to the image of Alexander Nevsky): “...This Grand Duke won everywhere, but was invincible by no one...” Why did Alexander, the son of Prince Yaroslav, gain fame?
Teacher:
The most significant battles were with the Swedes and German knights: 1240 - battle on the Neva river (A painting by A.D. Kivshenko “Battle of the Neva” appears on the screen), 1242 – Battle of Lake Peipsi (and the picture by N. Nekrasov “Battle on the Ice” appears on the screen).
Teacher:
Rus' had many enemies, but, to tell the truth, it never had friends on all sides. What did the Swedes and Germans need in the Russian lands?
They forcibly wanted to establish the Catholic faith in Rus' instead of the Orthodox faith.
Prince Alexander understood that Rus' would live under the yoke of the Mongols as long as Orthodoxy was preserved in it, and would perish even with external power if it lost its faith. Was it only through military deeds that Prince Alexander gained fame?
The prince knew how to achieve his goal with wise and cunning speeches. He himself goes to the Golden Horde and begs Mongol khans relief for the Russian people.
Teacher:
- “It was the prince - the owner, the prince - the builder.” Selfless courage was combined in him with high trust in people, compassion for the suffering, the meekness of a dove during the flight of an eagle, and the desire for the glory of his native land. (The final episode of S. Eisenstein’s feature film “Alexander Nevsky” is played on the screen.)
Things got bad in Rus' after the death of Alexander Nevsky. His sons began to fight with each other, they even began to call Tatars to Russian soil. Did Rus' perish? She raised and raised another of her faithful sons, Dmitry Donskoy. What significant event made this man famous?
Student:
Battle of Kulikovo - 1380
Teacher:
But Dmitry Donskoy doubted his victory. I understood that to defeat a wild enemy alone human strength not enough. And who does he turn to for advice and support to make a decision? (A painting by A.D. Kivshenko “Reverend Sergius of Radonezh blesses Dmitry Donskoy for the Battle of Kulikovo” appears on the screen.)
Student:
TO Abbot Sergius of Radonezh, founder of the Trinity Monastery.
Teacher:
Why does Prince Dmitry turn to Sergius of Radonezh for his blessing?
Not a single person at that time endured as much hardship and suffering as St. Sergius.
From his youth, he kept in his heart an ardent love for the Fatherland and always remembered the troubles of the Russian land. Why did he go to remote places from worldly life?
Student:
To serve people more diligently.
Teacher:
Student:
Pray.
Teacher:
What power did Sergius of Radonezh give to Prince Dmitry?
Student:
Strength of spirit.
Teacher:
- Dmitry Donskoy remains in people's memory A great commander, the creator of the first white-stone Kremlin, as a man who united the inhabitants of different Russian lands into a single people and established the leading role of Moscow in the creation of a powerful Russian state. Were these princes afraid of death?
Students express different opinions.
Teacher:
Of course they were afraid, otherwise they would not have doubted it. But they wanted to live more than death, they loved their homeland more than life, so they did anything for it, and for this they were endowed with an aura of holiness.
3. How to glorify a feat?
Teacher:
A how can you glorify such a feat?
Student:
Write about this in chronicles, legends, stories, epics...
Teacher:
Is it possible to glorify a feat through music?
Student:
Certainly.
Teacher:- What kind of music would be most suitable for this?
Student:
Vocal.
Teacher:
What would be the genre of vocal music?
Student:
Teacher:
Does such a song glorifying the Holy Man need musical accompaniment?
Student:
No. Music may be a cappella.
Teacher:
What character would such a song have?
Student:
Majestic, solemn.
Teacher:
What is the name of a solemn song that glorifies something or someone?
Student:
- Hymn.
Teacher:
And what means of musical expression are most appropriate for revealing such a character?
Student:
Loud dynamics, medium tempo, marcato touch...
Teacher:
Let's listen to an example of such glorification of the Holy One. ( Listen to “The Greatness of God and the Mother” znamenny chant.) Did our idea of the music that was supposed to sound coincide with what we heard?
Student:
Teacher:
Name the two most striking inconsistencies.
Student:
Slow pace, quiet dynamics...
Teacher:
- Why Isn’t it true, this is glorification? What feat does this music glorify: the soul or the body?
Student:
Teacher:
Do they shout about spiritual achievement?
Student:
No, it is not done for the sake of praise.
5. Reflection:Who is called a Saint?
Teacher:
All these people are called Saints. So who is a Saint?
Student:
The man with the best positive qualities who lives correctly and strives for excellence.
Teacher:
- The holy lands of Russia left us a rich legacy through the example of their lives. We don’t know and can’t measure how rich we are! And only as we delve deeper into the contemplation of these lofty images of Christian life, studying them feature by feature, will the whole wonderful heritage with which they enriched us be revealed to us.
On the screen, against the sound background, the stichera to the Russian saints “Russian Land” is played final video with significant events in Russian history.
In the history of Russia there are few people whose personality each era reveals in a new way. One of these eternal figures Russian history one can safely consider Alexander Nevsky. The Holy Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky with scenes from his life. 19th century icon.
The holy prince died on November 14, 1263 in Gorodets and was soon buried in the Nativity Monastery in Vladimir. Almost immediately, long before his all-Russian canonization in 1547, his veneration began in Vladimir-Suzdal Rus'. Almost 20 years after his death, the first literary monument appeared, telling about the exploits of Alexander Nevsky. It was “The Tale of the Life and Courage of the Blessed and Grand Duke Oleksandr,” the author of which presented his hero as an ideal politician and Orthodox saint.
In full accordance with the hagiographic canon, Alexander is compared with saints, biblical characters and legendary ancient heroes and emperors (the latter is due to the fact that this is not a canonical hagiography, but a “story” - a very syncretic genre of ancient Russian literature, freely uniting various shapes narratives). The author of the story characterizes the ideal of princely power, embodied in Saint Alexander: “The prince of good things in countries - quiet, generous, meek, moderate - is in the image of God, not heeding wealth and not despising the blood of the righteous, the orphan and the widow, judge with justice, a lover of mercy, and not a lover of gold, who is good to his household and to those who come from abroad feeder." The formula of the ideal ruler is abstract in a hagiographical way, and in the future it was constantly refined depending on when and where the next text about Alexander Nevsky was written.
The sketches of the prince’s virtues are equally non-specific: he is pious, treats the clergy with respect and founded several churches, before his death he accepts the schema, thereby realizing the dream of his life. 
Before us again is a typical picture of the perception of Christianity in Ancient Rus': monasticism was considered the highest degree of achievement, and almost all believers would like to take monastic vows before death. Not all of these Orthodox Christians are canonized, and therefore the significance of the religious feat of Alexander Nevsky also changed depending on the era and the authorship of the text in honor of the prince. “The Tale” glorifies its hero as the defender of the “land of Suzdal”, who fights the “foreign” Tatars and the Swedish “king of the Roman part”.
At the same time, the opposition of the Orthodox to the Catholics is reflected in the monument much more sharply than the opposition of Christians and pagans. For the medieval author, living in Ancient Rus', the Latin West or Byzantium, Christians helped by God were only the followers of his faith and his views. (Sometimes the opposition between “us” and “theirs” narrowed even more - the Novgorodians defeated the Vladimirites under the leadership of Andrei Bogolyubsky, thanks to a miracle from the “Sign” icon. Of course, there were also icons in the Vladimirites’ camp, but this did not stop their opponents from saying that God helped Novgorodians for their fervent prayers). According to the author of the Tale, the rapprochement of the holy prince with the Mongols is more justified, since the pagans do not encroach on the foundations of the faith.
