Memory of the Righteous Prince Dimitry Donskoy. Reference

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Moscow Prince Dmitry Donskoy, with his exploits and pious deeds, earned the memory of his descendants and was canonized as a saint.

Just as the Lord himself helped the prince to perform godly deeds in the name of the Savior, so now prayers near the holy image of Demetrius Donskoy help Christians.

The meaning of the icon of Dmitry Donskoy

The holy image of Prince Dimitri Donskoy is a Christian shrine that helps in days of difficult trials and spiritual upheavals, glorifying the feat of the saint who laid down his life to defend his native country.

Orthodox Christians celebrate the Day of Remembrance of the Grand Duke of Moscow Dmitry Donskoy on June 1.

Dmitry Donskoy ruled in the second half of the 14th century - it was a time of constant internecine warfare and constant raids by soldiers of the Golden Horde.

He is an invincible military leader, an excellent strategist who forever expelled the hated Khan Mamai from Russian lands, and went down in the history of Rus' as the winner in the Battle of Kulikovo.

The prince often turned to God with prayers so that bloodshed would stop in the country, and also built temples similar to fortresses.

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Deep faith, mercy and piety are the main character traits of the prince; prayers in front of his icon bring help to those who ask.

Battle of Kulikovo

Dissatisfied with the behavior of the Moscow ruler, the temnik of the Golden Horde, Mamai, who had more than 100 thousand soldiers under his command, decides to strike.

The Russian land groaned as Mamai’s hordes marched across it, joined by:

• Cumans;
• Alans;
• Circassians;
• Caucasian Jews;
• Armenians;
• Crimean Genoese;
• Lithuanians.

Soon the Ryazan prince Oleg joins the invaders, hoping in this way to protect the lands of Ryazan, lying on the path of the Horde, from ruin. On the banks of the Oka River, the invaders united and entered Russian lands.

The great ruler of Moscow, Dimitri, called on the Russian princes to unite and defend their lands.

Kolomna became a stronghold where militia, which included princes, boyars, merchants, artisans and slaves, flocked from different parts of Rus'. Another 30 thousand soldiers joined the 25 thousand Moscow army, the number of cavalry was equal to the number of foot soldiers, the heavy cavalry was represented by a “forged army”.

The great commander Demetrius stood at the head of a huge army, asking for blessings from the Church. Having no more than 60-70 thousand militias under his command, the Prince of Moscow understood the seriousness of the situation, because the Horde, consisting of 150 thousand mercenaries, was going against them.

Blessing of Prince Dmitry Donskoy by Saint Sergius of Radonezh

The Monk Sergius of Radonezh blessed the ruler of Moscow in the Church of the Holy Trinity, and two schema-monks went with him - Alexander (Peresveta) and Andrey (Oslyabyu).

On the eve of the battle, the entire army, regardless of class, stood in prayer before God, asking for blessings for the battle for the name of Christ.

On September 21, the day of the Nativity of the Mother of God, 1380, over an area of ​​more than 10 square kilometers, the earth was filled with the trampling of horses and the clanking of blades. Two armies met on the banks of the Nepryadva and Don rivers.

Before the battle itself, the relics of Alexander Nevsky, as the defender of the Russian land, were acquired in the Vladimir Cathedral. This miraculous phenomenon became a special sign and anointing for the entire Russian army, and especially strengthened the courage of the military leader Dimitri, who throughout the battle invisibly felt the presence of the blessed Alexander Nevsky.

Before the start of the battle, a duel between the strongest warriors took place; the Tatar hero Chelubey and the schema-monk Alexander Peresvet fought and killed each other.

The wise military leader Demetrius thought through a plan of military action, set up ambushes and entered the battle around ordinary warriors. The Monk Sergius of Radonezh and all the brethren in churches and monasteries stood in fasting and prayer.

Many residents of neighboring villages and the warriors themselves saw not only angels and Archangel Michael in the sky, they also stood up in the spiritual sky:

• passion-bearers Boris and Gleb;
• Saint Demetrius of Thessalonica.

At that moment, when the Tatars were ready to celebrate the victory, fresh troops appeared from an ambush, commanded by the governor Dmitry Bobrok and Prince Vladimir the Brave. The sudden appearance of cavalry caused panic among the enemy; the invaders ran back in panic, leaving the khan's headquarters.

Battle of Kulikovo

The warriors of Great Rus' drove Mamai’s army for more than 50 kilometers, clearing the Russian land of Tatar-Mongol evil spirits. The Kulikovo field was strewn with corpses and wet with blood. The death of the heroes united the Muscovites, Vladimir, Mozhaisk, Novgorod and Serpukhov residents into the great Russian people, showing that only in unity is strength, and that the Horde army can be defeated.

After this battle, the name Donskoy was added to the name of the Moscow ruler Dmitry. Grateful to the Lord, the winner erects the Assumption Monastery on the banks of the Dubenka River, inside which is built the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God.

By order of the Righteous Prince Dmitry Donskoy, on the first Saturday of November, all churches began to commemorate soldiers who died in battles, then this tradition grew into Dimitriev’s Parental Saturday.

After the Battle of Kulikovo, the Moscow principality grew and strengthened, but was constantly at the center of the struggle for Russian lands.

Icons depicting Demetrius Donskoy

Moscow icon painting of the 15th century was updated with the appearance of a new image, Prince Dmitry Donskoy. The first images of the prince, in the face of the Saint, appeared during the reign of Metropolitan Alexy of Moscow. It was during this period that pictures of the meeting between the Patriarch and Prince Donskoy appeared.

On the icons painted by Alexy, the Prince of Moscow is depicted in a pious bow; there is not yet a halo above his head, but the Metropolitan is already blessing him with a cross.

The icon with sixteen terminals, painted at the beginning of the 16th century, depicts the meeting of Dmitry Ioannovich with the Monk Dmitry Prilutsky.

In 1980, during the restoration of the Cathedral of the Annunciation in the Moscow Kremlin, craftsmen restored the image of the prince standing in prayer, his son Vasily is also depicted next to him.

In 1509, an icon of Dmitry Donskoy was painted with a halo above his head; before that he was depicted without it. The halo on icons above the Saints is depicted according to Byzantine traditions.

