Constantine of Murom (

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

: Святой Блаженный Князь Константин) (11th century - 1129) known as Saint Constantine the Blessed was a direct descendant of

Vladimir I of Kiev Vladimir I Sviatoslavich or Volodymyr I Sviatoslavych ( orv, Володимѣръ Свѧтославичь, ''Volodiměrъ Svętoslavičь'';, ''Uladzimir'', russian: Владимир, ''Vladimir'', uk, Володимир, ''Volodymyr''. Se ...

and the son of Prince Svyatoslav of

Chernigov Chernihiv ( uk, Черні́гів, , russian: Черни́гов, ; pl, Czernihów, ; la, Czernihovia), is a List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in northern Ukraine, which serves as the administrative ...

Life

At Constantine's request, his father assigned him to rule the city of Murom, which at the time was inhabited by pagans, that he might spread

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

in that region. According to the traditional account of his life, Constantine first sent his son Michael to Murom as his emissary, but the inhabitants threw him from the walls, so Constantine was obliged to take the city by force.Walsh, Michael J., "Constantine of Murom", ''A New Dictionary of Saints: East and West'', Liturgical Press, 2007
However, he made no headway in converting them to Christianity and at one point they became so angry that a mob made their way to his fortress intending to storm the place. According to legend, when he appeared before them bearing what is now known as the

Murom Murom ( rus, Муром, p=ˈmurəm; Old Norse: ''Moramar'') is a historical city in Vladimir Oblast, Russia, which sprawls along the left bank of the Oka River. Population: History In the 9th century AD, the city marked the easternmost settle ...

Ryazan Ryazan ( rus, Рязань, p=rʲɪˈzanʲ, a=ru-Ryazan.ogg) is the largest city and administrative center of Ryazan Oblast, Russia. The city is located on the banks of the Oka River in Central Russia, southeast of Moscow. As of the 2010 Census ...

icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The most ...

of the

Theotokos ''Theotokos'' (Greek: ) is a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, used especially in Eastern Christianity. The usual Latin translations are ''Dei Genitrix'' or ''Deipara'' (approximately "parent (fem.) of God"). Familiar English translations are " ...

, they quieted down and bowed reverently before the holy image. His son Fyodor, with his support, continued the missionary work in the surrounding countryside. At the place of the murder of his son Michael, the wooden church of the Annunciation was reportedly founded by Prince Constantine in 1205. A new cathedral was built on the site in 1553. It became a monastery under Ivan the Terrible and was ruined by the Poles during the Time of Troubles. In 1664 it was rebuilt by wealthy merchant and arts patron Tarasy Tsvetnov. The monastery features the relics of Constantin and his sons Mikhail and Fyodor. According to a legend recorded by local aristocrat and amateur historian Alexander Yepanchin, each midnight the monastery's gates disappear, and Constantine, Mikhail and Fyodor, clad in regal attire, ride out in a gilded carriage and head to the Cathedral of the Nativity of Mary, where they are met by Pyotr and Fevronia. After praying there, they guard and patrol the city.

Mother of God, "The Star Most Bright"

The icon shows a full-length representation of the Mother of God with a star sending forth rays of light in the background. The origin of its name is connected with the poetic hymns in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos. Standing on Her right hand is the Infant Jesus. At Her feet are Murom saints: Sts. Constantine, Mikhail and Fyodor arrayed in princely robes and Sts. Peter, Fevronia and Uliania clad in monastic habits. In the bottom part of the icon is the following inscription: 'This Marvelous Image Is the Star Most Bright of the Most Holy Lady Mother of God Queen of Heaven."

Canonization

On 1547 Metropolitan Macarius of Moscow

canonized Canonization is the declaration of a deceased person as an officially recognized saint, specifically, the official act of a Christianity, Christian communion declaring a person worthy of Cult (religious practice), public veneration and enterin ...

Saint Constantine as a saint in the Monastery of Makaryev, He is commemorated in the

Russian Orthodox Church , native_name_lang = ru , image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg , imagewidth = , alt = , caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia , abbreviation = ROC , type ...

May 21 Events Pre-1600 * 293 – Roman Emperors Diocletian and Maximian appoint Galerius as ''Caesar (title), Caesar'' to Diocletian, beginning the period of four rulers known as the Tetrarchy. * 878 – Syracuse, Sicily, is Siege of Syracuse ...

.
Οἱ Ἅγιοι Κωνσταντίνος, Μιχαὴλ καὶ Θεόδωρος οἱ Πρίγκιπες καὶ Θαυματουργοί
'' 21 Μαΐου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ. His wife Irene is also venerated at Murom.

References

Sources

Life of the saint
from the website of the

Orthodox Church in America The Orthodox Church in America (OCA) is an Eastern Orthodox Christian denomination, Christian church based in North America. The OCA is partly recognized as Autocephaly, autocephalous and consists of more than 700 parishes, missions, commun ...

. {{Subject bar , portal1=Saints , portal2= Biography , portal3= Christianity , portal4= Russia 1129 deaths 12th-century Christian saints Russian saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church Miracle workers Year of birth unknown