In the 14th – 15th centuries, the image of the holy Prince Alexander as an ideal ruler and ascetic began to be used by Novgorodians and Muscovites to achieve their goals. The first was the hardest, since it was necessary to explain the reason for Alexander’s quarrel with the Novgorodians and his expulsion. Through the efforts of the chroniclers, a solution was found.
In the first half of the 14th century, chroniclers, speaking about the merits of Alexander Yaroslavovich to Mr. Veliky Novgorod, did not deny the existence of a conflict and described the prince’s brutal reprisal against the Novgorodians: “I cut off the nose of one, and took out the eyes of another, who led Vasily to evil; “Everyone is evil and evil and perish.” In this passage we are talking about the advisers of Alexander’s son, Vasily, who provoked him into conflict with his father. At the same time, even in the early Novgorod chronicles it is emphasized that the saint did not defend Rus' or his lands, but Novgorod, which allowed the chroniclers to take the first step in turning Alexander into their own saint.
The claims of the Novgorodians to Alexander manifested themselves even more strongly already in the 15th century: all critical references to his rule disappear from the text, and he himself appears before readers as a defender of Novgorod and its orders, who “You worked a lot for Novgrad and for Pskov and for the whole Russian land, giving your belly”. This was already the swan song of the free city - Moscow was rapidly uniting the Russian lands around itself, and it needed another Alexander Nevsky - an autocrat similar to the Roman and Byzantine emperors.
Alexander becomes the founder of the Moscow Rurik dynasty, he no longer thinks as an appanage prince, but as the ruler of all Rus'. In this regard, the editing of the Metropolitan’s speech over the tomb of the deceased saint is noteworthy. In Vladimir-Suzdal monuments, the hierarch mourns “the sun of the land of Suzdal.” In the texts of the 15th century, created in Novgorod, but already oriented towards Moscow, the ruler mourns for the “sun of the Russian land.”
In fact, this is already all-Russian recognition, although at least 50 years remain before the saint’s canonization. Moscow imagines Alexander Nevsky either as an ideal monk (it was during this period that the icon of not the prince, but the schema-monk Alexy, appears), or as a warrior rising from the grave and helping Dmitry Donskoy defeat Mamai.
18th century icon
During this period, the list of posthumous miracles increased sharply, and Ivan the Terrible was proclaimed the successor of the holy prince. Now, in the monuments, Alexander Nevsky ceases to be the unique ruler of Rus', but begins to consistently “incarnate” first in Ivan IV, and then in Peter I. Imperial consciousness again demanded a change in the image of the main national hero.
This also leads to a shift in emphasis. The main feat of the holy prince is the defense of the Russian land and faith from the Latins. The authors of the texts now no longer make any distinctions between the Swedes, Germans and Mongols. All of them are now characterized as pagans and opponents of God. Descriptions of Swedes and Germans are losing their ethnic features; the main opposition is now based on religious grounds: “Abominations (godless, accursed) in Latin came from Western countries» , Batu appears just as damned.
As a result, Alexander receives his main political virtue - defender of the faith. Around this time, the holy prince finally entered the world pantheon of ideal rulers. In the “Book of Degrees” such a symbolic chain is built: Augustus - Rurik - Equal-to-the-Apostles Vladimir - Alexander Nevsky, and at the end of the list “our Christ-loving Tsar Ivan.”
At the request of Ivan the Terrible, from a defender of Novgorod privileges, Alexander turns into a defender of autocracy, suffering from the treachery of his subjects. In a letter to Prince Andrei Kurbsky, Ivan IV creates an image of the holy prince, completely different from the image of the ruler that was described in Vladimir-Suzdal Rus'. From a meek ruler, he becomes a brave and terrible warrior for enemies and traitors.
The evolution of the image was reflected in the icons of that time. Instead of a modest schema-monk in the Litsevoy Chronicle, we meet either a king on a throne, or a warrior on a horse and in armor, wearing a western royal crown instead of the Monomakh cap. The last detail was needed in order to show that the Russian Tsar is as powerful a ruler as the invincible Roman Emperor, and European monarchs, also descended from Augustus, have nothing to reproach the Russian Tsar with a less noble origin.
The final development of the image of Alexander Nevsky as a powerful emperor occurs in the era of Peter the Great's reforms. Having founded the city on the Neva and cut a window to Europe, Peter I desperately needed such historical figure, which would justify all his endeavors with its authority. The holy prince was appointed patron of St. Petersburg and the forerunner of Peter. The battle with the Swedes now began to be seen not only as a defense of the faith, but as a return to the original Russian lands. The work begun by Alexander Nevsky was brilliantly completed by Peter the Great, defeating the Swedes.
The best exponent of this idea was the famous Feofan Prokopovich. In a solemn sermon delivered on November 23, 1718, he called Peter the “living mirror” of Alexander. The same idea was served by the solemn transfer of the relics of the holy prince from Vladimir to St. Petersburg, in whose memory the celebration of September 12 was established. Vladimir passed the baton to the new capital. At the same time, Moscow was simply excluded from symbolic history, which especially flattered the European emperor, who did not like the former capital. Alexander Nevsky was now entrusted with the responsibilities of the patron of Northern Palmyra, the spiritual center of which was to become the Alexander Nevsky Lavra. 
A reliquary with pieces of the saint's relics. Photo by Andrey Radkevich
Starting with Peter I, Alexander Nevsky in the Russian consciousness increasingly turned from an Orthodox righteous man into a Russian hero, a secular saint who gave his life to build an empire and laid the first stones in its foundation. Subsequently, this image of the defender and creator of the state was increasingly used in our country. The apogee of the prince’s secular holiness was Sergei Eisenstein’s film “Alexander Nevsky,” in which real person There is practically nothing left of the 13th century, although ancient Russian sources were actively used in the film script. This screen Nevsky, performed by actor Nikolai Cherkasov, became the Soviet “icon” of the Orthodox saint for many years.
Andrey Zaitsev
The holy noble prince Alexander Nevsky was born on May 30, 1220 in the city of Pereslavl-Zalessky. His father, Yaroslav, in Baptism Theodore (+ 1246), “a meek, merciful and philanthropic prince,” was the youngest son of Vsevolod III the Big Nest (+ 1212), brother of the holy noble prince Yuri Vsevolodovich (+ 1238; commemorated February 4). The mother of Saint Alexander, Theodosia Igorevna, the Ryazan princess, was the third wife of Yaroslav. The eldest son was the holy noble prince Theodore (+ 1233; June 5), who reposed in the Lord at the age of 15. Saint Alexander was their second son.
He spent his childhood in Pereslavl-Zalessky, where his father reigned. The princely tonsure of the youth Alexander (the rite of initiation into a warrior) was performed in the Transfiguration Cathedral of Pereslavl by Saint Simon, Bishop of Suzdal (+ 1226; commemorated May 10), one of the compilers of the Kiev-Pechersk Patericon. From the gracious elder-hierarch Saint Alexander received his first blessing for military service in the Name of God, for the defense of the Russian Church and the Russian land.
In 1227, Prince Yaroslav, at the request of the Novgorodians, was sent by his brother, Grand Duke Yuri of Vladimir, to reign in Novgorod the Great. He took with him his sons, Saints Theodore and Alexander. The Novgorodians, dissatisfied with the Vladimir princes, soon invited St. Michael of Chernigov (+ 1246; commemorated September 20) to reign, and in February 1229 Yaroslav and his sons left for Pereslavl. The matter ended peacefully: in 1230, Yaroslav and his sons returned to Novgorod, and the daughter of St. Michael, Theodulia, became engaged to St. Theodore, the elder brother of St. Alexander. After the death of her groom in 1233, the young princess entered a monastery and became famous in monastic feats as the Venerable Euphrosyne of Suzdal (+ 1250; commemorated September 25).