On authentic images of the 18th - 20th centuries. the prince is depicted with gray curly hair, with a beard, dressed in princely clothes, namely in a red or blue fur coat and with a sword in his hands. The scenes on the icons tell about the life of the ruler.

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The prince was canonized by the Orthodox Church in 1988. Painted icons of the great defender allow people to recognize the lifetime appearance of a warrior who went down in world history as a strong-willed ruler and noble prince, who strove with all his might to unite the Russian lands and protect his native land.

A sword in the hands of a warrior has two meanings:

· military purpose - to defeat the enemies of the Fatherland;

· spiritual - in the salvation of Christianity through the power of psalms and prayers near holy images.

Modern icon painters have expanded their understanding of the image of the knight, the defender of the homeland, depicting his holy face against the backdrop of cathedrals.

Blessed Prince Dimitry Donskoy

Brief life of the blessed Grand Duke Dimitry Donskoy

The blessed Grand Duke Dimitri Donskoy was born in 1350, raised under the guidance of St. Alexy of Moscow.
The Christian piety of Saint Prince Demetrius was combined with his talent as an outstanding statesman. He devoted himself to the cause of unifying Russian lands and liberating Rus' from the Tatar-Mongol yoke. Gathering forces for the decisive battle with the hordes of Mamai, St. Demetrius asked for blessings from St. Sergius of Radonezh. The elder inspired the prince and sent the schema monks Alexander (Peresvet) and Andrey (Oslyabyu) to help him. For the victory on the Kulikovo field (between the Don and Nepryadva rivers) on the day of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Prince Dimitri began to be called Donskoy. He established the Assumption Monastery on the Dubenka River and created the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the graves of fallen soldiers. Saint Demetrius reposed in the Lord on May 19, 1389, and was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.

The complete life of the blessed Grand Duke Dimitri Donskoy

The blessed Grand Duke of Moscow Dimitri, nicknamed Donskoy, was born in 1350.

Very little is known about the childhood of the future Grand Duke, son of John the Red and Grand Duchess Alexandra. “He was brought up in piety and glory, with spiritually beneficial instructions,” says Dimitri Ioannovich’s “Word on Life,” “and from his infancy he loved God. He was still young for years, but he devoted himself to spiritual matters, did not engage in idle conversations, did not like obscene words and avoided evil people, but always talked with virtuous people.”

The childhood of Saint Demetrius passed under the direct influence of Saint Metropolitan Alexy, who was a friend and adviser to Demetrius’s father, John Ioannovich.

1359 Grand Duke John Ioannovich, the meek brother of Simeon the Proud, after six years of reign, reposed in the schema at the 33rd year of birth. There are sons left: 10-year-old Dimitri, the younger John, six-year-old nephew Vladimir (in the future - the hero of the Battle of Kulikovo, who earned the name Brave). At first, the saint’s role in state activities was reduced to spiritual support for the first among the Russian princes, but after the death of John Ioannovich, the Metropolitan actually became the head of the Russian principalities. He, who headed the Boyar Duma, bears responsibility for the entire course of political affairs in Rus'. For nine-year-old Dimitri, he replaced his father for a long time, until his death in 1378. The saint is one of the closest people in the grand ducal house. His educational influence developed Demetrius's own high qualities; This image of the young prince was immortalized by the ancient descriptor of his life. From the very beginning of his life, the Grand Duke was involved in the environment of Russian asceticism, and was in the atmosphere that St. Sergius created around himself.

From an early age, the Grand Duke had to learn patience and courage, overcome himself, face mortal danger, and act in a completely unknown environment.

After the death of his father Ioann Ioannovich in 1359, the grand-ducal title departed from Moscow: the Horde preferred Suzdal's Dimitri Konstantinovich, a mature husband, to the young Prince of Moscow.

Civil strife also reigned in the Horde at that time, and amid these turmoil, the ill-fated Russian princes lived in the Horde, seeking the grand-ducal throne. In 1359 (or 1361, according to other assumptions) the young Dimitri was forced to travel to the Horde, this was due to two coinciding events - the death of the Russian Grand Duke and another change on the khan's throne. The trip of the youth Demetrius to the Horde - everyone was aware of this - was still accompanied by mortal danger. But it was also extremely useful to him, the future head of state; apparently, Saint Alexy, who blessed Demetrius for it, thought about this. He had to see with his own eyes the state of affairs: to come into contact with the enemy, who had been tormenting his native land for more than a century, with whom he had to be able to speak, and also, having sailed along three Russian rivers, to survey the Russian land, which he was supposed to rule. But in 1362, as a result of another coup in the Horde, Khan Amurat came to power. Considering the actions of his predecessors lawless, he sent the Grand Duke's label with the ambassador to Moscow. The Suzdal prince could not come to terms with this. With his troops, he occupied Pereyaslavl, not wanting to let Demetrius of Moscow go to Vladimir, where he, accompanied by his army, was going to marry the Grand Duchy. The dispute had to be settled with weapons. Thirteen-year-old Dimitri Ioannovich set out on his first campaign. Seeing the regiments of Moscow, the Suzdal prince fled in fear and shut himself up in Suzdal; Demetrius, having reached Vladimir, went through the ancient rite of enthronement here.

Here for the first time we note the trait of moderation and peacefulness in the young Prince Dimitri. He left his rival Dimitri Konstantinovich to reign peacefully in his native land - Suzdal, although it would have been more careful to completely deprive him of all power and strength... And in fact, the Suzdal prince, having ingratiated himself with Khan Amurat, again, almost immediately, occupied Vladimir. Again a campaign, again the expulsion of a rival from the grand ducal capital... Dimitri Ioannovich besieges Suzdal, but again, true to his unchanging love of peace, spares the Suzdal prince, leaves him in an appanage reign and only takes an oath of allegiance from him.

The Grand Duke-Youth comprehended the science of Moscow politics, which consisted in a combination of strength and mercy. Under the guidance of the Metropolitan, the prince gradually acquired that special wisdom of a state ruler, which his contemporaries associated with his personality. Having established himself as a grand duke, Dmitry, already at the dawn of his reign, began work on unifying the Moscow land. Moscow was rising. She also strengthened the alliance with Suzdal, which ended in 1366 with the marriage of Grand Duke Dimitri and Suzdal princess Evdokia Dimitrievna.

