Constantine of Murom
{{short description|Russian saint}}
{{Infobox saint
| honorific_prefix= Saint
| name = Constantine the Blessed
| image = Izbornik.jpg
| imagesize =
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| caption = Saint Constantine as a young man behind his parents, circa 1073
| titles = Right-Believing
| birth_name =
| birth_date = c. 11th century
| birth_place = Principality of Murom, Kievan Rus'
| home_town =
| residence =
| death_date = c. 1129
| death_place = Principality of Murom, Kievan Rus'
| venerated_in = Eastern Orthodoxy
| beatified_date =
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| canonized_date = 1547
| canonized_place = Makaryev Monastery, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Tsardom of Russia
| canonized_by = Maxarius of Moscow
| major_shrine = Cathedral of the Annunciation, Murom, Russia
| feast_day = 21 May
| attributes = Clothed as Grand Prince, holding a three-bar cross in his right hand
| patronage = Murom
| issues =
| suppressed_date =
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Constantine of Murom (Russian: Святой Блаженный Князь Константин) (11th century - 1129) known as Saint Constantine the Blessed was a direct descendant of Vladimir I of Kiev and the son of Prince Svyatoslav of Chernigov. He is sometimes identified with Yaroslav Sviatoslavich, prince of Chernigov (1123–1127), but whether the two men are one and the same person is uncertain.
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 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.[https://books.google.com/books?id=8mUJ58SMMhEC&dq=Constantine+of+Murom&pg=PA132 Walsh, Michael J., "Constantine of Murom", A New Dictionary of Saints: East and West, Liturgical Press, 2007] {{ISBN|9780814631867}} 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-Ryazan icon of the Theotokos, they quieted down and bowed reverently before the holy image.[http://www.icon.lt/list/murom.htm Murom-Ryazan icon of the Mother of God] 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.[https://oca.org/saints/lives/2011/05/21/101454-venerable-constantine-in-baptism-yaroslav-with-his-children-mich "Venerable Constantine, (In baptism Yaroslav), with his children Michael and Theodore, Wonderworkers of Murom", Orthodox Church in America] 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.[http://www.themoscowtimes.com/beyond_moscow/murom.html Sukhov, Oleg, "Murom: Murom Still Lives in a Fairy Tale", The Moscow Times, November 25, 2012]
Mother of God, "The Star Most Bright"
File:Theotokos the Most Bright Star.jpg
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 Theotokos. Standing on her right hand is the infant Jesus. At her feet are Murom saints: Constantine, Mikhail and Fyodor arrayed in princely robes and 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."[http://www.icon.lt/list/starmos.htm Icon of Mother of God "The Star Most Bright"]
Canonization
On 1547 Metropolitan Macarius of Moscow canonized Constantine as a saint in the Monastery of Makaryev, He is commemorated in the Russian Orthodox Church on May 21.{{in lang|el}} [http://www.synaxarion.gr/gr/sid/3302/sxsaintinfo.aspx Οἱ Ἅγιοι Κωνσταντίνος, Μιχαὴλ καὶ Θεόδωρος οἱ Πρίγκιπες καὶ Θαυματουργοί]. 21 Μαΐου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ. His wife Irene is also venerated at Murom.
References
{{reflist}}
Sources
- [https://archive.today/20130416170849/http://www.days.ru/Life/life1117.htm A reference in Russian Orthodox Calendar]
- [http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsLife.asp?FSID=101454 Life of the saint] from the website of the Orthodox Church in America.
{{Subject bar |portal1=Saints |portal2= Biography |portal3= Christianity |portal4= Russia}}
Category:12th-century Christian saints
Category:Eastern Orthodox saints from Kievan Rus'