From an early age, Saint Alexander accompanied his father on campaigns. In 1235 he took part in the battle on the river. Emajõgi (in present-day Estonia), where Yaroslav’s troops completely defeated the Germans. The next year, 1236, Yaroslav left for Kyiv, “placing” his son, Saint Alexander, to reign independently in Novgorod. In 1239, Saint Alexander entered into marriage, taking as his wife the daughter of the Polotsk prince Bryachislav. Some historians say that the princess in Holy Baptism was the namesake of her holy husband and bore the name Alexandra. Their father, Yaroslav, blessed them at the wedding with the holy miraculous icon of the Theodore Mother of God (at Baptism, the father’s name was Theodore). This icon was then constantly with Saint Alexander, as his prayer image, and then, in memory of him, it was taken from the Gorodets Monastery, where he died, by his brother, Vasily Yaroslavich of Kostroma (+ 1276), and transferred to Kostroma.
The most difficult time in the history of Rus' began: the Mongol hordes were coming from the east, destroying everything in their path, and German knightly hordes were advancing from the west, blasphemously calling themselves, with the blessing of the Pope, “crusaders,” bearers of the Holy Cross. At this terrible hour, God's Providence raised up the holy Prince Alexander, a great prayer warrior, ascetic and builder of the Russian land, for the salvation of Rus'. - “Without God’s command there would have been no reign.” Taking advantage of Batu's invasion, the destruction of Russian cities, the confusion and grief of the people, the death of their best sons and leaders, hordes of crusaders invaded the borders of the Fatherland. The Swedes were the first. The “King of the Roman faith from the Midnight Country,” Sweden, gathered a great army in 1240 and sent it to the Neva on many ships under the command of his son-in-law, Earl (i.e., Prince) Birger. The proud Swede sent messengers to St. Alexander in Novgorod: “If you can, resist, I’m already here and capturing your land.”
Saint Alexander, who was not yet 20 years old at the time, prayed for a long time in the Church of Hagia Sophia, the Wisdom of God. And, remembering the psalm of David, he said: “Judge, O Lord, those who offend me and rebuke those who fight with me, accept weapons and shields, stand to help me.” Archbishop Spyridon blessed the holy prince and his army for battle. Coming out of the temple, Saint Alexander strengthened his squad with words filled with faith: “God is not in power, but in truth. Some are with weapons, others are on horses, but we will call on the Name of the Lord our God! They wavered and fell, but we rose up and are strong.” were". With a small retinue, trusting in the Holy Trinity, the prince hurried towards the enemies - there was no time to wait for help from his father, who did not yet know about the enemy attack.
But there was a wonderful omen: the warrior Pelguy, standing on the sea patrol, in Holy Baptism, Philip, saw at dawn on July 15 a boat sailing on the sea, and on it the holy martyrs Boris and Gleb, in scarlet robes. And Boris said: “Brother Gleb, tell us to row, so we can help our relative Alexander.” When Pelguy reported the vision to the arriving prince, Saint Alexander ordered, out of piety, not to tell anyone about the miracle, and he himself, encouraged, courageously led the army against the Swedes with prayer. “And there was a great slaughter with the Latins, and he killed countless numbers of them, and he put a seal on the leader’s face with his sharp spear.” The Angel of God invisibly helped the Orthodox army: when morning came, on the other bank of the Izhora River, where the soldiers of St. Alexander could not pass, many enemies were found killed. For this victory on the Neva River, won on July 15, 1240, the people called Saint Alexander Nevsky.
The German knights remained a dangerous enemy. In 1241, with a lightning campaign, Saint Alexander returned the ancient Russian fortress of Koporye, expelling the knights. But in 1242 the Germans managed to capture Pskov. The enemies boasted of "subjugating the entire Slavic people." Saint Alexander, setting out on a winter campaign, liberated Pskov, this ancient House of the Holy Trinity, and in the spring of 1242 he gave the Teutonic Order a decisive battle. On April 5, 1242, both armies met on the ice of Lake Peipsi. Raising his hands to heaven, Saint Alexander prayed: “Judge me, O God, and judge my quarrel with the magisterial people, and help me, O God, as Moses of old, against Amalek and my great-grandfather, Yaroslav the Wise, against the accursed Svyatopolk.” Through his prayer, God's help and feat of arms, the crusaders were completely defeated. There was a terrible slaughter, such a crash was heard from breaking spears and swords that it seemed as if the frozen lake had moved, and the ice was not visible, for it was covered with blood. The enemies who were put to flight were driven and flogged by Alexandrov’s warriors, “as if they were rushing through the air, and there was nowhere for the enemy to run.” Many prisoners were then led after the holy prince, and they walked disgraced.
Contemporaries clearly understood the universal historical meaning Battle of the Ice: the name of Saint Alexander became famous throughout Holy Rus', “across all countries, to the Sea of Egypt and to the mountains of Ararat, on both sides of the Varangian Sea and to the great Rome.”
The western borders of the Russian land were securely fenced; the time had come to protect Rus' from the East. In 1242, Saint Alexander Nevsky and his father, Yaroslav, left for the Horde. Metropolitan Kirill blessed them for a new, difficult ministry: it was necessary to transform the Tatars from enemies and robbers into respectful allies; they needed “the meekness of a dove and the wisdom of a snake.”
The Lord crowned the sacred mission of the defenders of the Russian land with success, but it took years of work and sacrifice. Prince Yaroslav gave his life for this. Having concluded an alliance with Khan Batu, he had, however, to go in 1246 to distant Mongolia, to the capital of the entire nomadic empire. The position of Batu himself was difficult; he sought support from the Russian princes, wanting to separate with his Golden Horde from distant Mongolia. And there, in turn, they did not trust either Batu or the Russians. Prince Yaroslav was poisoned. He died in agony, having outlived the holy martyr Michael of Chernigov by only 10 days, with whom he had once almost become related. The alliance bequeathed by his father with the Golden Horde - then necessary to prevent a new defeat of Rus' - continued to be strengthened by Saint Alexander Nevsky. Batu’s son, Sartak, who converted to Christianity and was in charge of Russian affairs in the Horde, becomes his friend and brother-in-arms. Promising his support, Saint Alexander gave Batu the opportunity to go on a campaign against Mongolia, to become the main force in the entire Great Steppe, and to place the leader of the Christian Tatars, Khan Mongke, on the throne in Mongolia (most of the Christian Tatars professed Nestorianism).