Nevertheless, the constant difficulty of the position of Grand Duke Dimitri Ioannovich was that practically throughout his life he had to wage incessant wars with numerous enemies. In addition to the constant confrontation between Rus' and the external powers - the Horde and Lithuania, the Grand Duke had to vigilantly remember the opponents within Russia, the strongest of which were the principalities of Nizhny Novgorod, Ryazan and especially Tver.

The year 1368 was marked by the end of forty years of relative calm in Rus': the troops of Olgerd of Lithuania marched through the Russian land towards Moscow, destroying everything in their path. The Grand Duke, Metropolitan Alexy, Prince Vladimir Andreevich, cousin of Dimitri Ioannovich, secluded themselves in Moscow. Olgerd began a siege, but the sight of the stone Kremlin confused him; behind the new buildings one could see confidence in one’s own strength and in one’s right, concentrated power; and, after standing in sight of Moscow for three days, Olgerd lifted the siege and left for Lithuania. The Moscow land was devastated by the terrible invasion of the Lithuanians. But Dimitri Ioannovich had no intention of abandoning his broad unification policy. His closest friend, Prince Vladimir Andreevich, was sent to the veche republics of Novgorod and Pskov for the sake of concluding an alliance with them; The princes of Smolensk and Bryansk were punished for supporting Lithuania. Metropolitan Alexy excommunicated Princes Mikhail of Tver and Svyatoslav of Smolensk from the Church. Reading history, you do not have time to follow the thunderclouds that every now and then swoop down on the staunch Moscow principality and its ruler in this era.

In 1371, Prince Mikhail of Tver went to Mamai to ask for a label for himself. Mamai, who had long been observing the actions of the Moscow Prince Dimitri, who had not paid him tribute for a long time, willingly gave the label to Mikhail. Ambassador Sary-Khozha was sent to Moscow with an insulting invitation to Dimitri Ioannovich to Vladimir for Mikhail’s wedding. And here the Grand Duke acted as a free man, the true master of the situation: “I’m not going to the label, and I won’t let you go to the land to reign in Vladimir, but I’m an ambassador for you, the path is clear.” The main thing in this act was disobedience to the Horde - and in a very important matter. Dimitri Ioannovich really blocked Mikhail’s path to Vladimir by introducing his troops into Pereyaslavl: the Horde ambassador, who arrived in Moscow, was received well by the Grand Duke. Appeased, Sary-Khozha in the Horde interceded for the Moscow prince, which to some extent prepared his further success.

Soon, in the same year, Dimitri Ioannovich went to the Horde to stop the machinations of Mikhail; for this act - as well as for his other important political actions - the Grand Duke had the blessing of Metropolitan Alexy. The Grand Duke made virtually no significant government decisions without the blessing of the Church. Three figures invested with clergy turned out to be key for his life path: these are St. Alexy, St. Sergius and Theodore Simonovsky, later Archbishop of Rostov; each had a special influence on the Grand Duke. The leadership of Metropolitan Alexy, which continued until his death in 1378, according to the very personality of the saint, was of a vital and practical nature, and was for Dimitri Ioannovich a school not only for spiritual life, but also for governing the country. The Grand Duke returned to Moscow with the required label. Mikhail received a message from Mamai, which contained a denial of the right to a great reign.

The cause of the rise of Moscow required the solution of creative tasks, the establishment of one’s own home - with this the Grand Duke began a long-standing national business. At the heart of the life of the grand ducal house was a truly Christian marriage. The family life of the grand ducal couple took place under the spiritual guidance of St. Alexy, and later of Theodore Simonovsky. The Monk Sergius also influenced her: of the twelve children of Dimitri Ioannovich and Evdokia Dimitrievna, two sons were baptized by the Trinity Abbot.

As the main personal trait of the Grand Duke, the author of the “Tale of Life...” names his extraordinary love for God. One of the names that the ancient scribe gave to Demetrius Ioannovich in praise of him is “He who does everything with God and fights for Him.” “Endowed with the rank of king, he lived like an angel, fasted and stood up again to pray, and always remained in such goodness. Having a perishable body, he lived the life of an incorporeal one.” “Governing the Russian land and sitting on the throne, he thought in his soul about solitude, wore the royal scarlet robe and the royal crown, and wanted to put on monastic robes every day. He always accepted honors and glory from the whole world, and carried the Cross of Christ on his shoulders. He kept the Divine days of fasting pure and received the Holy Mysteries every Sunday. With the purest soul he wanted to appear before God; truly an earthly angel and a heavenly man appeared.”

For over a hundred and fifty years, long-suffering Rus' languished under the heavy Tatar yoke. And finally, the Lord God looked upon the prayers of Orthodox Rus' - the hour of liberation was approaching. The people, accustomed for a hundred years to tremble at the mere name of a Tatar, finally gathered their courage and stood courageously against the enslavers. How could this happen? Where did they come from, how were they raised, the people who dared to do such a thing, which their grandfathers were afraid to even think about?.. We know one thing, that the Monk Sergius blessed the main leader of the Russian militia for this feat, and this young leader was a man of the generation that matured under his gracious education.

In the 1370s, Grand Duke Dimitri Ioannovich joined the fight against the Golden Horde. This movement, inspired by the Russian Church, developed widely among the enslaved people.

In 1376, a campaign against Volga Bulgaria took place. The Russians besieged the Bulgarians and, despite the presence of cannons in the city - a weapon unprecedented at that time - they forced it to surrender. This was a significant success for Moscow, its first offensive victory in the fight against the Tatars.

In 1378, Mamai sent a large army to Rus', headed by the governor Begich; in July the Tatars invaded the Ryazan lands. This campaign was aimed not only at the robbery of the Ryazan principality, but, judging by the size of the convoys, Begich did not exclude the possibility of reaching Moscow itself. Dimitri Ioannovich came out to meet the enemy, whose regiments defeated the Tatars.

