Memorial Day of the Holy Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky December 6, 2021
In Orthodoxy, December 6 marks a great holiday in honor of the Russian commander Alexander Nevsky. They worship him and offer prayers to protect him from enemies and protect the country from any adversity.
The memory of the blessed Saint Alexander Nevsky is celebrated on December 6, and in 2021 believers will again visit temples and churches to attend services and pray to the saint. The prince's merits are enormous: thanks to his courage and dedication, peace and prosperity came to Russian soil. Experts from the website dailyhoro.ru recommend offering prayers to the saint, so that even in our troubled age, the lands of Russia will be under the reliable protection of the Higher Powers.
The date of veneration of the holy commander is not accidental. Alexander Nevsky, who died in 1263 on November 14, was buried on November 23. According to the new style, this date is shifted to December 6. The prince is revered not only in Russia, but also in other countries of the world, so religious services take place on a huge scale.
Alexander Nevsky is also commemorated on September 12. In 1724, on this day, his relics were transported from Vladimir to St. Petersburg, and this date is also a holiday listed in the church calendar.
How believers celebrate the holiday
The service begins with a prayer of gratitude to Alexander Nevsky, whose actions gave people a calm and peaceful existence in the most powerful state. The merits of the prince are great: he saved the Russian people from slavery, expanded the borders of the state and provided widespread protection from enemy attacks. Alexander Nevsky was canonized in 1547, and during his lifetime he took monastic vows and is known in Orthodoxy as Alexy. Not only during his lifetime, but also after his death, the prince continues to serve his people, and thanks to prayerful appeals to him, many victories were won.
Alexander Nevsky Day in 2021
Saint Prince Alexander is immortalized in history, and his faces can be seen in churches and temples in Russia and Europe. Prayer addresses to him are read twice a year: September 12 and December 6. On holidays, believers pray to the saint, and defenders of the Motherland ask him for blessings for their service.
In 2021, the solemn service will once again gather pilgrims who go to churches for salvation. History knows many miraculous recoveries, when believers were healed of fatal illnesses, got rid of damage and the evil eye, and cast out demons and aliens from themselves. All this indicates that Alexander Nevsky stands up for everyone, helps everyone who comes with pure thoughts.
On the day of veneration of St. Alexander Nevsky, pilgrims will be able to visit his burial place in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg, as well as the place of his original burial in the Vladimir Nativity Monastery.
Prayer appeal to Alexander Nevsky
“A quick helper to everyone who fervently prays to you, holy and pious Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky! Turn your gaze to us and do not leave us in the hour of doubt and anxiety. Protect our lands from invaders. Protect everyone living on earth, endow their hearts with loyalty and courage, mercy and all-encompassing happiness. Ask our Lord for healing for us and help us pray for sins, voluntary and involuntary. Amen".
On the day of the holiday, everyone will be able to offer prayers of gratitude to Prince Alexander Nevsky and enlist his support in all endeavors. The history of his reign teaches us to this day, indicating that we must act fairly, always be responsible for our words and deeds, and not be afraid to face difficulties.
Age and day of Alexander
The main celebrations on the occasion of the 800th anniversary of the birth of Alexander Nevsky will take place on Russia Day. Alexander Nevsky is one of our most revered and beloved saints, so on June 12 there will be several religious processions dedicated to him. “Two of them are in Central Russia. This is a great historical path from the Cathedral of Christ the Savior to Pereslavl-Zalessky and Vladimir along the way of transferring the relics of the saint to the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg,” said the Plenipotentiary Representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Central Federal District Igor Shchegolev. “The second will go from David’s Hermitage, where part of the head of the holy prince is located, through the Moscow region, through the Smolensk region, and then to fraternal Belarus and return to Moscow.”
One of the goals of the forum is to preserve the memory of Alexander Nevsky as a symbol of Russian statehood: the prince became famous both as a defender of the Fatherland, and as a diplomat who preferred to resolve difficult issues at the negotiating table, and as a person who managed to preserve Orthodoxy in the difficult religious situation of the 13th century. The conversation turned to a memorial complex that will be erected to Alexander on Lake Peipus.
“As you know, the exact location of the Battle of the Ice is disputed by various historians,” explained Vladimir Medinsky, chairman of the Russian Military Historical Society. — There is a point at which the majority converges. There is a small private museum nearby. There is an order from the head of state to equip this place. The project is currently being developed. By the way, Medinsky recalled that the prince received the name Alexander first in Rus'.
Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexander Chubaryan dwelled on how Alexander Nevsky is assessed in the scientific community. “This figure and the 13th century in Russian history have long been the focus of attention of historical science in the world. His actions are inextricably linked with the contradictory situation that arose at that time both to the east of Ancient Rus' and to the west. Recently a new book about the Golden Horde was published in Kazakhstan, which presents a new look at this state and its interaction with Russia.”
“Maybe that’s why I’m standing on this podium, to testify: not everyone in Ukraine denies our common past.”
The forum participants became interested in how the holy prince was treated in another former Soviet republic - Ukraine. "It's a difficult question. In Ukraine, they don’t remember Alexander Nevsky,” answered Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, medievalist historian Pyotr Tolochko. — They prefer to talk about the branch of Rurikovich that led to Daniil Galitsky. But, by and large, Kyiv and all of Rus' included the territory of present-day Ukraine. Even our enemies, the Mongol-Tatars, thought of the entire Russian space as a single whole. Maybe that’s why I’m standing on this podium, to testify: not everyone in Ukraine denies our common past.”
Online reading of the book Life of Alexander Nevsky
The story of the life and courage of the blessed and Grand Duke Alexander
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, the son of God.
I, pitiful and sinful, narrow-minded, dare to describe the life of the holy Prince Alexander, son of Yaroslav, grandson of Vsevolodov. Since I heard from my fathers and myself witnessed his mature age, I was glad to tell about his holy, honest, and glorious life. But as the Tributary said [*]: “Wisdom will not enter an evil soul: for it dwells in elevated places, stands in the middle of the roads, and stops at the gates of noble people.” Although I am simple in mind, I will still begin by praying to the Holy Mother of God and trusting in the help of Holy Prince Alexander.
This Prince Alexander was born from a merciful, philanthropic, and most of all meek father, the Great Prince Yaroslav, and from his mother Theodosia [*]. As Isaiah the prophet said: “Thus says the Lord: “I appoint princes; they are sacred, and I lead them.” And truly, his reign was not without God’s command.
And he was handsome like no one else, and his voice was like a trumpet among the people, his face was like the face of Joseph, whom the Egyptian king made the second king in Egypt, and his strength was part of the strength of Samson, and God gave him the wisdom of Solomon, His courage is like that of the Roman king Vespasian, who conquered the entire land of Judea. One day he prepared to besiege the city of Joatapata, and the townspeople came out and defeated his army. And only Vespasian remained, and turned those who opposed him to the city, to the city gates, and laughed at his squad, and reproached them, saying: “They left me alone” [*]. Likewise, Prince Alexander won, but was invincible.
Once one of the eminent men of the Western country [*], from those who call themselves servants of God [*], came, wanting to see the maturity of his strength, as in ancient times the Queen of Sheba [*] came to Solomon, wanting to listen to his wise speeches . So this one, named Andreas [*], having seen Prince Alexander, returned to his people and said: “I went through countries and peoples and did not see such a king among kings, nor a prince among princes.”
Hearing about such valor of Prince Alexander, the king of the Roman country from the northern land [*] thought to himself: “I will go and conquer the land of Alexander.” And he gathered a great force, and filled many ships with his regiments, and moved with a huge army, blazing with the military spirit. And he came to the Neva, intoxicated with madness, and sent his ambassadors, proud, to Novgorod to Prince Alexander, saying: “If you can, defend yourself, for I am already here and ruining your land.”
Alexander, having heard such words, burned in his heart and entered the church of St. Sophia, and, falling on his knees before the altar, began to pray with tears: “Glorious God, righteous, great, strong God, 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 have offended 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, dried his tears and began to encourage his squad, saying: “God is not in power, but in truth. Let us remember the Songmaker, who said: “Some with weapons, and others on horses, we will call on the name of the Lord our God; They, defeated, fell, but we resisted and stand upright” [*]. Having said this, he went against the enemies with a small squad, not waiting for his large army, but trusting in the Holy Trinity.
It was sad to hear that his father, the great prince Yaroslav, did not know about the invasion of his son, dear Alexander, and he had no time to send news to his father, for the enemies were already approaching. Therefore, many Novgorodians did not have time to join, as the prince hurried to speak. And he came out against them on Sunday, July fifteenth, having great faith in the holy martyrs Boris and Gleb.