Not all Russian princes had the foresight of Saint Alexander Nevsky. Many hoped for help from Europe in the fight against the Tatar yoke. Negotiations with the Pope were conducted by Saint Michael of Chernigov, Prince Daniil of Galicia, brother of Saint Alexander, Andrey. But Saint Alexander knew well the fate of Constantinople, which was captured and destroyed in 1204 by the crusaders. And his own experience taught him not to trust the West. Daniil Galitsky for an alliance with the pope, which did not give him anything, paid with betrayal of Orthodoxy - union with Rome. Saint Alexander did not want this for his native Church. When in 1248 the ambassadors of the Pope came to seduce him, he wrote in response about the loyalty of the Russians to the Church of Christ and the faith of the Seven Ecumenical Councils: “We know all this good, but we do not accept teachings from you.” Catholicism was unacceptable for the Russian Church; union meant a renunciation of Orthodoxy, a renunciation of the source of spiritual life, a renunciation of the historical future intended by God, and dooming oneself to spiritual death. In 1252, many Russian cities rebelled against Tatar yoke, supporting Andrei Yaroslavich. The situation was very dangerous. Once again a threat arose to the very existence of Rus'. Saint Alexander had to go to the Horde again to ward off the punitive invasion of the Tatars from the Russian lands. Broken, Andrei fled to Sweden to seek help from those same robbers whom, with the help of God, his great brother crushed on the Neva. Saint Alexander became the autocratic Grand Duke of all Rus': Vladimir, Kyiv and Novgorod. A great responsibility before God and history fell on his shoulders. In 1253 he repelled a new German raid on Pskov, in 1254 he concluded an agreement on peaceful borders with Norway, and in 1256 he went on a campaign to the Finnish land. The chronicler called it a “dark campaign”; the Russian army marched through the polar night, “traversing through impassable places, as if one could not see either day or night.” Into the darkness of paganism, Saint Alexander brought the light of the Gospel preaching and Orthodox culture. All of Pomerania was enlightened and mastered by the Russians.
In 1256, Khan Batu died, and soon his son Sartak, brother-in-arms of Alexander Nevsky, was poisoned. The holy prince went to Sarai for the third time to confirm the peaceful relations of Rus' and the Horde with the new Khan Berke. Although Batu's successor converted to Islam, he needed an alliance with Orthodox Russia. In 1261, through the efforts of Saint Alexander and Metropolitan Kirill, a diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church was established in Sarai, the capital of the Golden Horde.
The era has arrived great Christianization pagan East, this was the historical calling of Rus', prophetically guessed by Saint Alexander Nevsky. The holy prince used every opportunity to elevate his native land and facilitate its lot on the cross. In 1262, on his instructions, Tatar tribute collectors and warrior recruiters - Baskaks - were killed in many cities. They were waiting for Tatar revenge. But the great defender of the people again went to the Horde and wisely directed events in a completely different direction: citing the Russian uprising, Khan Berke stopped sending tribute to Mongolia and proclaimed Golden Horde an independent state, thereby making it a barrier for Rus' from the East. In this great union of Russian and Tatar lands and peoples, the future multinational Russian state matured and strengthened, which later included within the Russian Church almost the entire heritage of Genghis Khan to the shores of the Pacific Ocean.
This diplomatic trip of Saint Alexander Nevsky to Sarai was the fourth and last. The future of Rus' was saved, its duty to God was fulfilled. But all their strength was given, their lives were devoted to the service of the Russian Church. On the way back from the Horde, Saint Alexander fell mortally ill. Before reaching Vladimir, in Gorodets, in the monastery, the ascetic prince gave up his spirit to the Lord on November 14, 1263, having completed the arduous life path adoption of the holy monastic schema with the name Alexy.
Metropolitan Kirill, spiritual father and associate in the ministry of the holy prince, said in his funeral homily: “Know, my child, that the sun of the land of Suzdal has already set. There will be no more such a prince in the Russian land.” His holy body was carried to Vladimir, the journey lasted nine days, and the body remained incorrupt. On November 23, during his burial in the Nativity Monastery in Vladimir, God revealed “a miracle wonderful and worthy of memory.” When the body of Saint Alexander was laid in the shrine, the housekeeper Sebastian and Metropolitan Kirill wanted to open his hand in order to enclose a parting spiritual letter. The holy prince, as if alive, himself stretched out his hand and took the letter from the hands of the metropolitan. “And horror seized them, and they barely retreated from his tomb. Who would not be surprised if he was dead and the body was brought from afar in winter.” Thus God glorified his saint - the holy warrior-prince Alexander Nevsky. The church-wide glorification of Saint Alexander Nevsky took place under Metropolitan Macarius at the Moscow Council of 1547. The canon to the saint was compiled at the same time by the Vladimir monk Mikhail.
The Life of Saint Alexander Nevsky is known in several editions. The original version was written in 1282-1283 in the Vladimir Nativity Monastery, which was the center of church veneration of the holy prince (there is now a monument to him there). It was preserved as part of the Laurentian and Pskov Second Chronicles. The second edition was included in the Novgorod First Chronicle. The remaining editions date back to the 16th and 17th centuries: the Vladimir edition (1547-1552), which was included in the Great Menaion-Cheti of Metropolitan Macarius; Pskov edition, compiled by Vasily the Pskovite (later Varlaam, Metropolitan of Rostov) between 1550 and 1552, edition of the Degree Book (1560-1563), etc.
« Two feats of Alexander Nevsky - the feat of warfare in the West and the feat of humility in the East -
had one goal: the preservation of Orthodoxy as a moral and political force of the Russian people.
This goal was achieved: the growth of the Russian Orthodox kingdom
took place on the ground prepared by Alexander».
G.V. Vernadsky
December 6(November 23, old style) The Church honors the memory of one of the most famous and revered saints of the Russian land - Holy Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky. An intrepid defender of his fatherland, a wise victorious commander, a subtle diplomat and a skilled ruler, and at the same time a pious Christian and a humble man of prayer, who was honored before the death of a great angelic image - this is how the image of the holy Russian prince, widely glorified both in the church and in the world, appears before us. in a secular environment.
About Grand Duke Alexander Yaroslavich. From the Facial Chronicle Code
“This faithful and noble, adorned by God and worthy of praise, Grand Duke Alexander Yaroslavich, the eighth generation of the autocratic and Equal-to-the-Apostles Tsar and Grand Duke Vladimir Svyatoslavich, who enlightened the Russian land with holy baptism, from Rurik the eleventh generation, for his many glorious virtues he gained praise not only from people, but also from God himself; for with young age and from a young age he was taught every good deed by his pious father, the godly wise and sovereign Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, and by his holy mother, the God-loving Grand Duchess Theodosia, called Euphrosyne in monasticism, by whom he was raised in all kinds of good instructions. And the fear of God took root in his heart in the desire to keep the commandments of the Lord; for he honored the priestly and monastic rank.
In his youth, he always adhered to humility and abstinence, preserved spiritual and physical purity, increased meekness and avoided vanity, putting a lot of effort into this. He restrained gluttony, because he knew that satiety of the flesh destroys chastity, interferes with wakefulness, and opposes other virtues. Divine words were constantly in his mouth, delighting him more than honey and honeycombs. He read them with diligence, and heeded them, and wanted to put them into action. His relatives saw that he excelled in all virtues, and tried to be useful, and tried in every possible way to please God, seeing how he tried to please God, and, burning with a divine heavenly desire, he belittled before people everything that was good and honest in himself, and did not flaunt his spiritual fertility. And from his great humility he did his best to hide his many good deeds.
Although he was glorified by God with honor earthly kingdom and he had a wife and children, but he acquired humble wisdom more than all people. He was very tall; the beauty of his face was like Joseph the Beautiful; his strength was part of the strength of Samson, and his voice sounded like a trumpet among the people; in courage he was like the Roman king Vespasian, the son of Nero, who captured the entire land of Judea, gathered his regiments and ordered to approach the city of Antipatus (Iotapata). The townspeople came out and defeated his regiments; He alone went against them, and turned their army towards the city gates, and to his squad, laughing, he said: “Why did they leave me alone?” So Grand Duke Alexander Yaroslavich won everywhere and was never defeated.