The won battle on the Vozha River was a dress rehearsal for the battle on the Kulikovo Field. The terrible year 1380 was approaching. In vain did Grand Duke Dimitri Ioannovich try to appease the khan with gifts and submission: Mamai did not even want to hear about mercy. No matter how difficult it was for the Grand Duke, after the recent war with the Lithuanians and other restless neighbors, to prepare for war again, there was nothing to do: the Tatar hordes were approaching, like a thundercloud, towards the borders of what was then Russia.

Preparing to set out on a campaign, Grand Duke Dimitri Ioannovich considered it his first duty to visit the monastery of the Life-Giving Trinity, there to worship the One God, glorified in the Trinity, and receive a parting blessing from the Venerable Abbot Sergius. He invited with him his brother Vladimir Andreevich, all the Orthodox princes and Russian governors who were then in Moscow with a selected military squad, and after the day of the Assumption he left Moscow. The next day they arrived at the Trinity Monastery. Having here rendered his humble worship to the Lord of Hosts, the Grand Duke said to the holy abbot: “You already know, Father, what a great grief crushes me, and not just me, but all the Orthodox: the Horde prince Mamai moved the entire horde of godless Tatars. And now they are coming to my homeland, to the Russian land, to destroy the holy churches and destroy the Christian people... Pray, Father, that God will deliver us from this trouble!”

The holy elder reassured the Grand Duke with hope in God: “The Lord God is your helper; The time has not yet come for you to wear the crown of this victory with eternal sleep; but many, countless of your co-workers are woven with martyr’s crowns with eternal memory.” And, overshadowing the Grand Duke, who bowed before him with the holy cross, the God-bearing Sergius enthusiastically said: “Go, sir, without fear, the Lord will help you against your godless enemies!” And then, lowering his voice, he said quietly to one great prince: “Conquer your enemies”... With heartfelt emotion, the great prince listened to the prophetic word of the holy abbot: he shed tears from emotional excitement and began to ask the monk for a special gift as a blessing to his army and, as it were, in a pledge of God's mercy promised to him.

At that time, in the monastery of the Life-Giving Trinity, among the brethren who labored under the leadership of Sergius against invisible enemies, there were two monastic boyars: Alexander Peresvet, a former boyar of Bryansk, and Andrei Oslyabya, a former boyar of Lyubetsk. Their courage, bravery and military skill were still fresh in everyone’s memory: before accepting monasticism, both of them were famous as valiant warriors, brave heroes and people very experienced in military affairs. It was these monks-heroes that the Grand Duke asked for his regiments from St. Sergius: he hoped that these people, who devoted themselves entirely to God, with their courage could serve as an example for his army and thereby do him great service. And the Monk Sergius did not hesitate to fulfill the request of the Grand Duke, based on faith. He immediately ordered Peresvet and Oslyaba, instead of armor and helmets, to put on themselves schemas decorated with the image of the Cross of Christ: “Here is an incorruptible weapon for you, my children,” said the monk.

Having blessed the Grand Duke, his monastic knights and the entire princely squad with the cross and once again sprinkled with consecrated water, the Monk Sergius said to the Grand Duke: “May the Lord God be your helper and intercessor: He will defeat and overthrow your adversaries and glorify you!” Touched to the depths of his soul by the prophetic speeches of the elder, the Grand Duke answered him: “If the Lord and His Most Holy Mother send me help against the enemy, then I will build a monastery in the name of the Most Holy Theotokos.”

Meanwhile, the rumor quickly spread across the face of the Russian land that the Grand Duke went to the Trinity and received blessing and encouragement for the battle with Mamai from the great elder, the Hermit of Radonezh. A bright ray of hope flashed in the hearts of the Russian people, and those who were ready to stand against the Grand Duke of Moscow along with Mamai wavered. This was the old Ryazan prince Oleg. He was already preparing to unite with Mamai in order to profit at the expense of the Moscow prince, from whom he did not expect much resistance to such a strong enemy. But, having received the news that the Moscow forces had already crossed the Oka, that an ascetic monk named Sergius blessed the Moscow prince to go against Mamai, Prince Oleg became very alarmed. Even the enemies of the Moscow prince themselves placed the blessing of St. Sergius so highly. The blessing of the holy elder, even in their eyes, was considered a sufficient guarantee of the victory of the Grand Duke of Moscow. And Oleg put aside any thought of going to the aid of the Tatars against the Moscow regiments.

Just before the Grand Duke’s speech against the Tatars, a Divine sign occurred - a miraculous event: the relics of the blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky, the great-grandfather of Dimitri Ioannovich, were discovered in Vladimir. The monk-sacristan of the church where the prince’s tomb was located, sleeping on the porch at night, suddenly saw that the candles standing in front of the icons lit up by themselves, and two elders approached the tomb, emerging from the altar. Turning to the prince lying there, they called out to him, forcing him to get up and go out to help his great-grandson, who was going to fight with the foreigners. The prince stood up and, together with the elders, became invisible. The next morning the coffin was dug up and the incorruptible relics were discovered. Apparently, Dimitri Ioannovich learned about this event even before the battle; it was reliable evidence of invisible help to him from his great ancestor.

On September 8, 1380, from early morning, they formed a battle formation between the Don and Nepryadva rivers, ready to meet the godless enemy. At this very time, the monk Nektarios, sent with other brethren from St. Sergius, appears before the Grand Duke, bringing peace and blessing to him and his entire Christ-loving army. The holy elder saw in his spirit the need to once again strengthen the courage of the Grand Duke before the battle itself and sent him as a blessing the Mother of God prosphora and a handwritten letter, the end of which was preserved for posterity in one of our chronicles. This letter, exhorting the Grand Duke to fight courageously for the cause of God and to remain in the undoubted hope that God will crown their cause with happy success, ended with the following saying: “So that you, sir, go, and God and the Trinity will help you.”

The news quickly spread across the shelves about the envoys of the Sergievs, in their person the great mourner of the Russian land seemed to have visited and blessed the Russian army, and this visit at such an important and decisive moment for everyone was as much unexpected as it was well-timed. Now even the weak in spirit were inspired by courage, and each warrior, encouraged by the hope of the prayers of the great elder, fearlessly went to battle, ready to lay down his soul for the holy Orthodox faith, for his beloved prince, for his dear Fatherland.