And there was one man, the elder of the land of Izhora [*], named Pelugiy, he was entrusted with the night watch at sea. He was baptized and lived among his family, the pagans, and his name was given in holy baptism Philip, and he lived godly, observing fasting on Wednesday and Friday, which is why God deigned him to see a wonderful vision on that day. Let's tell you briefly.
Having learned about the strength of the enemy, he went out to meet Prince Alexander to tell him about the enemy’s camps. He stood on the seashore, watching both routes, and spent the whole night without sleep. When the sun began to rise, he heard a strong noise on the sea and saw one nasad [*] floating on the sea, and standing in the middle of the nasad were the holy martyrs Boris and Gleb in red robes, holding their hands on each other’s shoulders. The rowers sat as if covered in darkness. Boris said:
“Brother Gleb, tell us to row, so we can help our relative Prince Alexander.” Seeing such a vision and hearing these words of the martyrs, Pelugius stood trembling until the attack disappeared from his eyes.
Soon after this, Alexander came, and Pelugius, joyfully meeting Prince Alexander, told him alone about the vision. The prince told him: “Don’t tell this to anyone.”
After that, Alexander hastened to attack the enemies at six o'clock in the afternoon, and there was a great slaughter with the Romans, and the prince killed countless numbers of them, and on the face of the king himself he left the mark of his sharp spear.
Six brave men, like him, from Alexander’s regiment showed themselves here.
The first one is named Gavrilo Oleksic. He attacked the auger [*] and, seeing the prince being dragged by the arms, rode all the way to the ship along the gangplank along which they were running with the prince, pursued by him. Then they grabbed Gavrila Oleksich and threw him off the gangplank along with his horse. But by God's mercy he emerged from the water unharmed, and again attacked them, and fought with the commander himself in the midst of their army.
The second, named Sbyslav Yakunovich, is from Novgorod. This one attacked their army many times and fought with one ax, having no fear in his soul; and many fell by his hand, and they marveled at his strength and courage.
The third - Yakov, a native of Polotsk, was a hunter for the prince. This one attacked the regiment with a sword, and the prince praised him.
The fourth is a Novgorodian named Mesha. This man on foot and his retinue attacked the ships and sank three ships.
The fifth is from the younger squad, named Sava. This one burst into the large royal golden-domed tent and cut down the tent pole. The Alexandrov regiments, seeing the fall of the tent, rejoiced.
The sixth is one of Alexander's servants, named Ratmir. This one fought on foot, and many enemies surrounded him. He fell from many wounds and died that way.
I heard all this from my master, Grand Duke Alexander, and from others who participated in this battle at that time.
There was a wondrous miracle at that time, as in the days of old under Hezekiah the king. When Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, came to Jerusalem, wanting to conquer the holy city of Jerusalem, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared and killed one hundred and eighty-five thousand of the Assyrian army, and when they got up in the morning, they found only dead corpses [*]. This was the case after Alexandrov’s victory: when he defeated the king, on the opposite side of the Izhora River, where Alexandrov’s regiments could not pass, a countless number of those killed by the angel of the Lord were found here. Those who remained fled, and the corpses of their dead soldiers were thrown into ships and sank them into the sea. Prince Alexander returned in victory, praising and glorifying the name of his creator.
In the second year after Prince Alexander returned with victory, they again came from the Western Country and built a city on the land of Alexandrova [*]. Prince Alexander soon went and destroyed their city to the ground, and hanged them, some, took others with him, and, having pardoned others, released them, for he was immeasurably merciful.
After Alexandrova’s victory, when he defeated the king, in the third year, in winter, he went with great force to the land of Pskov, for the city of Pskov had already been taken by the Germans. And the Germans came to Lake Peipus, and Alexander met them, and prepared for battle, and they went against each other, and Lake Peipus was covered with many of these and other warriors. Alexander's father, Yaroslav, sent his younger brother Andrei with a large squad to help him. And Prince Alexander had many brave warriors, like King David in ancient times, strong and steadfast. So Alexander’s men were filled with the spirit of war, because their hearts were like the hearts of lions, and they exclaimed: “O our glorious prince! Now the time has come for us to lay down our heads for you.” Prince Alexander raised his hands to the sky and said: “Judge me, God, judge my quarrel with the unrighteous people and help me, Lord, as in ancient times he helped Moses overcome Amalek [*], and our great-grandfather Yaroslav the accursed Svyatopolk” [*].