He was very merciful, like his God-protected father Yaroslav, following in his footsteps in everything, he gave a lot of gold and silver for captives, sending them to Tsar Batu in the Horde for the Russian people who were captured by the godless Tatars. He redeemed them and delivered them from cruel slavery and from many troubles and misfortunes.
He himself was always protected by God and remained unharmed from all enemies everywhere, and the Lord glorified him with his mercy towards him. And he was terrible and formidable to all enemies, and everywhere they trembled at his name. The wisdom and sharpness of his mind, like Solomon, were given to him by God. Most of all, he revered justice, and his boyars often taught him with parables from Divine Scripture, so that first of all they would ask for wisdom from God, and refrain from drunkenness, and they themselves would humble themselves before God, and would not forget to judge righteously, and would not be biased in favor of the powerful. , and would not accept unjust bribes, and would not offend anyone, but would deliver the offended from the hands of those who offend, and would not take anything more than their due, but would be content with their dues. And he said this many times, sometimes frightening with his power, sometimes reminding of eternal reward, when at the Last Judgment Christ will reward everyone according to their deeds. The boyars and all the people, seeing the wisdom given to him by God, could not answer anything, but unanimously promised to do as he commanded them. And so he courageously and righteously ruled the power given to him by God.
And his fame spread to many distant countries, and many sought to see him. And even then there was a rumor everywhere that the godless Tsar Batu, by God’s permission, had done a lot of evil to the great Russian land. And where this blessed Alexander and his father Yaroslav ruled, in Veliky Novgorod, some divine power prevented the wicked from reaching there and did not allow them to even get close not only to the lands of Veliky Novgorod, but also to other lands where they then had to visit and fight with hated enemies - Lithuanians and Germans. And everywhere, by God’s permission, these cruel Tatars did not fight against them.”
Life of Alexander Nevsky
The Holy Blessed Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky was born on May 30, 1220 in the city of Pereyaslavl-Zalessky. He was the second son of the Pereyaslavl prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich from the Toropets princess Rostislava, baptized Feodosia. From early childhood, St. the prince accepted the blessing for military service in the Name of God to defend the Russian land. According to the custom of that time, in the fourth year of his life he received military tonsure from the Suzdal Bishop Simon, which was performed on him in the Transfiguration Cathedral in the city of Pereyaslavl. The ritual took place as follows. The boy was placed in front of the royal doors, and a prayer was said over him, asking for God's blessing. Then the hair was cut as a sign that the child was dedicated to God. After completing the ritual, the youth was put on a horse - this meant his future independence. They put weapons in their hands, usually a bow and arrows, which indicated the warrior’s duty to defend his homeland from external enemies.
The most difficult time in the history of Russia began: Mongol hordes were coming from the east, hordes of knights were approaching from the west. At this terrible hour, God's Providence raised up the holy Prince Alexander, a great prayer warrior, ascetic and builder of the Russian land, for the salvation of Russia.
"Dark Years"-this is the exact name of that era in the history of the Russian land. After the hurricane invasion of the Mongol-Tatar beds of Batu in 1237-1240, when Russian power was crushed and dozens of cities were destroyed, a system of heavy dependence on the Horde conquerors began to take shape, based on the fear of new invasions. The Novgorod and Pskov lands, fortunately, avoided a devastating defeat. But they experienced strong pressure from the Swedes, Germans, and Lithuanians.
Rus' was turning into a second-rate region of Eastern Europe, weakened, split into many small and politically weak principalities. It was saved from final collapse and death by the efforts of a few selfless, gifted and perspicacious individuals, accomplished with the help of the Heavenly Father. Of these, the most famous is Alexander Yaroslavovich, nicknamed Nevsky.
In 1227, Prince Yaroslav, at the request of the Novgorodians, began to reign in Novgorod the Great. He took his sons, Fyodor and Alexander, with him.
In 1228, seven-year-old Alexander was left with his older brother Theodore and experienced managers, a boyar and a tiun, in Novgorod the Great-as the father's official representative. From 1236 to 1240, Alexander Yaroslavovich reigned continuously in Novgorod, fulfilling the will of his father. A huge responsibility fell on the shoulders of Prince Alexander: the defense of the Novgorod borders from warlike neighbors. And they, hoping to take advantage of the difficult situation in Rus', increased pressure on the Novgorod region.
In the summer of 1240, a Swedish flotilla led by Earl Ulf Fasi and King Eric's son-in-lawXI by Birger Magnusson entered the mouth of the Neva. The Catholic clergy arrived with them- some “piskupi”, as well as the militia of the Finno-Ugric peoples Sumy and Em. The hagiographical tale reports the following about the preparation for the battle with the Swedes: the enemy leader “... came to the Neva, intoxicated with madness, and, being proud, sent his ambassadors to Novgorod to Prince Alexander, saying: “If you can, defend yourself, for I am already here and ruining the land yours."
Alexander, having heard such words, burned in his heart and entered the Church of Hagia Sophia, and, falling on his knees before the altar, began to pray with tears: “Glorious God, righteous, great God, mighty, eternal God, who created heaven and earth and set the boundaries You commanded the peoples to live without transgressing other people's borders. And, remembering the words of the prophet, he said: “Judge, Lord, those who offend me and protect them from those who fight me, take a weapon and a shield and stand up to help me.”
And, having finished the prayer, he stood up and bowed to the archbishop. The archbishop was then Spyridon, he blessed him and released him. The prince, leaving the church, wiped away his tears and said to encourage his squad: “God is not in power, but in truth. Let us remember the songwriter who said: “Some with weapons, and others on horses, but we call on the name of the Lord our God; They were defeated and fell, but we survived and are standing upright.”
With a small retinue, the prince hurried towards the enemies. But there was a wonderful omen: the warrior Pelgusius, standing on the sea patrol, in holy baptism Philip, saw at dawn on July 15 a boat sailing on the sea, and on it St. martyrs Boris and Gleb in scarlet robes. Alexander, encouraged by a higher vision, courageously led his army against the Swedes. “And there was a great slaughter with the Latins, and he killed countless numbers of them, and he put a seal on the leader’s face with a sharp spear.” For this victory on the Neva River, won on July 15, 1240, the people called St. Alexandra Nevsky.
The victory brought Alexander Yaroslavovich great fame, but in the same year, having quarreled with the Novgorodians, he was forced to leave the city with his family and squad. The townspeople told him, as they told many princes before him: “Here, prince, the path is clear!” And he answered them: “Drive me away? How will you need me?-don’t call!”
The words of the unjustly offended prince turned out to be prophetic: less than a year had passed before the Novgorodians, alarmed by the imminent threat from the German knights, sent a second embassy, begging Alexander to return and stand in their defense.
The new embassy was given special respectability: the Archbishop of Novgorod went with them. The very fact of his presence among the veche diplomats shows: Mr. Veliky Novgorod stands on the edge of the abyss and hopes: if his envoys do not beg for help, at least the head of the clergy will reassure his Orthodox brothers.
The father called his son to him for a secret conversation. After this, the young commander reluctantly agreed and received from his father a Vladimir-Suzdal squad led by his younger brother to help-Prince Andrei Yaroslavich. In 1241, Alexander entered Novgorod with all his military force, and “the Novgorodians were glad,” exhausted by the merciless enemy.
In 1241, with a lightning march of St. Alexander returned the ancient Russian fortress of Koporye, expelling the knights. In the winter of 1242, he liberated Pskov, and on April 5, on the feast of praise of the Most Holy Theotokos - the “Charged Voivode” of all Orthodox soldiers, he gave the Teutonic Order a decisive battle on the ice of Lake Peipsi. The Crusaders were completely defeated. Name of St. Alexandra became famous throughout Holy Russia.