At the thought that many thousands of brave knights would fall in a few hours, like zealous victims of love for the Fatherland, Dimitri Ioannovich knelt in emotion and, stretching out his hands to the golden image of the Savior, shining in the distance on the red sign of the Grand Duke, for the last time he fervently prayed for the Christians and Russia. Then the noble prince Dimitri mounted his horse and rode around all the regiments, inspiring them with the words: “My fathers and brothers! For the sake of the Lord, fight for the sake of the saints, for the sake of the churches and the Christian faith, for this death is not death for us now, but eternal life; and, brothers, do not think about anything earthly; we will not retreat, because even then Christ the God and Savior of our souls will crown us with victorious crowns.”

The Olgerdovich princes also arrived to help Moscow: Andrei Polotsky and Dimitri Bryansky and with them 70 thousand soldiers.

The terrible hour of this battle had come, which was to decide the fate of the Russia of that time. There was fog over the Kulikovo field; when it dissipated, two armies were revealed, their very appearance signifying the confrontation between darkness and light. The Tatar hordes appeared dark, as the chronicler notes; “The armor of the Russian sons is like water that flows in the wind, the gilded helmets on their heads glow like the morning dawn in clear weather; the yalovites of their helmets sway like a fiery flame,” in the middle of the army fluttered the scarlet grand-ducal banner with the image of the Savior Not Made by Hands.

Suddenly, from the Tatar side, a hero of enormous height, strong build, and terrible appearance rode forward; His name was Chelubey. It was scary to look at this giant. And although there were many brave warriors among them, no one dared to volunteer for such a feat.

Several minutes of agonizing waiting passed, and then one of Sergius’s monks spoke - his zealous novice, Schemamonk Alexander Peresvet. Everyone was moved to tears by the monk’s selflessness; everyone prayed to God to help him, like David of old against Goliath. And he, in only a schematic robe, without armor and a helmet, armed with a heavy spear, rushed like lightning on his fast horse against the terrible Tatar - both heroes fell dead to the ground!

It was then that “a bloody battle began to boil, swords sharp as lightning sparkled, spears crackled, blood flowed,” says Saint Demetrius of Rostov.

The Grand Duke could not stand it either: he got off the Grand Duke’s horse, gave it to his beloved boyar (Mikhail Brenko), ordered him to be under the banner in his place, and he himself took out the cross with particles of the Life-Giving Tree that was on his chest under his clothes, kissed it and rushed into the battle with the Tatars on a par with ordinary warriors... The prince’s most ardent desire was the desire to take part in the battle; he was guided by the readiness to fight for faith and suffer for Christ. He neglected his privileged position and in his rush to merge with the military mass showed his great humility. Witnesses saw him carried on horseback from regiment to regiment, firmly fighting the Tatars, sometimes withstanding the attack of several warriors.

“And there was a fierce and great slaughter, and a cruel battle, and a terrible roar,” the chronicler narrates, “since the creation of the world, there has not been such a battle among the Russian great princes as during this great prince of all Rus'.” People died not only from swords, spears and under the hooves of horses - many suffocated from the terrible cramped conditions and stuffiness: The Kulikovo field did not seem to accommodate the fighting army, the earth sagged under their weight, writes one of the ancient authors. The spiritual essence of what was happening was revealed to those especially sensitive during these hours. We saw Angels helping Christians - at the head of the “three-solar” regiment was the Archangel Michael, the armies of the holy martyrs marched across the heavens and with them the holy warriors George the Victorious, Demetrius of Thessaloniki, the holy princes Boris and Gleb. Clouds of fiery arrows flew at the Tatars from the spiritual armies. They saw how a cloud appeared over the Russian army, from which many crowns fell on the heads of the Orthodox soldiers.

When Mamai and his regiments shamefully fled, abandoning their carts, Prince Vladimir Andreevich, returning to the Kulikovo field, now covered with dead bodies, began asking everyone about the Grand Duke. They testified that he fought in the front ranks, that he was surrounded by many enemies; someone talked about his injury - the last person who saw him claimed that the prince was wandering from the battlefield, reeling from his wounds. They began to look for the prince among the dead; Finally, he was found in a grove nearby, lying unconscious. God protected the prince; Despite the numerous blows he received from his enemies, he remained unharmed from serious wounds. Hearing the voices, he came to his senses, but the news of the victory finally returned his strength.

Meanwhile, as the formidable battle of Kulikovo lasted, in the monastery of the Life-Giving Trinity, Holy Abbot Sergius gathered all his brethren and offered heartfelt prayers for the success of the great cause. In body he stood in prayer in the Church of the Holy Trinity, and in spirit he was on the Kulikovo field, seeing with the eyes of faith everything that was happening there.

And many valiant Russian soldiers died on that field. Chronicles say that out of 150 thousand soldiers, no more than 40 thousand returned to Moscow.

The Kulikovo victory weakened the Russian army so much that it needed to be given rest, and the Moscow prince, as we have already seen, then had many enemies besides the Tatars. And then the Monk Sergius, preventing a clash between the Grand Duke and Oleg of Ryazan and preventing the terrible shedding of his own, brotherly, Russian blood, sent his cellarer. And this embassy was not in vain: the chronicle speaks of Oleg’s repentance, although not for long.

Returning to Moscow and dismissing the victorious soldiers to their homes, Grand Duke Dimitri Ioannovich, nicknamed Donskoy for this victory, again arrived at the monastery of the Life-Giving Trinity to give thanks to the Lord who was strong in battle, and to personally tell the great elder about the God-given victory. Numerous memorial services were served in the Trinity Monastery for the fallen soldiers; a special day of their annual commemoration was established, called Dimitrievskaya Saturday, before the 26th of October (the day of the Angel of Grand Duke Dimitri Ioannovich) and, of course, it was established not without consultation with St. Sergius. Later it became a day of common remembrance of deceased ancestors, a parent's day. This is how the Battle of Kulikovo was immortalized in church memory.

