The secret relics of Alexander Nevsky

At all times, Russia spawned heroes, who in the dark times became her defenders. Many of them are known not only in our country, but also abroad. One of these people is Alexander Nevsky, who has been referred to for many centuries as "holy" and "great." His relics are credited with a miraculous power, and information about them has been preserved in various chronicles since the fourteenth century. Some sources indicate that on the second day after the burial of the prince on his grave people found a cure for various ailments. Therefore, popular rumor even before the official canonization of the prince declared him a saint.

The relics of Alexander Nevsky are one of the most precious Russian shrines. Our article is devoted to this great man and his activities to save Rus from the invaders. Also we will answer the main questions of the article, where the relics of Alexander Nevsky were at different periods of time, and how they are so dear to the hearts of Orthodox Christians.

Historical portrait of Alexander Nevsky

Unfortunately, now not every schoolboy can tell what exactly the Grand Duke did for Russia. Therefore, before you begin the story about the power of Alexander Nevsky, you need at least briefly list his services to the Slavs.

According to chronicles, the future patron of Russia was born in the twentieth year of the thirteenth century. His earlier childhood was held in Pereslavl-Zalessky, Alexander was already growing up in Novgorod, where his father was sent to reign, which he accompanied in all military campaigns. This was a difficult time for Russia - on the one hand, the village burned and the cities captured the Mongolian horde, and on the other hand, the Swedish army approached the state borders. The young Alexander had to defend his homeland from foreign invaders.

In the summer of one thousand two hundred and fortieth year he won a brilliant victory over the Swedes on the Neva River, for which he received his nickname, under which he went down in history. For two years, the fierce battles were fought at the western borders of the state, and on April 5, 1242, Alexander Nevsky managed to defeat the knights of the Teutonic Order on Lake Peipsi. This victory finally deprived the Swedes of the hope of seizing the Russian lands, and the name of the young prince Alexander became known far beyond Russia.

Now he faced a different task - to protect the country from the east and agree on cooperation with the Mongols. It was with this mission that the military leader went with his father to the Horde.

Historians note that Alexander Nevsky was very perspicacious. He managed to agree with Khan Baty about peace, and even acted on his side against Mongolia. The relations between the khan and the Russian prince were legendary, in chronicles it is mentioned that they were often called brothers. Alexander Nevsky even managed to persuade Batu to accept Christianity, which further strengthened their relations and all the agreements between the two rulers. The Prince's plans were to unite the Russian and Tatar lands under powerful power in order to resist any threats from the west and east. But these dreams did not come true.

On November 14, 1263, returning from Saray, the prince fell ill and died at a speed. The nearest city where you could bring your body was Vladimir. A mourning delegation headed for it. However, even after his death, the great defender of Rus' managed to surprise his subjects and church leaders.

Miracles, which are St. Alexander after death

In order to get to Vladimir and bury the ashes of the deceased prince, his squad took nine days, and then miracles began to take place, which became the soil for the further canonization of Alexander Nevsky. Surprisingly, in nine days the body did not start to decompose. Burial took place on November 23 in the Christmas Monastery of the city of Vladimir. During the trial, Metropolitan Kirill intended to release the prince's fingers in order to enclose a charter in them. But to the horror of all the assembled Alexander himself stretched out his hands for spiritual instruction and immediately accepted the paper. The clergy declared it a miracle and was considered a divine glorification.

Just a few weeks to bow to the prince of the prince began to come to the common people, many of them prayed for healing and received a response in the form of new-found health. The rumor of miracles happening in the Nativity Monastery quickly spread throughout Russia.

Finding the relics of Saint Alexander

For more than a hundred years the people came to the grave of the defender of the Russian land, and one day one of the monks had a vision of the need to autopsy the princely burial. With great honors, the grave was opened and frozen in amazement - before the gathered there was an imperishable body - the relics of Alexander Nevsky. This was another evidence of the miracles of the holy prince. They were taken out from under the earth and laid on the crab (ark or coffin), where up to the eighteenth century there were holy relics. Alexander Nevsky was canonized by the church only in 1547, which, however, did not prevent people from treating the ascetic prince as a saint who gave his whole life to the defense of his state.

The Mystery of the Saints

Many historians are seriously interested in the question of the relics of Alexander Nevsky today. After all, scientific circles are still discussing the loss of this relic in the fifteenth century.

The fact is that many skeptics mention the information contained in the annals of the sixteenth century. They say that during the May fire at the end of the fifteenth century almost the entire Christmas monastery burned out, and together with it they turned into ashes and relics of Alexander Nevsky. But already in the chronicles of the seventeenth century this event is described a little differently. The author specifies that, allegedly, the monks saw with their own eyes how the fire, miraculously spared the fire, where the relics of Alexander Nevsky are located. And they remained the only ones unharmed in the Nativity Monastery.

Of course, now it is difficult to say where in this story is true. One has only to rely on the fact that the relics remained in sight after the fire, and, therefore, no one could replace them. Such mystification was impossible to leave unnoticed, therefore the servants of the church are absolutely sure that the real relics of Alexander Nevsky are still kept within the temple and leave it only in rare cases when transported to different cities, cathedrals, churches of our country and near abroad, in order to strengthen Flock in the faith.

However, periodically in the media, the theme flashes that in the inventory, dated 1922, it is indicated that in silver cancer there were only twelve fragments of bones without a skull. Was this the relic, no one knows, because to solve the mystery of relics today is beyond the power of anyone. The history is peculiar to leave many questions unanswered.

St. Petersburg and St. Alexander Nevsky

If you ask any resident of the northern capital, where the relics of Alexander Nevsky are located in St. Petersburg, then sure, many will answer you correctly. But what connects the prince-ascetic and this city of Peter? Everything is simple - a saint is considered his patron, and naturally, the autocrat who gave life to a new Russian city in the midst of the Northern War contributed to this. It was thanks to the sovereign that the temple of Alexander Nevsky was built here, the relics of which occupied the most honorable place in it.