With his two victories, Prince Alexander Nevsky not only saved Northern Rus' from being conquered by foreigners, but defined it future fate. Novgorod was not cut off from other parts of Rus', and Orthodoxy was established in it for future centuries.
If Prince Alexander Nevsky was unshakable in relation to the Western conquerors, then in relation to the Tatars he considered it necessary to pursue a peaceful policy so as not to subject the country to new devastation. When, after the death of his father in 1247, he became the Grand Duke and was summoned by the Khan to the Horde, he asked for the blessing of Metropolitan Kirill for the trip and vowed to stand for the Orthodox faith. In the Horde, he did not bow to idols and had to make a long journey to Mongolia to the Great Khan. When the Tatars demanded that Grand Duke Alexander worship fire and idols, he replied: “I am a Christian, and it is not appropriate for me to bow to creatures. I worship the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the one God, glorified in the Trinity, who created heaven and earth.” But, interceding for his land, he paid honor to the khan himself, as a powerful earthly king, and managed to achieve various benefits for Rus'. Batu, as contemporaries say, “marveled at him and said to his nobles: “They told me the truth that there is no other prince like him” and released him to Rus' with great honor.”
This is how this event is described in the Facial Chronicle of Ivan the Terrible.
“In the same summer (1247), the evil Tsar Batu heard the God-protected Grand Duke Alexander’s noble courage and invincible courage, his numerous glorious victories over his opponents, and sent his ambassadors to him, saying: “The most famous among the Russian sovereigns is Prince Alexander! I know, you know that God has subjugated many nations to me, and they all obey my power, and of all of them, you are the only one who does not want to submit to my power? Think about it, if you want to keep your land unharmed, hurry up and come to me immediately, you will see the glory and honor of my kingdom, and you will gain something useful for yourself and your land.” The God-wise Grand Duke Alexander reasoned that his holy father Yaroslav did not go to the Horde for the sake of a temporary kingdom and there gave his life for piety and for all his people, and thereby acquired the Kingdom of Heaven. So blessed Alexander became like the good zeal of his pious father and decided to go to the Horde for the sake of delivering Christians. And he came to nice city Vladimir with a large army; His coming was menacing, about which news then reached the mouth of the Volga; with his menacing, the Moabite wives frightened their children, saying: “Be silent, the Grand Duke Alexander will come.” Without hesitation, having only stayed there a little and taking Bishop Kirill’s blessing, he set off on his way.
And he came to King Batu, and everywhere the grace of God sanctified him. Tsar Batu, seeing him, was surprised and said to his nobles: “Truly they told me that there is no one like this prince,” and he honored him and bestowed many gifts on the prince. This is how God protects His chosen ones, which He also puts in the thoughts of the wicked so that they should be ashamed and honor them.
Then he sent the prince with his brother Andrei Yaroslavich to the Khanovichs.”
In matters of faith, the Grand Duke was also unshakable in front of the ambassadors of Pope Innocent IV, who in 1251 tried to convince him to submit to the Roman throne, citing the fact that his father had promised to do so. But he rejected the offer and said that he was instructed in the right faith and would not accept their teachings.
The life story says: one day ambassadors from the Pope from great Rome came to him (Alexander Yaroslavich) with the following words: “Our Pope says this: We heard that you are a worthy and glorious prince and your land is great. That's why they sent to you the two smartest of the twelve cardinals.-Agaldad and Repair, so that you can listen to their speeches about the law of God.”
Prince Alexander, having thought with his sages, wrote him the following answer: “From Adam to the flood, from the flood to the division of nations, from the confusion of nations to the beginning of Abraham, from Abraham to the origin of the Israelites through the sea, from the exodus of the children of Israel to the death of King David, from the beginning of the reign of Solomon to Augustus and until Christmas Nativity, from the Nativity of Christ until His Crucifixion and Resurrection, from His Resurrection until the Ascension into Heaven and until the reign of Konstantinov, from the beginning of the reign of Konstantinov to the First Council and the Seventh-We know all this well, but we will not accept teaching from you.” They returned home.
Upon returning to Rus', Grand Duke Alexander began to restore destroyed churches and monasteries. He had to fight with his western neighbors - the Lithuanians, who were pagans. Thanks to his works, Christianity penetrated into the areas inhabited by Lithuanian tribes, and Russian influence established itself there. In relation to his brothers, he was distinguished by special long-suffering and always avoided the shedding of Christian blood. Whatever enmity connected him with rival princes, he did not raise weapons against them and did not gather regiments.
During one of his trips to Batu, St. the prince converted the khan's son Sartak to Christ, becoming his brother-in-arms. And since Sartak at that time managed the affairs of the Horde due to the decrepitude of his formidable father, Alexander Nevsky received seniority over all the Russian princes - this contributed to the unification of Rus' under the single authority of the Grand Duke. Thus the foundation of the future Moscow state was laid. Peaceful relations with the khan led to the fact that in 1261, through the efforts of St. Alexander and Metropolitan Kirill in Sarai, the capital of the Golden Horde, the diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church was established. Thus, the era of the great Russian Christianization of pagan Eurasia opened. Subsequently, after liberation from the yoke, many Tatar nobility accepted Orthodoxy and laid the foundation for the famous noble families in Russian Empire.
In 1262, the Suzdal and Rostov people, not tolerating the Tatar tribute collectors, rebelled against them. Rumors were spread that Grand Duke Alexander himself sent letters to the cities, calling on the “Tatars to beat them.” The rebellious people, despite their just hatred of the oppressors, limited themselves to only killing the most ferocious predators, and therefore there were few killed. They were waiting for Tatar revenge. But God directed events in a completely different direction: citing the Russian uprising, Khan Berke stopped sending tribute to Mongolia and proclaimed the Golden Horde an independent state. In this great union of Russian and Tatar lands, the foundation of the future multinational Russian state was laid.
Holy Prince Alexander again had to go to the Horde to appease the Khan and save Rus' from the retribution of the Tatars for the uprising. A peace treaty was concluded, but on the way back from the Horde, Saint Alexander fell mortally ill: according to some versions, he was secretly poisoned by the Tatars. Before reaching Vladimir, in Gorodets, in a monastery, the forty-three-year-old prince-ascetic gave up his spirit to the Lord on November 14, 1263, completing the difficult journey of life by accepting the holy monastic schema with the name Alexy. His holy body was transferred to Vladimir, to the Nativity Monastery, where Metropolitan Kirill and the clergy performed the burial. In his funeral eulogy, Metropolitan Kirill said: “Know, my child, that the sun has already set on the land of Suzdal. There will no longer be such a prince in the Russian land.”
The hagiographical story about Alexander Yaroslavovich tells about the posthumous miracle that took place during his burial: “Then there was a marvelous miracle and worthy of memory. When his holy body was laid in the tomb, then Sebastian the Economist and Cyril the Metropolitan wanted to unclench his hand in order to insert a spiritual letter. He, as if alive, stretched out his hand and took the letter from the hand of the metropolitan. And confusion seized them, and they retreated slightly from his tomb. Metropolitan and Housekeeper Sevastian announced this to everyone. Who wouldn’t be surprised by such a miracle, since his soul left his body and he was brought from distant lands in winter. And thus God glorified his saint.”
Library of Russian Faith
Teaching in memory of St. Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky. Great Menaion of Cheti →
Troparion and Kontakion to Saint Alexander Nevsky
Troparion, tone 4.