It was then Saturday, and when the sun rose, the opponents met. And there was a cruel slaughter, and there was a crash from breaking spears and a ringing from the blows of swords, and it seemed that a frozen lake was moving, and no ice was visible, for it was covered with blood.
And I heard this from an eyewitness who told me that he saw the army of God in the air, coming to the aid of Alexander. And so he defeated the enemies with the help of God, and they fled, but Alexander cut them down, driving them as if through the air, and they had nowhere to hide. Here God glorified Alexander before all the regiments, like Joshua at Jericho [*]. And the one who said: “Let us capture Alexander,” God gave into the hands of Alexander. And there has never been an opponent worthy of him in battle. And Prince Alexander returned with a glorious victory, and there were many captives in his army, and they led barefoot next to the horses of those who call themselves “God’s knights.”
And when the prince approached the city of Pskov, the abbots and priests and all the people met him in front of the city with crosses, giving praise to God and glorifying the lord Prince Alexander, singing a song to him: “You, Lord, helped the meek David to defeat the foreigners and our faithful prince with the weapon of faith to liberate the city of Pskov from foreigners by the hand of Alexandrova.”
And Alexander said: “O ignorant Pskovites! If you forget this before the great-grandsons of Alexander, then you will become like the Jews, whom the Lord fed in the desert with manna from heaven and baked quails, but they forgot all this and their God, who delivered them from captivity in Egypt.”
And his name became famous in all countries, from the Khonuzh Sea and to the Ararat Mountains, and on the other side of the Varangian Sea [*] and to the great Rome.
At the same time, the Lithuanian people gained strength and began to plunder the Alexandrov possessions. He went out and beat them. One day he happened to go out against the enemies, and he defeated seven regiments in one ride and killed many of their princes, and took others prisoner; His servants, mocking, tied them to the tails of their horses. And from that time on they began to fear his name.
At the same time, there was a strong king in the eastern country [*], to whom God subjugated many nations from the east to the west. That king, having heard about such glory and courage of Alexander, sent ambassadors to him and said: “Alexander, do you know that God has conquered many nations to me. So, are you the only one who doesn’t want to submit to me? But if you want to save your land, then come to me quickly and you will see the glory of my kingdom.”
After the death of his father, Prince Alexander came to Vladimir in great strength. And his arrival was menacing, and news of him rushed to the mouth of the Volga. And the Moabite women [*] began to frighten their children, saying: “Here comes Alexander!”
Prince Alexander decided to go to the Tsar in the Horde, and Bishop Kirill blessed him. And King Batu saw him and was amazed, and said to his nobles: “They told me the truth, that there is no prince like him.” Having honored him with dignity, he released Alexander.
After this, Tsar Batu became angry with his younger brother Andrei and sent his governor Nevryuy to destroy the land of Suzdal [*]. After the devastation of the Suzdal land by Nevruy, the great Prince Alexander erected churches, rebuilt cities, and gathered dispersed people into their homes. Isaiah the prophet said about such people: “A good prince in countries is quiet, friendly, meek, humble - and thus he is like God.” Without being seduced by wealth, without forgetting the blood of the righteous, he judges orphans and widows with justice, is merciful, kind to his household and hospitable to those who come from foreign countries. God helps such people, for God does not love angels, but people, in his generosity he generously bestows and shows his mercy in the world.
God filled Alexander's land with wealth and glory, and God extended his days.
One day, ambassadors from the Pope came to him from great Rome [*] with the following words: “Our Pope says this: “We heard that you are a worthy and glorious prince and your land is great. That is why they sent to you the two smartest of the twelve cardinals - Agaldad and Gemont, so that you could 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 passage 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 to the birth of Christ, from the birth of Christ until his crucifixion and resurrection, from his resurrection and ascension into heaven until the reign of Constantine, from the beginning of the reign of Constantine to the first council and the seventh [*] - about everything We know this well, but we will not accept teaching from you.” They returned home.
And the days of his life multiplied in great glory, for he loved priests, and monks, and beggars, and he revered and listened to metropolitans and bishops as to Christ himself.
In those days there was great violence from non-believers; they persecuted Christians, forcing them to fight on their side. The great prince Alexander went to the king to pray for his people from this misfortune.
