Patron Saint of St. Petersburg: Presidential Library tells about Alexander Nevsky

In May 1221 (according to the old historiographical tradition – May 30, 1220), in the family of Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich and Princess Feodosia, daughter of Prince Mstislav Udatny, a son Alexander, the Novgorod (1236-1251) and Vladimir (since 1252) Grand Duke was born.

The glory of the young prince was gained by the victory won in July 1240 at the mouth of the Izhora River over the Swedes. Traditionally, it is believed that Alexander was called Nevsky for this victory. More information about the life of the Grand Duke can be found on the portal of the Presidential Library in the section On this Day.

Alexander Nevsky's fame was great even during his lifetime, and the veneration of the prince as a saint began almost immediately after his death. In 1547, he was officially canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church. For centuries, St. Petersburg has carefully preserved the image of one of its heavenly intercessors.

The video of the Presidential Library Alexander Nevsky – the patron saint of St. Petersburg tells how the name of the Russian commander is connected with the city on the Neva.

The name of Alexander Nevsky gained national significance under Peter the Great. Peter I, who moved the capital of the state to St. Petersburg, saw the pledge of the future well-being of the Neva lands in the image of St. Alexander. “Founding a new capital at the mouth of an abounding river, for the good of the Russian state, Peter the Great turned his gaze to the distant past of the Motherland and in the exploits of Saint Alexander Nevsky, the valiant guardian and heavenly patron of the Russian land off the banks of the Neva, found support and blessing for himself”, - says the book Holy Noble Grand Prince Alexander Nevsky and the Holy Trinity Alexander Nevsky Lavra: in commemoration of the bicentennial of the monastery (1913).

In 1713, the Holy Trinity Alexander Nevsky Monastery, the future Lavra, was founded on the left bank of the Neva River. In 1724, Peter I personally brought the relics of St. Alexander Nevsky, that arrived from Vladimir, to the upper temple of the Blagoveschenskaya Church, sanctified on the same day in the name of the blessed Prince. After the completion of the construction of the main cathedral church in honor of the Holy Trinity, the relics of the holy Prince were solemnly transferred to the cathedral, in a niche behind the right choir.

For the next two hundred years, the holy prince was the heavenly patron of the house of Romanov. In the 19th century, three of the six emperors bore the name of the holy prince: Alexander I the Blessed, Alexander II the Liberator, Alexander III the Peacemaker, as well as Grand Dukes Alexander Alexandrovich (son of Alexander III), Alexander Vladimirovich (grandson of Alexander II) and Alexander Mikhailovich (grandson of Nicholas I).

The Cathedral of the Feodorovskaya Icon of the Mother of God, built in memory of the 300th anniversary of the Romanov house next to the Nikolaevsky (now Moscow) railway station, is historically strongly associated with the name of Alexander Nevsky. The lower temple of the cathedral, consecrated in the name of the holy Prince, presents an unusual interior unique to St. Petersburg, modeled on ancient Christian churches.

The relics of the blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky are kept in a luxurious silver tomb, made by decree of Empress Elizabeth in the 1750 from the earliest Russian silver. After the revolution, the tomb was seized and transferred to the Hermitage, where the museum staff preserved it for more than 100 years. In 2023, the tomb and the historical shrine in which the relics arrived in St. Petersburg returned to the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

The ancient Russian chronicle vaults tell about the exploits of Alexander. The most important among them is the Laurentian Chronicle of 1377, a digital copy of which is available on the portal of the Presidential Library.

The deeds of the Grand Duke have been an object of reverence for our ancestors for centuries. At some times, the emphasis was on his legendary military exploits, at others on the art of a politician who was able to firmly defend national interests. One thing remained unchanged: the image of Alexander Nevsky has always lived in the memory of the people.

Materials related to the life of the holy prince are collected in a separate electronic collection Alexander Nevsky (1221-1263). It includes research, essays, biographies, lives, archival and visual materials. They are available from anywhere in the world at the portal of the Presidential Library.