The name of Dimitri Ioannovich is associated with the construction of a number of new monasteries and churches. With the blessing of St. Sergius, he founded the Assumption Stromynsky Monastery in 1378; It was intended, on the eve of the decisive battle with the Horde, to gather prayer books from all over the Russian land into it in order to spiritually support Rus'. Leonty, a disciple of St. Sergius, became the rector of the monastery. The Grand Duke built another, also the Assumption, monastery in gratitude to God for the victory in the Battle of Kulikovo. It is called the monastery on the Dubenka River; Its first abbot was also a disciple of the Monk Sergius, the future Saint Savva of Zvenigorod. On the Kulikovo field itself the monastery of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary was built: the victory took place on this very holiday. Also, after the victory, Dimitri Ioannovich built the Nikolo-Ugreshsky Monastery near Moscow and, again, with the help of St. Sergius, Dimitri Ioannovich built the Golutvinsky Monastery, as well as the stone Assumption Cathedral of the Simonov Moscow Monastery.

The last years of the life of Grand Duke Dimitri Ioannovich were probably the most difficult for him; After the Battle of Kulikovo, many difficult trials awaited him. In the autumn of 1380, according to the chronicles, Dimitri Ioannovich was first visited by serious illnesses - the inhuman stress of the great battle took its toll. The entire Russian land was exhausted. Before she had time to recover from the terrible losses in the Battle of Kulikovo, a new enemy appeared; the year 1382 was marked by the invasion of Tokhtamysh and the ruin of Moscow. This disaster was even worse after the brilliant victory. The Grand Duke, due to disagreements among the boyars, as the ancient author says, was unable to gather enough troops to repel the Tatars; then, to find people, he went to Pereyaslavl, and then to Kostroma. Metropolitan Cyprian remained in Moscow - he was unable to resist the unrest that began here.

The Metropolitan decided to leave Moscow, as did the Grand Duchess and her children. With difficulty they managed to leave the city walls. The Metropolitan went to Tver, the princess to her husband in Kostroma. The siege of Moscow began, and the city held out for three days, but on the fourth, Tokhtamysh’s soldiers broke into the city. The pogrom committed in Moscow was terrible: people were killed in a row, altars were desecrated, churches were robbed, the treasury of the Grand Duke was plundered; Books brought from all the surrounding areas to Moscow churches were burned - the city itself was eventually set on fire. When the Grand Duke returned to Moscow, he found the city ruined and deserted. And only the brave Vladimir chased the Tatars and defeated 6,000 enemies and took away many prisoners and carts. According to legend, Dimitri Ioannovich cried in the ruins of Moscow and ordered the dead to be buried with his own money.

Another great grief for the Grand Duke was the renewal of the old enmity with Tver: having despised all the written promises of 1375, Prince Mikhail went to the new khan to ask for a label for the great reign. In 1383, Grand Duke Dimitri was forced to send his eldest son, eleven-year-old Vasily, to the Horde to defend the Grand Duke's label. At the cost of renewing the annual tribute, Moscow managed to retain the label - Mikhail failed, but Vasily was detained as a hostage in the Horde for two years.

Another restless neighbor of the Moscow prince was Oleg, Prince of Ryazan. Cunning and treacherous, he violated treaties more than once and entered into relations either with Olgerd and the Tver Prince, or with Mamai and Tokhtamysh. The Grand Duke more than once sent proxies to him with peaceful proposals, but Oleg did not want to hear about peace. Then the Grand Duke called upon St. Sergius and personally asked him to take on the task of convincing the stubborn Prince of Ryazan to reconcile. In the late autumn of 1385, the humble elder set off, as was his custom, on foot to Ryazan. Oleg had already heard a lot about the Radonezh abbot: five years ago he did not dare to join the hordes of Mamai only because the Moscow prince received a blessing from St. Sergius for the battle with Mamai, and now he was glad to see the holy elder as his guest and to be blessed by him. The gentle admonitions of the godly Sergius softened the heart of the stern Prince of Ryazan, and he sincerely opened up to the monk in his plans and “took eternal peace and love from generation to generation with the Grand Duke Demetrius.” This world was subsequently sealed by a family union: Oleg’s son Theodore took in marriage the Grand Duke’s daughter Sofia Dimitrievna.

Thus, under the constant care and paternal leadership of Saint Alexy and thanks to the active participation of the abbot of Radonezh, our reverend father Sergius, the Russian land, weakened by the discord of appanage princes, began to gradually unite.

The Grand Duke continued his difficult work: he restored the destroyed Moscow and kept his sword ready, keeping vigilantly the interests of the Moscow principality. The Grand Duke’s modus operandi remained the same: he first frightened and defeated enemies and disobedient people, then he pardoned and forgave them.

Little by little, these princes got used to the idea of ​​​​the need to submit to the power of the Moscow prince, and the people awakened to the consciousness of the need to unite together in order to throw off the hated Tatar yoke with common forces. God knows whether the Grand Duke of Moscow, left to his own devices, could have achieved any success in this great undertaking, without the assistance of the Church in the person of such holy men, filled with the Spirit and power, as were the saints of God, Metropolitan Alexy and the God-bearing Sergius, Abbot of Radonezh.

Although, according to the chronicle, Dimitri Ioannovich was of a heroic build - “he was very strong, and his body was large and broad, and he was broad-shouldered and heavy and heavy; the brad and hair are black; his gaze is truly marvelous,” but even with these powerful forces, the incessant 26-year-old swearing anxiety must have tormented him physically and mentally. Feeling the approach of death, Demetrius Ioannovich sent for St. Sergius. The monk, who observed the entire course of the Grand Duke’s life, was not only the main witness in the drawing up of his spiritual will (which is confirmed by documents), but also taught Demetrius Ioannovich all the Christian sacraments he needed. The ancient source reproduces, if not the dying words of the Grand Duke in their historical literalness, then the general spirit of his edification to his neighbors. “You, my children,” said the pious prince, “live together, and obey your mother in everything... Whoever’s son does not obey his mother will not have my blessing... So I am going to God, and I entrust you to God and your mother : Always be in fear of it... Fear God; Love your boyars, be friendly to all your servants. And you, boyars, know my customs and character - I was born before your eyes, under you I grew up, with you I went against enemies, with you I defended my homeland... I loved you and your children, I shared both joy and sorrow with you ... Remember what you always told me: in the service of you and your children, we must lay down our heads... Be true to your word, serve my princess and my child, have fun with them in their joy, do not abandon them in time of sorrow.” ... So spoke the dying Don hero; and in his spiritual charter, he forever commanded his children and his descendants that after his father, his eldest son should inherit the grand-ducal throne, in addition to other senior persons in the clan, and thus established a new order of succession to the throne, which did not allow any disputes or claims on the part of the brothers of the deceased Grand Duke. And so the protection of this, such an important resolution, to which not only Moscow, but all of Russia forever owes the strengthening of a single autocratic power, was entrusted by the Providence of God to none other than the great mourner of the Russian land, St. Sergius!

