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Boris and Gleb | |
|---|---|
 13th or 14th century icon | |
| Passion Bearers | |
| Born | Unknown |
| Died | c. 1015–1019 |
| Venerated in | Eastern Orthodoxy Catholic Church |
| Canonized | 1071,Kievan Rus' by theMetropolis of Kiev and all Rus' 1724,Papal State byPope Benedict XIII |
| Majorshrine | Vyshhorod |
| Feast | July 24 (Martyrdom) May 3 (Translation ofRelics) |
| Attributes | Two youngprinces, holding swords or spears, or the cross ofmartyrs |
| Patronage | Russian Railway Troops |
| Boris | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prince ofRostov | |||||
| Reign | 1010–1015 | ||||
| Predecessor | Yaroslav the Wise | ||||
| Born | 986 | ||||
| Died | 1015 Kiev | ||||
| Burial | Church of St. Basil,Vyshhorod | ||||
| |||||
| House | Rurik | ||||
| Father | Vladimir I of Kiev | ||||
| Mother | Adela | ||||
| Gleb | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prince ofMurom | |||||
| Reign | 1013–1015 | ||||
| Born | 987 | ||||
| Died | 1015 | ||||
| Burial | Church of St. Basil,Vyshhorod | ||||
| |||||
| House | Rurik | ||||
| Father | Vladimir I of Kiev | ||||
| Mother | Adela | ||||
Boris andGleb (Old East Slavic:Борисъ и Глѣбъ,romanized: Borisŭ i Glěbŭ),[a] respective Christian namesRoman (Романъ,Romanŭ) andDavid (Давꙑдъ,Davydŭ),[citation needed] were the firstsaints canonized inKievan Rus' after itsChristianization. Their feast day is observed on July 24 (August 6Gregorian calendar).[clarification needed]
According to the two 11th-centuryLives of Boris and Gleb, ascribed toNestor the Hagiographer andJacob the Monk, they were younger children ofVladimir the Great, who favored them over his other children. ThePrimary Chronicle claims that their mother was aBulgarian woman,[1] even though this was most likely not true as their mother,Anna Porphyrogenita, was the daughter ofRomanos II a Byzantine emperor of Armenian origin, andTheophano (born Anastaso), a Laconian Greek princess of Armenian origin, tracing her ancestry to theMamikonian dynasty. Boris married and ruled the town ofRostov, was probably regarded asheir apparent to theKievan throne. Gleb, who was still a minor, ruled the easternmost town ofMurom.[2]
Both brothers were murdered during theKievan succession crisis of 1015–1019. ThePrimary Chronicle blamesSviatopolk the Accursed for plotting their assassinations. Boris learns of his father's death upon his return with the Rus' army toAlta. Informed of Sviatopolk's accession to the throne and urged to replace him, Boris replies: "Be it not for me to raise my hand against my elder brother. Now that my father has passed away, let him take the place of my father in my heart."[2]
Despite Boris' acquiescence, Sviatopolk sends Putsha and theboyars of Vyshegorod to execute his brother. Boris and his manservant are stabbed to death while asleep in a tent. The prince is discovered still breathing in a bodybag being transported to Kiev, but theVarangians end his life with the thrust of a sword.[2]
Sent for by Sviatopolk, Gleb believes his father is still alive and rushes to his father's deathbed. On the way, their brother Yaroslav learns of Sviatopolk's treachery and urges Gleb not to meet him. In the middle of praying to his deceased brother and God, Gleb is assassinated by his own cook, Torchin, who cuts his throat with a kitchen knife.[3]
TheLife contains many picturesque details of Boris and Gleb's last hours, such as their sister's warning about the murderous plans of Sviatopolk. The narrative is a masterpiece ofhagiography that weaves together numerous literary traditions. The factual circumstances of Boris and Gleb's lives and deaths cannot, however, be extrapolated from their hagiography. Perhaps the crucial evidence comes from several unbiased foreign sources, which mention that Boris succeeded his father in Kiev and was not lurking in Rostov as the RussianPrimary Chronicle seems to imply.[citation needed]
The NorseEymund's saga relates a tale of theVarangian warriors who were hired byYaroslav I the Wise to kill his brotherBurizleif. Some historians[who?] trust the saga more than sources from Rus', claiming that it was Yaroslav and not Sviatopolk who was interested in removing his political rivals and was guilty of his brothers' murder. Others[who?] consider "Burizleif" a misreading ofBolesław, the Polish ruler allied to Sviatopolk.[citation needed]
Boris and Gleb received the crown of martyrdom in 1015. The brothers became known as "Strastoterptsy" (Passion-Bearers), since they did not resist evil with violence.[4] Boris and Gleb's relics were housed in the Church of St. Basil inVyshhorod, later destroyed.[5]
Boris and Gleb wereglorified (canonized) by theOrthodox church inRus' in 1071. They were interred at theVyshhorod Cathedral, which was reconsecrated in their name. Many other Russian churches were later named after them.
In 1095, parts of the relics of both saints were moved toSázava Monastery inDuchy of Bohemia and inserted into one of the altars.[6]
TheCatholic Church canonized the brothers in 1724, during the papacy ofBenedict XIII.In 2011 a monument to Boris and Gleb was erected in Vyshhorod, Ukraine. The authors of the monument areBoris Krylov and Oles Sydoruk.
Source:[7]