And he sent his son Dmitry to the Western countries, and sent all his regiments with him, and his close household members, saying to them:
“Serve my son as you serve me with all your life.” And Prince Dmitry went in great strength, and conquered the German land, and took the city of Yuryev, and returned to Novgorod with many prisoners and with great booty [*].
His father, Grand Duke Alexander, returned from the Horde from the Tsar and reached Nizhny Novgorod, and fell ill there, and, arriving in Gorodets, fell ill. Oh woe to you, poor man! How can you describe the death of your master! How will your eyes not fall out along with your tears! How can your heart not be torn out by the roots! For a man can leave his father, but he cannot leave a good master; If it were possible, I would go to the grave with him.
Having worked hard for God, he left the earthly kingdom and became a monk, for he had an immeasurable desire to take on the angelic image. God also vouchsafed him to accept a greater rank—schema. And so in peace he gave up his spirit to God in the month of November on the fourteenth day, in memory of the holy Apostle Philip.
Metropolitan Kirill said: “My children, know that the sun of the land of Suzdal has already set.” The priests and deacons, the monks, the poor and the rich and all the people exclaimed: “We are already perishing!”
The holy body of Alexander was carried to the city of Vladimir. The Metropolitan, the princes and boyars, and all the people, small and large, met him in Bogolyubovo with candles and censers. People crowded, trying to touch his holy body on his honest bed. There was a cry, a groan, and a cry like never before, even the earth shook. His body was laid in the Church of the Nativity of the Holy Theotokos, in the Great Archimandrite [*], on the 24th day of November, in memory of Holy Father Amphilochius.
There was a marvelous miracle then, 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 enclose a spiritual letter [*]. He, as if alive, stretched out his hand and accepted the letter from the hand of the metropolitan. And confusion seized them, and they barely retreated from his tomb. Metropolitan and Housekeeper Sevastian announced this to everyone. Who wouldn’t be surprised by that miracle, because his body was dead, and it was brought from distant lands in winter.
The 800th anniversary of Alexander Nevsky is a holiday for everyone
The center of the celebration of the eight-century anniversary of the birth of the blessed Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky will be St. Petersburg, and its “heart” will be the celebration on the day of the transfer of the relics of the saint of God on September 12. The abbot of the Holy Trinity Alexander Nevsky Lavra, Bishop Nazariy of Kronstadt, tells the Journal of the Moscow Patriarchate how the monastery is preparing for a significant event, what interesting events await St. Petersburg residents and pilgrims, and how places associated with Alexander Nevsky will be immortalized in the Leningrad region (No. 5, 2021) .
The front line of architectural monuments is a priority
— Your Eminence, a large-scale restoration program dedicated to the anniversary has started at the Lavra. The tender for design work was won last year by the Central Research and Design Workshops of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation. Did their employees go to the site when the project documents were released?
— Designers are actively working on the territory of the Lavra. Most of the pre-design work has been completed, some archaeological pits were laid and operated in the winter. Three-dimensional scanning of buildings and structures has been completed. In general, we are satisfied with the pace that the design company is demonstrating on the site, and there is every reason to hope that it will meet the stated deadline for preparing the master plan for restoration work - November of this year. We are now talking about 13 architectural monuments of the Lavra ensemble. As far as I know, the design company is additionally trying to obtain funding for the Metropolitan building, which in architectural terms forms a single whole with the square of the Lavra and currently serves as the location of the administrative structures of the St. Petersburg diocese.
— If by the end of the year only work on the design documents is completed, it turns out that the restorers will not have time to do anything for the anniversary celebrations?
- Why, with the onset of the warm season, they will appear on the objects of the so-called “front line” of buildings, near which the main Lavra celebrations of the 800th anniversary will be held. So far we are talking about the facades of two buildings - Dukhovsky and Seminarsky - and the gateway Church of Sorrow. In addition, it is imperative to strengthen the plaster on the facade and central vault of the Holy Trinity Cathedral.
— Last year, the so-called retaining wall was completely renovated. Why was this needed?
“This is an important structure that ensures the stability of the structures of the entire Lavra square. In many places it was in disrepair, and in the southeast, where the garages of the Prometheus research and production enterprise were located in Soviet times, it was completely ruined. However, this work has not been completed along the entire perimeter. Now we continue it on the northern side, on the banks of the Monastyrka River. There is also a fundamentally important fragment; in fact, these are hydraulic structures along the border of our land plot. The city budget allocates funds for their renovation.
