Davyd Yuryevich (russian: Давыд Юрьевич) (c. 1167 - 25 June 1228) and Euphrosyne (russian: Евфросиния) (c. 1175 - 25 June 1228) known as Saints Peter and Fevronia of Murom (russian: Святые Петр и Феврония Муромские) was the Russian couple the Prince and Princess consort of the

Principality of Murom The Principality of Murom was a medieval Rus' lordship based on the city of Murom, now in Vladimir Oblast, Russia. Murom lay in an area that was strongly Finnic and for much of its medieval history, located in the homeland of the Muromians. It ...

. They are some of the most renowned Russian saints and

wonderworker Thaumaturgy is the purported capability of a magician to work magic or other paranormal events or a saint to perform miracles. It is sometimes translated into English as wonderworking. A practitioner of thaumaturgy is a "thaumaturge", "thauma ...

s venerated both in the

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops via ...

and the Eastern Catholic Church; their feast day is celebrated every year on 25 June, N.S. (8 July, O.S.).

Life

Davyd Yuryevich was the second son of Duke Yuri of Murom the

Grand Prince of Kiev The Grand Prince of Kiev (sometimes grand duke) was the title of the ruler of Kiev and the ruler of Kievan Rus' from the 10th to 13th centuries. In the 13th century, Kiev became an appanage principality first of the grand prince of Vladimir and ...

and his second wife Helena of Constantinople, grandson of Yaroslav I of Murom and Ryazan, the first Grand Prince of Ryazan. He ascended the throne in 1203 after the death of his elder brother Vladimir Yuryevich (according to his life, the Prince Peter assumed the prince's throne after the death of his elder brother Prince Paul). During his reign, he acted supporting Vsevolod III the

Grand Prince of Vladimir The grand duke of Vladimir was the ruler of a principality during the era of Kievan Rus' and after its collapse. It ruled territory approximately bounded by three rivers, the Volga, the Oka and the Northern Dvina. From 1157 to 1238 its capital was ...

. Some years before Davyd was seriously ill with

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the nerves, respiratory tract, skin, and eyes. This nerve damag ...

, many doctors attempted to heal the prince; still, nobody could. During a vision it had been revealed to the prince that the daughter of a bee keeper would be ready to heal him: the pious maiden Euphrosyne, a

peasant A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasants ...

from the rural Village of Laskovo in

Ryazan Governorate Ryazan Governorate (russian: link=no, Рязанская губерния, ''Ryazanskaya guberniya'', Government of Ryazan) was an administrative division (a '' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire and Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic, wh ...

, Euphrosyne was beautiful, pious and kind moreover she was a wise woman, knew the properties of herbs and knew how to treat ailments, Davyd fell in love with Euphrosyne for her piety, wisdom and kindness and made a vow to marry her after being healed; later the peasant healed the prince and have become his wife, Euphrosyne then becomes the princess consort of Murom. Soon the couple had three children, they raised them using the

fear of God Fear of God may refer to fear itself, but more often to a sense of awe, and submission to, a deity. People subscribing to popular monotheistic religions for instance, might fear Hell and divine judgment, or submit to God's omnipotence. Christian ...

. They ruled the city of Murom and lived happily as one family.

The war campaign

In 1207, Davyd Yuryevich came to the aid of Vsevolod Yuryevich during his campaign on the Ryazan Governorate land near Pronsk District, Pronsky Mikhail Vsevolodovich fled to Chernigov to his father in law Vsevolod Chermny, Residents led by Izyaslav cousin of Mikhail Vsevolodovich defended the city for six weeks, waiting for help from Ryazan, but experienced an acute shortage of food and water. After an unsuccessful attempt at the unblocking strike of the Ryazan people, the city surrendered at the mercy of the winner. Izyaslav was released in peace, and instead of him Vsevolod gave Pronsk to his brother Prince Oleg Vladimirovich, who was among the besiegers. However, in the next year (1208) upon learning of his willfulness, Vsevolod took Pronsk from Oleg Vladimirovich and gave the city to Davyd. In the same year, Oleg and his brothers drove Davyd out of Pronsk and gave him to Mikhail. In the struggle for the great reign of Vladimir after the death of Vsevolod III, Davyd supported Yuri and Yaroslav Vsevolodovich. In 1213 he participated in the campaign of Grand Duke Yuri Vsevolodovich against Rostov, In 1216 the Murom squad took part in the battle of Lipitsk as part of the combined forces of Vladimir, Pereyaslavl, Suzdal and some other estates on the side of Grand Duke Yuri Vsevolodovich against the united army of

Veliky Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( rus, links=no, Великий Новгород, t=Great Newtown, p=vʲɪˈlʲikʲɪj ˈnovɡərət), also known as just Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the ol ...

