Borys and Hlib

Saints Borys and Hlib
13th or 14th century icon
Passion Bearers
Born	Unknown
Died	c. 1015–1019
Venerated in	Eastern Orthodoxy Catholic Church
Canonized	1071, Kyivan Rus' by the Metropolis of Kyiv and all Rus' 1724, Papal State by Pope Benedict XIII
Major shrine	Vyshhorod
Feast	July 24 (Martyrdom) May 3 (Translation of Relics)
Attributes	Two young princes, holding swords or spears, or the cross of martyrs

Borys
Prince of Rostov
Reign	1010–1015
Predecessor	Yaroslav the Wise
Born	986
Died	1015 Kyiv
Burial	Church of St. Basil, Vyshhorod
Names Borys Volodymyrovych
House	Rurik
Father	Volodymyr I of Kyiv
Mother	Adela

Hlib
Prince of Murom
Reign	1013–1015
Born	987
Died	1015
Burial	Church of St. Basil, Vyshhorod
Names Hlib Volodymyrovych
House	Rurik
Father	Volodymyr I of Kyiv
Mother	Adela

Borys and Hlib (Old East Slavic: Борисъ и Глѣбъ, romanized: Borisŭ i Glěbŭ),Ukrainian: Борис і Гліб, romanized: Borys i Hlib; respective Christian names Roman (Романъ, Romanŭ) and David (Давꙑдъ, Davydŭ), were the first saints canonized in Kyivan Rus' after its Christianization. Their feast day is observed on July 24 (August 6 Gregorian calendar).

History

According to the two 11th-century Lives of Borys and Hlib, ascribed to Nestor the Hagiographer and Jacob the Monk, they were younger children of Volodymyr the Great, who favored them over his other children. The Primary Chronicle claims that their mother was a Bulgarian woman. Borys married and ruled the town of Rostov, was probably regarded as heir apparent to the Kyivan throne. Gleb, who was still a minor, ruled the easternmost town of Murom.

Both brothers were murdered during the internecine wars of 1015–1019. The Primary Chronicle blames Sviatopolk the Accursed for plotting their assassinations. Borys learns of his father's death upon his return with the Rus' army to Alta. Informed of Sviatopolk's accession to the throne and urged to replace him, Borys 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."

Despite Borys' acquiescence, Sviatopolk sends Putsha and the boyars of Vyshegorod to execute his brother. Borys and his manservant are stabbed to death while asleep in a tent. The prince is discovered still breathing in a bodybag being transported to Kyiv, but the Varangians end his life with the thrust of a sword.

Sent for by Sviatopolk, Hlib 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 Hlib not to meet him. In the middle of praying to his deceased brother and God, Hlib is assassinated by his own cook, Torchin, who cuts his throat with a kitchen knife.

The Life contains many picturesque details of Borys and Hlib's last hours, such as their sister's warning about the murderous plans of Sviatopolk. The narrative is a masterpiece of hagiography that weaves together numerous literary traditions. The factual circumstances of Borys and Hlib'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 Kyiv and was not lurking in Rostov as the Russian Primary Chronicle seems to imply.

The Norse Eymund's saga relates a tale of the Varangian warriors who were hired by Yaroslav I the Wise to kill his brother Burizleif. Some historians 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 consider "Burizleif" a misreading of Bolesław, the Polish ruler allied to Sviatopolk.

Veneration

Borys and Hlib received the crown of martyrdom in 1015. The brothers became known as "Strastoterptsy" (Passion-Bearers), since they did not resist evil with violence. Borys and Hlib's relics were housed in the Church of St. Basil in Vyshhorod, later destroyed.

Borys and Hlib were glorified (canonized) by the Orthodox church in Rus' in 1071. They were interred at the Vyshhorod Cathedral, which was reconsecrated in their name. Many other Ukrainian churches were later named after them.

In 1095, parts of the relics of both saints were moved to Sázava Monastery in Duchy of Bohemia and inserted into one of the altars.

The Catholic Church canonized the brothers in 1724, during the papacy of Benedict XIII. In 2011 a monument to Borys and Hlib was erected in Vyshhorod, Ukraine. The authors of the monument are Borys Krylov and Oles Sydoruk.

Feast Day

Source:

• 2 May – translation of relics (1115), (with: Boris I of Bulgaria),
• 20 May – translation of relics (1024 and 1072),
• 15 July – main commemoration, Boris martyrdom date,
• 5 September – commemoration of Gleb martyrdom date,

Fixed Feast Day (Synaxes)

• 23 May – Synaxis of All Saints of Rostov and Yaroslavl,
• 23 June – Synaxis of All Saints of Vladimir,
• 10 July – Synaxis of All Saints of Ryazan (ROC),
• 15 July – Synaxis of All Saints of Kyiv (ROC),
• 22 September – Synaxis of All Saints of Tula,
• 22 September – Synaxis of All Saints of Poltava [Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate)],

Moveable Feast Day (Synaxes)

• Synaxis of All Saints of Smolensk – movable holiday on the Sunday before July 28.

Gallery

• 
  Icon of Saints Boris and Gleb on horseback. Moscow, mid 14th century (Tretyakov Gallery).

External links

• (in Russian) Critical examination of Boris and Gleb's story
• (in English) Princes Boris and Gleb: Proto-martyrs and Passion-Bearers of Old Russia
• Nestor: The Martyrdom of Boris and Gleb
• Martyrs and Passion-Bearers Boris and Gleb Orthodox icon and synaxarion for July 24
• Translation of the relics of the Holy Passionbearer Boris and Gleb May 2
• "The Transfer of the Relics of the Holy Passion-Bearers, Princes of Russia Boris and Gleb, -- in Holy Baptism Roman and David", St. Luke the Evangelist Orthodox Church