The significance of the Holy Trinity Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg

Peter I was a very wise ruler, and all his actions contemporaries and descendants called visionary, so he became interested in holy relics for a reason. But let's talk about everything in order.

In 1710, the autocrat thought about building a church in honor of the great patron of the Russian land from foreign counterparts. Recall that at this time for several years, Peter I waged war with the Swedes, and the people needed a symbol that would inspire and inspire all people without exception. The figure of Alexander Nevsky could not be better suited for this role, because he also defended Russia from the Germans and the Swedes. For the temple, the sovereign chose the place Victors. Presumably it was there that the holy prince defeated the united army of the Swedish king. But later it turned out that with these lands a different victory of Alexander Nevsky is connected - over the jar Birger in 1240.

In any case, the prince became not only a symbol of the indestructibility of the Russian spirit, but also an intercessor of St. Petersburg, which became the outpost of Russian lands in the west. Proceeding from this, in the spring of 1723 the tsar ordered that the relics of Alexander Nevsky be transferred to the newly built laurel. In St. Petersburg, this event was prepared with special trepidation and thoroughness. After all, Peter himself guided the complex process, and, as is known, he did not forgive mistakes and miscalculations for his subjects.

Relocation of the relics of Alexander Nevsky: preparation for the event

In order to transfer the holy relics with all the honors from Vladimir to St. Petersburg, a cancer was needed, in which the relic would be shipped. To this end, was selected by someone Zarudny, engaged in its manufacture in Moscow. Cancer was a real work of art:

• Eight legs in the form of lions' paws;
• The legs were crowned with images of cherubs;
• The cover of the ark was adorned with the prince's coat of arms;
• The image of lion's heads - a well-known symbol of resurrection from the dead - was painted on the cancer;
• The design was mounted on a powerful stand;
• Crowned this product canopy with gold armor at the base.

In order for the transfer process to proceed smoothly, in the summer of 1723 a special ritual was developed that looked like this:

• A route was drawn up, the deviation from it was under strict prohibition;
• All along the path at the ark was to be the confidant of Peter I;
• On land, the cancer should have been carried by people who succeed each other in different cities;
• In large settlements, the mission of carrying the ark was entrusted to the clergy.

From Novgorod, the power was planned to be transported by water to St. Petersburg, where the sovereign himself would meet them.

Alexander Nevsky (prince), relics: transfer to St. Petersburg

The date of the transfer of the relics was chosen by Peter himself and not by accident, in 1724 the long-awaited Nishtadt peace was concluded, and this festive event was marked by the solemn consecration of the Holy Trinity Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

In July, the relics left the Nativity Monastery and began their journey to a new monastery in the northern capital. They met Peter I and personally delivered them from the yacht. Shelves in ceremonial form stood at the mouth of the river Izhora , and festivities on the occasion of the transfer of the relics of the holy prince continued for three days in St. Petersburg. In parallel, the sovereign ordered every year to celebrate August 30 as a religious Orthodox holiday and set out to establish an award in honor of Alexander Nevsky. However, he did not have time, but his wife fulfilled his dream by issuing a decree on the establishment of a new state award.

The fate of the relics of the ascetic prince from the late eighteenth to the early twentieth centuries

The relics of Alexander Nevsky were in the laurels until the twenties of the last century. Over time, the ark was replaced with silver. So the daughter of Peter I - Elizabeth - ordered. The material was the ore from the Kolyvan deposit, this was the first silver in the country. The cancer was decorated with bas-reliefs, and on the top they put the image of the prince written on the atlas.

On special religious holidays, a lamp was hung over the relics, adorned with precious stones. Many Russian emperors considered it their duty to make a significant contribution to the decoration of the ark with relics. Almost everyone sacrificed in the laurels of a special thing, symbolizing the importance of the patron Saint Petersburg, not only for the city, but for the whole country as a whole.

In 1922, the shrine was removed from the laurels by the decree of the Petrograd District Committee, and the cancer turned into a museum exhibit of the Hermitage. For almost seventy years, no one in the country was interested in where the relics of Alexander Nevsky were.

Returning to your roots

In 1989, the shrine returned from oblivion. She was transferred to her former place from the Kazan Museum of Religion and Atheism. This was a great holiday for Orthodox Russians who, with awe in their hearts, waited for this moment for many years.

Eighteen years later, the relics left the Holy Trinity Alexander Nevsky Lavra, but this time the occasion was a joyous event - cancer was carried to many major cities of our country and Latvia. A part of the relics was even sent to Bulgaria.

The Orthodox came to the temples of Vladimir, Pskov, Novgorod and other cities from all parts of Russia. Everyone wanted at least a touch of the shrine and asked Saint Alexander Nevsky about something of his own. After all, relics still perform miracles, as evidenced by the believers who were healed of serious illnesses.

The relics of the holy prince today

Where are the relics of Alexander Nevsky in St. Petersburg today? Any local resident will answer this question, because the city is still celebrating the day of the transfer of the shrine from Vladimir to the northern capital. This tradition returned almost immediately after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and is sacredly observed by all Orthodox and even ordinary citizens annually.

Do you want to know where the relics of Alexander Nevsky are kept today? Then go straight to the Holy Trinity Alexander Nevsky Lavra. It is interesting that on the cover of the ark there are still seventy-nine relics of other saints. Therefore, having arrived in the laurel, you can see not only the most precious Orthodox relic, but also touch other church shrines. Many say that anyone who comes here with faith, will certainly receive the intercession of Alexander Nevsky in good deeds.