Pskov Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=pskov-ru.ogg, p=pskof; see also names in other languages) is a city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov Oblast, located about east of the Estonian border, on the Velikaya River. Population ...

Smolensk Smolensk ( rus, Смоленск, p=smɐˈlʲensk, a=smolensk_ru.ogg) is a city and the administrative center of Smolensk Oblast, Russia, located on the Dnieper River, west-southwest of Moscow. First mentioned in 863, it is one of the oldest c ...

Toropets Toropets (russian: Торо́пец) is a town and the administrative center of Toropetsky District in Tver Oblast, Russia, located where the Toropa River enters Lake Solomennoye. Population: History In 1074, when the town was first mentione ...

Rostov Rostov ( rus, Росто́в, p=rɐˈstof) is a town in Yaroslavl Oblast, Russia, one of the oldest in the country and a tourist center of the Golden Ring. It is located on the shores of Lake Nero, northeast of Moscow. Population: While t ...

. In 1220 Davyd sent his son Svyatoslav with an army to take part in a joint campaign with the Vladimir people against the Volga Bulgars.

Family

According to the

Genealogy Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kins ...

of Davyd and Euphrosyne, Davyd Yurievich and Euphrosyne had children, The names of the three children are known

Yuri Yuri may refer to: People and fictional characters Given name *Yuri (Slavic name), the Slavic masculine form of the given name George, including a list of people with the given name Yuri, Yury, etc. *Yuri (Japanese name), also Yūri, feminine Jap ...

, Svyatoslav and Evdokia, Along with this, the names of their four grandchildren are known Yaroslav son of Yuri, Vasily and Ivan sons of Svyatoslav and Dmitry son of Evdokia. The fate of the children was different. The youngest son Svyatoslav died in the same week as his parents, only two to three days earlier. The eldest son, Prince Yuri, died heroically in 1237 in the battle with

Batu Khan Batu Khan ( – 1255),, ''Bat haan'', tt-Cyrl, Бату хан; ; russian: хан Баты́й was a Mongol ruler and founder of the Golden Horde, a constituent of the Mongol Empire. Batu was a son of Jochi, thus a grandson of Genghis Khan. ...

, defending his native land. The

fate Destiny, sometimes referred to as fate (from Latin ''fatum'' "decree, prediction, destiny, fate"), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual. Fate Although often ...

of Evdokia's daughter turned out to be even more amazing and was marked by many signs of God's mercy. According to numerous sources, she married Svyatoslav, the son of Duke Vsevolod III the Grand Duke of Vladimir and became Prince of Yuryevskaya. The chronicles mention that her father, Davyd the Prince of Murom was present at her

wedding A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vo ...

. The Prince of Murom became directly related to the great family of the Prince of Vladimir, among whom there were many saints. One of them was Svyatoslav's mother, Maria Yasynya, who became famous for her love of children and piety. She gave birth to twelve children, after which her holy spouse began to be called Vsevolod III, having a large family. They raised their children in the fear of God and Christian piety. As a result, four of the sons are now

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 ...

as saints by 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 ...

. The beneficial spiritual influence of Saint Mary on the princely couple of Svyatoslav and Evdokia was very visible. So, it is known that Evdokia had a son, Dmitry, who after his father became the Prince of Yurievsky (1253-1269). After their death, Svyatoslav and his son Yuri began to be revered as saints, which was noted in the old calendar, Now they are officially included in the Cathedral of Saint Vladimir. Evdokia did not live long in marriage with her husband. In 1228, she begged her husband to let her go to the city of Murom in Borisoglebsk Monastery, where her parents asceticised, took monastic vows there after the death of her parents, and in the same year died after them and her younger brother.