As the pious root, the most honorable branch, was blessed Alexandra, for Christ of the Russ of the earth revealed you as a new miracle worker, as a certain treasure that is glorious and pleasing to God. Therefore, today, having come together in faith and love, in psalms and singing, we joyfully glorify the Lord, who has given you the grace of healing. Pray to him to save this city, and for the power of Your kinsman to be pleasing to God, and to be saved as a Russian son.
Kontakion, tone 8.
Like the star that shone forth from the Russian earth, today we will honor you. Having enriched this entire country with miracles and kindness, you enlighten with faith those who honor your memory, blessed Alexandra. With the cry of your people, pray to Christ God to save your fatherland, the power of the Russian princes, and all your relics flowing to the race, and truly crying out to you, rejoicing in the intercession of our city.
Library of Russian Faith
→
Temples in Rus' in the name of the Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky
In the name of the holy noble prince Alexander Nevsky, the chapel of the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin was consecrated. At the turn of the 13th-14th centuries, on the site of the existing cathedral, a wooden Annunciation Church stood on a stone foundation. IN end of the 14th century century, a small white stone temple with a basement was erected instead. In 1484 the old one was dismantled and rebuilt. Construction of the new cathedral continued until August 1489. The Pskov architects who built it managed to give the temple an impressive appearance, perfectly combined with exquisite decorativeness. In 1563-1564, by order of Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible (1530-1584), the Annunciation Cathedral was rebuilt.
Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin In the name of the holy noble prince Alexander Nevsky, the chapel of the Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery in Vologda was consecrated. The Spassky Cathedral of the Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery, built in 1537-42, is the first stone church not only in the monastery itself, but in all of Vologda. Until 1537, a wooden cathedral of the same name stood on the site of the current Spassky Cathedral. A wooden church in the name of the All-Merciful Savior and the Feast of the Origin of the Honest Trees of the Life-Giving Cross was erected on the site he chose for the construction of the monastery by the Venerable Demetrius of Prilutsky. When the wooden cathedral burned down, a stone one was built. IN Soviet years the monastery was plundered. In the 1930s, the monastery housed a transit prison for dispossessed people who were transported to the northern Gulag camps; in the 1950s-70s, the territory of the former monastery was occupied by military warehouses. Only in 1975-79, the central group of monuments with the adjacent territory, after restoration began in 1954, became a branch of the Vologda State Museum-Reserve. Thanks to the scientific restoration carried out in 1954-1975, monuments of the 16th-17th centuries. the supposed original appearance was returned. Currently, the Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery is active.
Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery in Vologda Posthumous glorification of the holy noble prince Alexander Nevsky
Already at the end of the 13th century, popular veneration of Alexander Yaroslavovich began. His body rested in the Vladimir Nativity Monastery. This monastery for a long time was considered “first in honor” among the monasteries of North-Eastern Rus'. In the 1280s, “The Tale of the Life and Courage of the Righteous Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky” was born; it later became extremely popular and became part of the Russian chronicles. The Grand Duke of Moscow and Vladimir Dmitry Ivanovich, nicknamed Donskoy for his victory on the Kulikovo Field, in the fall of 1380 transferred the relics of Alexander Nevsky to a special tomb inside the same Vladimir Nativity Monastery. When the relics were opened, they were found incorruptible. At the end of the 15th century, the relics were damaged by fire.
Saint Alexander Nevsky, with his life. Late XVII V. Cathedral of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the Moat (St. Basil's Cathedral), Moscow 
Alexander Nevsky, with scenes from his life. Early XIX V. Ekaterinburg Museum of Fine Arts 
On February 26, 1547, under Metropolitan Macarius, at a church council in Moscow, the official all-Russian glorification of Alexander Nevsky as a saint took place. At the same time, a special day of remembrance was established - November 23. The canon for the saint was compiled by the Vladimir monk Mikhail.
Peter 1 ordered the relics of Alexander Nevsky to be transported to the new capital. Throughout 1723-1724 they were stored in Shlisselburg, and then found their final refuge. It became the St. Petersburg Alexander Nevsky Convent. The transfer of the tomb and relics of St. Alexander Nevsky took place on August 30, 1724. In 1725, the Order of St. Alexander Nevsky was established, which became one of the highest awards of the Russian Empire.
The highest patronage of Prince Alexander Nevsky
Throughout Russian history, Russian soldiers asked the holy defender of our state for help on the eve of the most dangerous battles. So, in 1380, before the Battle of Kulikovo, the victory was preceded by the following miracle. The sexton, who reverently served at the monastery of the Nativity of the Mother of God, was honored with a special vision: at night, on the eve of the battle with Mamai, he stood in prayer in the church vestibule and with tears prayed to the Lord and His Most Pure Mother for deliverance from foreigners, calling for help and the Knight Nevsky, his representative and protector of his people. Suddenly he sees: at the tomb of St. Alexander's candles lit themselves, two godly elders came out of the altar and, approaching the tomb of St. warrior, they said: “Prince Alexandra! Rise up and help your great-grandson Demetrius, who is being overcome by foreigners.” Then St. Alexander rose as if alive from the grave, and all three disappeared from the surprised gaze of the embarrassed church minister. The next morning, with the assistance of St. Alexandra was the first great Russian victory against the Tatar hordes.
Help was provided in a similar way in 1571, during the invasion of Moscow by the Crimean Khan Devlet Giray. In 1812, during the Battle of Borodino, and in 1941, when the Germans were approaching Moscow, they just as diligently resorted in prayer to Saint Alexander as to the great Russian commander. It should be noted that the turning point in famous battle near Moscow, which was then deciding the fate of the entire Russian people, fell precisely on the day of remembrance of its holy commander: so, on December 5, the troops of the Kalinin Front (Colonel General I.S. Konev), and on December 6 - the Western Front (Army General G.K. Zhukov) and the right wing of the Southwestern Front (Marshal S.K. Timoshenko) launched a counteroffensive against Nazi Germany.
Famous Russian historian N.M. Karamzin wrote that the Russian people included Alexander Nevsky among their guardian angels: he was always revered as one of the greatest figures in the history of Rus'.
Alexander Yaroslavovich is famous for the fact that he accepted the Russian ship half-broken, firmly sitting on underwater rocks, with holes in the sides, and honestly worked to save it. He tirelessly pumped out water, patched holes, fought off looters, standing knee-deep in icy waters. Moreover, he did not turn into a bloodthirsty beast, to which the harshest conditions in which he had to exercise his power inclined him, but remained a truly Christian sovereign.
And what?
The ship did not sink. Here is the main result!
The ship left the rocks and slowly, slowly, under one sail, where previously there were three, and with a dozen oarsmen, where previously there were fifty, but still continued sailing.
And therefore-low bow to Emperor Alexander Yaroslavich, an honest Russian man, who took on his shoulders a heavy burden and responsibly carried this load until deadline until God Himself freed the prince from hardships. He did his job right. Low bow!
Note: Italic text - verbatim from the book “Alexander Nevsky” by Dmitry Volodikhin.
In the history of the Russian state one can find many greatest figures who left their mark and played a big role in its formation and development. Reverend Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky is one of them. The personality of this man, famous for centuries, still causes various disputes and contradictions among historians. Moreover, the very time in which he lived greatly contributed to this.
Life of Alexander Nevsky: summary
On May 13, 1221, a second child was born into the family of Grand Duke Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, who was named Alexander. According to some sources, the date of birth is May 30, 1220. Fate had in store for the young prince bright and decent life, forever inscribed in the history and memory of people.