The reign of Dmitry Donskoy, with rare exceptions, did not know cases of servicemen leaving him; his spiritual will bears the largest number of boyar signatures. And just before his death, the Grand Duke wished his relatives, neighbors, boyars and all of Rus': “May the God of peace be with you!” There is a deep meaning hidden in these words! All the soul of the great and good prince, who worked hard and ached for the Motherland, poured out in this pious ardent wish...

On May 19, 1389, Grand Duke Dimitri Ioannovich reposed. His death at the age of 41 shocked all of Rus'. After Vladimir Monomakh and Alexander Nevsky, the Russian people did not love or honor anyone so much. He was buried in the Archangel Cathedral, next to the tombs of his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. According to legend, at the funeral service among the numerous clergy was the patron, prayer book, elder of the Grand Duke, St. Sergius of Radonezh.

In his zealous service to the Church of Christ, patriotic labors for the Fatherland and the people during the terrible years of the enemy yoke, the blessed prince appeared as a true son of the Russian Church, inspiring even now her faithful children to selflessly serve God and people. The righteous deed of the prince, who gave “his life for his friends” (John 15:13), was not forgotten by the Orthodox believing people. He still encourages the children of the church to serve for the good of the Motherland and its people.

A special sign of the will of the Lord was the veneration of Prince Demetrius as God’s chosen one. According to the testimony of numerous sources, written monuments and iconography, the glorification of the prince began first in Moscow, and then throughout Russia. Soon after his death, a “Laudatory Word” was written, the text of which was included in Russian chronicles, and a life. The life notes Christian generosity and great love for the people, combined with widespread charity.

Iconographic images of the Grand Duke have also been preserved: on the fresco of the Archangel Cathedral and in the Chamber of Facets. The description of the prince’s image can also be read in the “Iconographic Original” (under May 9).

The memory of the Grand Duke is always alive and especially increases in years of wars and dangers. Thus, during the Great Patriotic War, the name of Prince Dimitri in the patriotic messages of the Patriarchal Locum Tenens Metropolitan Sergius stood next to the name of Saint Alexander Nevsky; both warrior princes were called upon to help the suffering Fatherland. A tank column created at the expense of believers was named after Dimitri Donskoy.

The Grand Duke of Moscow Dimitri Donskoy was canonized as a holy believer on the basis of his great services to the Church and the people of God, as well as on the basis of his personal pious life, which embodied the saving Christian idea of ​​sacrificing oneself to the point of blood for the good and salvation of others.

What does Dmitry Donskoy help with?

When reading prayers in front of an icon, people most often hope that the image of the prince will help them cope with the following problems:

• will protect the family and country from life's problems;
• will protect you from strife and quarrels;
• will help avoid conflicts in the family and at work;
• will help you withstand passions and maintain marital fidelity;
• will eliminate mistakes and help you move up the career ladder;
• will help you win the respect and love of your family and friends.

Politicians, bosses and rulers often turn to the Saint for help.

Russian churches contain many images painted in honor of Dmitry Donskoy, all of them are mainly located in churches of the same name.

You can pray to the icon of Dmitry and bow before his relics in the Moscow Kremlin, in the Cathedral of the Archangel Gabriel.

The best article for you, go to: Icon of St. Nikitas the Confessor of Midice

Relics of St. George the Victorious

The Holy Great Martyr George has long been considered an important Christian saint; in Russia he is revered as the patron saint of Moscow (he is depicted on the coat of arms of the capital). In the Middle Ages, St. George was presented as a model and patron of chivalry, a defender of the Christian faith. According to legend, the great martyr was once a prominent military leader at the court of Emperor Diocletian. When the emperor began persecuting Christians, the saint distributed all his property to the needy and appeared before the ruler. He refused to renounce his faith, with God's help he endured seven days of monstrous torture, on the eighth day he miraculously overthrew idols and cast out demons in the temple of Apollo, after which he was executed by Diocletian. Saint George is known for his miracle of victory over the Serpent - it is believed that the legend allegorically talks about George's intercession for Christians in Beirut. Pieces of his relics rest in many cities around the world. The relics of St. George the Victorious arrived in Moscow in 1998 as a gift from the Patriarch of Jerusalem Diodorus. Believers can worship them in the Church of St. George the Victorious on Poklonnaya Hill.

You might be interested

• Graves of saints in Moscow
• Tomb of Matrona of Moscow
• Funeral in Orthodoxy

November 20, 2017

Prayer of Dmitry Donskoy

Oh, holy servant of God, righteous Demetrius! Having fought a good fight on earth, you have received in Heaven the crown of righteousness, which the Lord has prepared for all who love Him. In the same way, looking at your holy image, we rejoice at the glorious end of your life and honor your holy memory. You, standing before the Throne of God, accept our prayers and bring them to the All-Merciful God, to forgive us every sin and help us against the wiles of the devil, so that, having been delivered from sorrows, illnesses, troubles and misfortunes and all evil, we will live piously and righteously in the present We will be worthy through your intercession, even though we are unworthy, to see good on the land of the living, glorifying the One in His saints, the glorified God, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.

Orthodox prayers ☦

“In praising, we magnify you, holy blessed Grand Duke Demetrius! We offer thanksgiving to the triune God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, glorified and confessed in the Trinity of one essence, as in heaven and on earth.