Death

Towards the end of their lives, Davyd and Euphrosyne took their vows and entered monastic life, Prince Davyd taking the

monastic name A religious name is a type of given name bestowed for a religious purposes, and which is generally used in such contexts. Christianity Catholic Church Baptismal name In baptism, Catholics are given a Christian name, which should not be "foreign ...

of Peter and Princess Euphrosyne the name of Fevronia, According to the book of

Kormchaia The ''Kórmchaia Book'', also known as the ''Books of the Pilot'' (russian: Ко́рмчая книга, from , cu, кръмьчии 'helmsman, ship's pilot'; ), ''Pidalion'' (russian: Пидалион from grc, Πηδάλιον, Πηδαλί� ...

only the simultaneous cutting of spouses into

monasticism Monasticism (from Ancient Greek , , from , , 'alone'), also referred to as monachism, or monkhood, is a religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work. Monastic life plays an important role ...

could be regarded condescendingly as a reason for the dissolution of the marriage union. Both prayed that they would die the same day and their wish was fulfilled and they both died on

Easter Sunday Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the ''Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...

. On 25 June 1228 at the same time they passed away on their own

cell Cell most often refers to: * Cell (biology), the functional basic unit of life Cell may also refer to: Locations * Monastic cell, a small room, hut, or cave in which a religious recluse lives, alternatively the small precursor of a monastery ...

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

, then the holy couple was buried at the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in their homeland in Murom. According to legends, they had expressed their desire to be buried together in the same coffin. Finding the

burial Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

in one coffin incompatible with the monastic rites, their bodies were placed in different coffins, but, by

miracle A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divin ...

the next day they were found together. This happened several times until their wish of being interred together was fulfilled, The simultaneous death of members of the Murom princely dynasty fell during the service in Murom, the Bishop of Murom and Ryazan, Bishop Yephrosyn Svyatogorets, who allegedly was the presider on the rite of the monastic tonsure of the holy couple, as well as their

Christian burial A Christian burial is the burial of a deceased person with specifically Christian rites; typically, in consecrated ground. Until recent times Christians generally objected to cremation because it interfered with the concept of the resurrection of ...

Canonization

In 1547, Metropolitan Macarius of Moscow

Saint Peter and Saint Fevronia as a saints in the Monastery of Makaryev and also the holy couple declared as the patron saint of

Love Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest Interpersonal relationship, interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of ...

and

Marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

. After the

Communist regime A communist state, also known as a Marxist–Leninist state, is a one-party state that is administered and governed by a communist party guided by Marxism–Leninism. Marxism–Leninism was the state ideology of the Soviet Union, the Cominte ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

the relics were rediscovered after being hidden in a Soviet Anti-religious Museum. On 19 September 1992 the relic was enshrined in the Monastery of the Holy Trinity in the city of

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 ...

, and every pilgrim can

venerate Veneration ( la, veneratio; el, τιμάω ), or veneration of saints, is the act of honoring a saint, a person who has been identified as having a high degree of sanctity or holiness. Angels are shown similar veneration in many religions. Etym ...

to the saints and evoke their

intercession Intercession or intercessory prayer is the act of praying to a deity on behalf of others, or Intercession of saints, asking a saint in heaven to pray on behalf of oneself or for others. The Apostle Paul's exhortation to Saint Timothy, Timothy sp ...

Literature

* Volodikhin D., Levina I. Peter and Fevronia. - Moscow: Mol. Guard, 2016. - 246 p. - (Life of wonderful people). * ''Gumerov P.''
Was there a snake? Mysterious places "The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom"
(in Russian). * Kuskov V.V. History of ancient Russian literature. - 7th ed. - Moscow: Higher. shk., 2003. - 336 p. * Sporova E. Peter and Fevronia of Murom // Young artist. - 1988. - No. 12. - S. 13- 17.

References

External links

Peter and Fevronia - Love and Faithfulness forever
// petr-fevronia.ru (in Russian).
Saints Peter (David) and Febronia (Eufrosina) Spouses and Monks
// santiebeati.it (in Italian).

(Reflection on the life of Saints Peter and Fevronia). {{DEFAULTSORT:Peter and Fevronia of Murom, Saints 1167 births 1175 births 1228 deaths 12th-century Christian saints Miracle workers Russian saints Married couples Saints duos Russian Orthodox Christians from Russia Eastern Orthodox monarchs Eastern Orthodox saints Eastern Catholic saints Russian saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church People from Murom