The boy was deprived of his childhood early - already at the age of 9, he, together with his older brother, sat on the princely throne of Veliky Novgorod. And three years later, after the death of Fyodor Yaroslavovich, he remained sole ruler, since my father left after some time to sit at the head of Kyiv.
In 1239 he married the Polotsk princess, who gave him five children:
- Basil (1245−1271);
- Dmitry (1250−1294);
- Andrew (1255−1304);
- Daniel (1261-1303);
- Evdokia.
Military campaigns and battles
By the time of the reign of the blessed prince, a rather difficult situation had developed on the primordially Russian lands. political situation. In the east, the Mongol horde was gaining power and destroying everything in its path. In the west, another threat arose - the crusading knights, who also set out to conquer new spaces with the blessing of the Pope. In addition, they did not stop internecine wars between neighboring principalities for supreme power. All this had to adjust to the young prince of Novgorod.
Alexander Yaroslavovich took part in military campaigns from a very early age. At first he accompanied the priest, then on his own as a renowned commander. Famous battles:
- July 15, 1240 - Battle of the Neva. It was thanks to her that the prince’s name went down in history with the name “Nevsky”. On the banks of the Neva River, the military leader, who was not yet 20 years old, stopped the invasion of the Swedes going to capture Pskov and Novgorod. But despite the brilliant victory and liberation from their enemies, the Novgorodians rebelled, and Alexander was forced to leave the city. However, a year later the city was captured by the Livonian Order, and the prince was again asked for help.
- April 5, 1242 - Battle of the Ice on Lake Peipsi, where the Livonian army was completely defeated. This battle was very important - a final truce was concluded with the order and completely got rid of the danger of its invasion of Rus'.
Stories about these events can be found not only in “The Life of St. Alexander Nevsky”, but also in Western chronicles.
Prince's political activities
The years of Alexander Yaroslavovich's reign can be divided into several periods:
- 1236−1240, 1241−1252, 1257−1259 - Prince of Novgorod;
- 1249−1263 - Grand Duke of Kyiv;
- 1252−1263 - Grand Duke of Vladimir.
During his reign, Alexander showed himself not only to be a brave warrior, but also a very bright and far-sighted politician. He realized that power could not be retained only through military action with Western colonialists. There was also an eastern threat. Here he was completely guided opposing views.
He repeatedly visited the Horde with peace negotiations, which resulted in the accession to the throne in Kyiv in 1249, and his brother, whose name was Andrei, in Vladimir. True, in 1252 he had to take the Vladimir throne after the abdication of the ruling prince.
Similar policies Alexander adhered to all the years that he spent in power. This raised many questions and rejection, since the majority did not understand and did not accept constant friendly visits to the Tatar-Mongols.
Nevertheless, it was precisely this line of behavior that was most effective for that time. Despite his obvious leadership talent and a number of won battles, the priority for the prince was the peaceful resolution of conflicts. It was for these reasons that he paid friendly visits to the Horde khans and made concessions to their demands. And although tribute still had to be paid, this helped save Rus' from ruinous raids.
Death of Alexander Nevsky
The prince died at a fairly young age - at 42 years old. Having gone to the Horde to resolve another controversial issue, Alexander became seriously ill and, returning to his homeland, never recovered from his illness. Before his death, which occurred on November 14, 1263, he managed to take a monastic vow under the name Alexy. Initially, the grave was located in the Vladimir Nativity Monastery, where he was buried.
Personality assessment in history
Who this prince is was briefly discussed above. He left an indelible mark on national history thanks to their personal qualities
and a character unusual for his contemporaries. This also became the reason for the ambiguous attitude towards his actions and actions in subsequent centuries.
There are three different positions from which Alexander Yaroslavovich Nevsky is viewed:
- Church, according to which the clergy unconditionally recognize and praise the saint as an outstanding representative of his time, who made a huge contribution to the revival, development and formation of the Russian state.
- Eurasian, which focuses on the unprecedented relationship of the Grand Duke with the Tatar-Mongol horde, which contributed to the fusion of two such dissimilar cultures.
- Critical, whose followers do not recognize the merits of the commander and see only the negative sides of his rule. Its occurrence is associated with various versions of the description of the life of the saint and conflicting information, which prompted historians to think about the distortion real facts and their exaggeration or understatement. According to followers of this version, it was Nevsky’s reign that became the impetus for the further development and strengthening of the despotic power of future overlords.
Canonization of a saint
During his reign, Alexander Nevsky was one of the patrons of the Orthodox Church. He never spared money on the construction and improvement of temples, decorating them with various utensils and literature. He also became the founder of the Orthodox diocese in the Muslim Horde.
The prince began to be revered as a saint immediately after his death by his contemporaries. In the Life there is evidence of a real miracle that occurred during the burial. Firstly, until the very moment of burial, the prince’s body did not undergo any changes. And, secondly, while the last parting words were being placed in his hand, he himself, as if alive, held it out and took the letter. This was regarded as a sign of the Lord’s veneration of his saint.
Later, a life of the pious prince was compiled, which was subjected to repeated revisions over the following centuries. In total there are about 20 versions of it.
The church officially canonized Alexander Nevsky in 1547 during the reign of Ivan the Terrible. At the same time, not only his human qualities, but also feats of arms in the name of the fatherland.
All this time, the relics of the saint were at the place of his burial in the Vladimir monastery. And on the eve of the most significant and decisive battles, the commanders turned to them with prayer for help and protection in the future. At the same time, either the image of the saint himself appeared to them, or some miracle occurred, which was regarded as a sign of blessing and impending victory. All miracles were regularly recorded by chroniclers.
With the coming to power of Peter the Great, a new period began in the veneration of the saint. He considered himself the successor of the great military leader in the fight against the Western aggressor in the person of Sweden. And after a brilliant victory over the Swedes in 1723, he ordered the relics of the noble prince to be moved to the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, specially built for this purpose by order of the tsar in the new capital. The procession was supposed to arrive at the place by the beginning of autumn, but due to various delays on the way, this did not happen until October 1 in Shlisselburg. It was decided to leave the relics in the local church for a year.
The body of the saint was moved to St. Petersburg on August 30, 1724. Peter the Great himself personally took part in solemn ceremony and controlled the galley in which the remains were transported. It was this day that was established as the main day of remembrance of the saint.
Currently, the church celebrates the celebration of St. Alexander Nevsky several times a year:
- 23.05 (05.06);
- 30.08 (12.09);
- 23.11 (06.12).
Currently, the icon of Alexander Nevsky is extremely popular among Orthodox believers and is treated with great reverence. In their prayers, the suffering turn to the saint with various requests for help, to give courage and to protect their Fatherland from enemies. This is the patron saint of all warriors; it is to him that mothers turn to when they are expecting their sons to leave the army.
The image of Nevsky in art
One of interesting facts is that the original image captured on canvas during the life of the Grand Duke has not been preserved. His image was collected from various sources and descriptions of the 13th century, which was reflected in literature, fine arts and cinema. The most famous portrait of Nevsky was painted from the actor who played the role in the film of the same name by Sergei Eisenstein. It was also taken as a prototype for the order named after the famous commander.
In addition, streets and squares in many Russian cities were named in his honor, monuments were erected. Temples throughout the post-Soviet republics are dedicated to the blessed prince.
Despite such a contradictory characterization, the name of the saint rightfully took its place in the memory of descendants. And many have no doubt why it has survived centuries and become so famous.