Liturgical life has resumed in the Annunciation Alexander Nevsky Church
“The city restorers’ plans for this year also include work on two Lavra buildings—the prosphora building and the “new” sacristy with a library and archive. When will they end?
- We must be in time for the crown of the anniversary celebrations. The Committee for State Control, Use and Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments of St. Petersburg took charge of these cultural heritage sites. We are now talking in the building of the so-called new sacristy. For the 300th anniversary of the Lavra, eight years ago it was put in order, but it was just a major overhaul. Unfortunately, the utility networks remain worn out, and the building has a problematic foundation. In general, now we are no longer talking about repairs, but about full restoration. But you did not mention another important object for us, which we are making efforts to include in the so-called “front line”. This is the Annunciation Alexander Nevsky Church, on which at least façade work needs to be carried out during the anniversary year.
— What is her current property status?
— As you probably know, in response to statements by the Church about the need for the Museum of City Sculpture to transfer to us the Annunciation, Tikhvin and Lazarevskaya churches, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed a corresponding instruction to the Minister of Culture. Fulfilling the obedience of Metropolitan Barsanuphius of St. Petersburg and Ladoga, I signed a temporary agreement with the city authorities to take over from the city the second floor of the Annunciation Church, where the upper temple in the name of the Holy Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky is located. This is the only throne in the Lavra dedicated to our heavenly patron.
We’ll see what happens next, because the state directly transfers all real estate not to the Lavra, but to the Russian Orthodox Church in the person of the St. Petersburg diocese, and the diocese delegates the right to use them to the monastery. Museum workers have now moved all the exhibits from the upper church downstairs; the city has provided new premises for them on Nevsky Prospekt. We dismantled the fence that previously separated the museum from us. A keymaster from among the inhabitants of the Lavra has already been appointed to the Alexander Nevsky Church, and on the founding day of our monastery, April 7, the Liturgy took place on this throne for the first time after an 88-year break. In June, in the space of the upper church, we are going to open an exhibition of icons of the holy noble prince Alexander Nevsky: we want to collect images from all over the metropolis, before which believers pray in churches. Fortunately, there is plenty to choose from: the Lavra alone has more than four dozen such icons.
As for the Tikhvin and Lazarevskaya churches, now opponents of their return are actively promoting the idea that they were built as tombs and were never active churches. It is not true. They were built precisely as churches, where the Liturgy was celebrated and prayers were offered, including for those who were buried in these churches. That is their purpose, not to be showrooms. Now these “exhibition halls” only once again remind us of the mournful period of vandalism, when what was created by our ancestors was destroyed. With all due respect to the staff of the Museum of Urban Sculpture, who actually preserved historical tombstones, a utilitarian approach reigned in the formation of necropolises in the mid-20th century. Over a third of the tombstones at the Lazarevskoye Cemetery, for example, were declared to have no artistic value and were destroyed - mainly tombstones from the late 19th - early 20th centuries, as well as burials of clergy and clergy.
— The church also claimed the right to build the Lavra cinnovia on Oktyabrskaya embankment - the rector’s cell building with the house church of the Archangel Michael and the fraternal cell building, where residential apartments are now located...
— Kinovia of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra is the historical name of the architectural ensemble you are talking about. Lavra has not had the slightest connection with him for a long time. After the resumption of monastic hostelry in our monastery, we finally abandoned it in favor of the metochion of the Cheremenets St. John the Theological Monastery. Nowadays the bishop's courtyard of the St. Petersburg diocese is located there, and diocesan structures are engaged in the resettlement of residential apartments on the territory of the former cinema.
All anniversary news is on a special web resource
— An interesting Internet project has been launched in St. Petersburg - the website anevsky800.ru dedicated to the 800th anniversary of the birth of the Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky. What is its main purpose?
“The creation of a portal dedicated to such a significant and large-scale anniversary was simply necessary. The portal is both educational and informational. The educational part consists of exclusive interviews, reflections of historians and the creative views of young people, modern research, opinions of publicists and famous people about the Holy Prince Alexander. The information part brings together news dedicated to Prince Alexander Nevsky and his anniversary in St. Petersburg, as well as the most interesting publications, video and photo reports from Russian regions and from abroad. The website anevsky800.ru contains a convenient calendar of the main events of the anniversary year in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region. Among them are those that have already taken place. For example, it covers the photo exhibition “In the Name of the Holy Prince,” with which we opened the anniversary year in St. Petersburg and which, as expected, will travel around the country. By the way, she has already visited Pskov; Karelia and Irkutsk are waiting for the exposition.