Praising, we bless the Most Holy Theotokos, and most of all Her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the hero of heroism and the ever-reigning military leader and victorious over all enemies, visible and invisible, as from ancient times he deigned to raise up for us from the Russian people, wonderfully enlightened by the faith of Christ, the great saint of God, the glorious prince of Donskoy Demetrius, the very great defender of the Orthodox faith and all Holy Rus'. Like that great Prince Dimitri, let us be a perfect image of how we should love the Russian Fatherland with all our hearts and protect the Kingdom of God on earth, keep the Orthodox faith and the covenants of the great saints of our ancestors. But most of all, the Lord showed us your self-sacrificing love, even for God the Savior Christ and your neighbors, which was revealed by you, holy Prince Demetrius, on the battlefield of the Kulikovo massacre, the glory of which battle shone in the Russian land, even more gloriously sanctified by your sovereign relative, the holy great Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, for this sovereign enlightener deigned in a timely, providential and God-wise manner to baptize the Slavic people into the Orthodox faith of God.

Do not leave us even now, great and glorious Prince of Donskoy Dimitri, hear us soon and help us preserve the Russian Land in the pious faith of Christ, teach us to walk in the commandments of the Lord and to love our neighbors with the selfless love of God. Protect us with your powerful prayers from the invasion of foreigners and the captivity of foreign adversaries, from their disastrous heresies and schisms, from the devastation of the Russian land, from famine and sinful uncleanness.

We pray to you, chosen one of God, faithful Prince Demetrius, for in the life of earthly existence you appeared as the wisest peacemaker and gatherer of the scattered and warring princes of the Fatherland of the Slavic land. At every time and hour he showed his guardianship and zeal for God's good glory of the autocracy of Holy Rus'. Take care even now of the people of God living in the Slavic lands and send them your heavenly help and the mind of God, creating, uniting and multiplying the Kingdom of God in the Orthodox country of Russia. Overthrow all the destroyers of the Orthodox Fatherland and all the destroyers and molesters of the Russian Christian people, so that through your righteous struggle the enemies of Christ will quickly suffer shame and destruction on the Slavic land. And if everything impossible is possible for God, by the power of the Cross of the Lord and the help of the Mother of God, drive out the filthy and treacherous enemies from our Fatherland.

We pray to you, holy God-bearing Prince Demetrius, ask the Lord, the Father of Lights and God the Son of Jesus Christ, enlightening the whole world with the Holy Spirit, may the Spirit of Truth descend upon us from above, giving insight to the Russian people lying in darkness and the shadow of death, may the Glory of God shine in our sons Russians, may the fullness of knowledge of the Orthodox faith and the love of God come, may they complete us with Christ’s perfection: acquire piety, acquire the fear of God within the heart, have holy faith and nobility, do not abandon respect for parents, possess parents with the wisdom of God, preserve their children in the fear of God , stand as a warrior in the Orthodox faith and protect your Fatherland.

For those who strive on the path of Christ, ask for a spirit of divine zeal, not only for the earthly Fatherland, but also for the heavenly Fatherland. With your prayers, Prince Dimitri, fill the hearts of the faint-hearted with courage in battles with enemies visible and invisible. Strengthen the pious guardians and guardians of the Russian land, ask God for them to have eagle vigilance for all the machinations of the enemy, always remain faithful to each other and impartial.

Encourage Orthodox pastors to have care and love for the children of Christ’s Church, ask the worldly people for the mind of God and the spirit of humility to be obedient to the teaching of the Gospel’s soul-saving word, to the teachings of the Holy Apostles and the teachings of the Holy Fathers of the Church. Help the God-loving saints to protect the entrusted flock of Christ from various flattering wolves who come to stealthily divide, plunder and seduce Christian souls, teach the rich to be merciful and merciful to the poor and disadvantaged, and grant everyone everything they need through their prayers, so that they do not perish from despondency and despair, support the old, strengthen the weak, heal the sick, so that through all your beneficial intercessions we, sinful servants of God (names), may join in the works of the faith of Christ and be worthy to acquire in ourselves the fullness of God’s love, nourished by its fruits, and follow you in the heavenly abodes, bright prince Demetrius, where you are now following the paths of our Lord Jesus Christ, so that we too will be worthy of this heavenly sweetness in the kingdom of God Christ, and now we will receive the comforting heavenly cover of the Most Blessed Mother of God, the speedy Intercessor of the entire Christian race, and through Her prayers and Motherly love, we can gain and achieve God-pleasing tea earthly prosperity and the eternal heritage of the Heavenly Kingdom, you, also the holy prince Demetria, in the host of the holy righteous of the sunbound shy and, in the endless eyelids, have fun and the fiery face of the god of Christ with His Holy Light enjoy and saturated, coupled with all the sakes of God, raising the tris -blessed song of the Libra and the Life -giving trinet Inseparable, to God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen."

Sovereign

Prince Dmitry by that time declared war on those who did not want this unity. In his consistent actions to strengthen the autocracy, he relied on the support of St. Sergius of Radonezh and St. Alexis of Moscow. As a result of his wise policy, the people of Novgorod, Ryazan, Tver and others recognized the seniority of Moscow.

It is necessary to note one more of his invaluable services: he approved the law on succession to the throne. This meant that the power of the prince after his death was transferred to the eldest son, and not to the eldest prince in the family. This played a positive role in the life of the state: the bloody wars of appanage principalities for the throne stopped.

Demetrius of Solunsky

Demetrius Donskoy spent his whole life striving to be like his heavenly patron, the great martyr Demetrius of Thessaloniki, revered in Rus', who preached Christianity, for which he paid. One day he was captured by the pagans. The guards pierced an ascetic praying in prison with many spears. The body of the righteous man was thrown to be devoured by animals, which did not touch him. The remains of the saint were buried with honor by Thessalonica Christians.

During the time of Mamai, he was revered by Russian Orthodox Christians as an assistant in the fight against a foreigner.

Orthodox Christians celebrate the Day of the Angel of Demetrius of Thessalonica on October 26. In general, there were many saints with this name, almost all of them were martyrs for Christ.