— Please tell us about the significant points of the Lavra and city anniversary programs.
— The culmination should be the citywide Alexander Nevsky procession on the feast of the transfer of relics on September 12, which has been taking place annually in St. Petersburg for eight years. We hope that this time, unlike the difficult last year, it will take place. But if mass restrictions tighten again, we are developing a “plan B” with a particularly solemn service in the Trinity Cathedral. The central icon of the celebration will be the cell image of the Holy Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky, which belonged to the Hieromartyr Seraphim (Chichagov), the oldest from the Lavra collection, dating back to the end of the 17th century.
In the evening of the same day, a gala concert will be held in the open air or in the Great Concert Hall “Oktyabrsky” (we will determine exactly later). A week before this, the Lavra will hold the international bell ringing festival, which has become traditional and beloved by St. Petersburg residents. It takes place in the format of a musical and poetic concert, where performances by performers of sacred and folk music are interspersed with festive ringing performed by famous bell ringers from all over Russia. An international cultural scientific and practical forum of icon painters is planned for the end of September. In addition, two historical conferences are timed to coincide with the exhibition of icons of the holy prince. A one-day event in June will be dedicated to the veneration and holiness of this saint of God; the second, in the fall, we will organize together with the St. Petersburg Theological Academy and will devote it to the activities of the Grand Duke in the diplomatic and state earthly field.
As for the items not related to the central festive events of the city anniversary program, the authorities listened to my opinion (I think, not least because I was entrusted with heading the St. Petersburg committee for organizing the celebration) and decided to abandon the grandiose events on September 12, postponing them “center of gravity” down to the district level, and addressing them mainly to young people - schoolchildren and students. This is correct: Alexander Nevsky needs to be brought closer to the people, this will be more beneficial! An extensive anniversary program is being prepared by the Interregional public organization for promoting the revival of culture, spirituality and patriotism, the Alexander Nevsky Brotherhood, whose board I head.
I will mention a significant project in the Leningrad region, of which I am also a member of the regional anniversary committee. On the initiative of Governor Alexander Drozdenko, a memorial complex with a monument and a chapel will appear near the famous Sablinsky Caves near the town of Nikolskoye - on the site of Prince Alexander’s last prayer before the Battle of the Neva. This is a famous place associated with the life of the saint, which I am sure will become popular among the people. It is also planned to perpetuate the memory of Alexander Nevsky in the Lomonosov region in the Koporye fortress, which he conquered from the Swedes, and in our Nikolsky monastery in the Kingisepp region (here Alexander Nevsky followed during the military campaign of 1256-1257 in Southern Finland). There will be small monuments in the form of a bust of the saint. In addition, this year on Soykinskaya Mountain near the Nikolsky Skete we want to plant the first lilac garden in the North-West of Russia - a syringarium. In the center of the garden there will be a new skete chapel of the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious.
Last year, we planted 150 fruit trees and 120 bushes of berry crops on the territory of the monastery, joining the all-Russian project “Garden of Peace and Memory,” within the framework of which 27 million trees are planted in Russia in memory of every compatriot who died during the Great Patriotic War. Siringariy will be a continuation of this work. After all, there are many varieties of lilacs associated with the theme of war and Victory. Thus, the Russian Lilac group developed varieties dedicated to the Marshals of Victory - “Marshal Rokossovsky”, “Marshal Govorov” and others, as well as varieties in honor of the heroic city and its defenders: “Leningrad Speaks”, “Road of Life”, “Olga” Bergholz." There are lilacs in honor of wartime songs. These “military” varieties in syringaria will create thematic paths.
— When will the seedlings arrive?
— We plan to lay the syringaria in August. We plan to plant two hundred bushes of about a hundred varieties, half of them are already ready and waiting in the wings. This shrub is unpretentious; almost all its varieties can withstand thirty-degree frost. With proper care, bushes can grow in one place for two centuries. So, perhaps, the garden will delight the eye and soul in the year of the millennium of our heavenly patron. There is also an anniversary highlight: we decided to call the syringaria the Alexander Garden, and especially for its establishment, the family of famous Moscow lilac breeders Aladins developed a new variety “Alexander Nevsky” with beautiful purple flowers reminiscent of a prince’s cloak.
