Alexander Nevsky

The holy Prince Alexander Nevsky was prince of Novgorod and grand prince of Vladimir in the thirteenth century. He defended the Russian land against attacks from the West, kept peace with the Horde in the East, and protected the Orthodox Church in one of the hardest centuries of Russian history.

Childhood and youth

He was born on 30 May 1220 (according to OCA) at Pereslavl-⁠Zalessky, the son of Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich, called Theodore in Baptism, and of Theodosia Igorevna of Ryazan. His princely tonsure, the rite of entering the army, was performed in the cathedral of Pereslavl by Saint Simon, bishop of Suzdal, who gave him the blessing to defend the Church and the Russian land. From boyhood he went with his father on campaigns. In 1236 he was settled as prince at Novgorod, and in 1239 he married the daughter of the prince of Polotsk.

Victories in the West

The Mongols pressed from the East, the Teutonic Knights from the West, and in 1240 the Swedes appeared on the Neva. Alexander, not yet twenty, prayed long in the cathedral of Holy Wisdom at Novgorod, received the blessing of Archbishop Spyridon, and told his men, "The power of God is not in numbers, but in truth". The account of his life, quoted by OCA, says that at dawn on 15 July a watchman named Pelgui saw a boat carrying Saints Boris and Gleb, who said they would help their kinsman. The Swedes were defeated, and from this battle the people called him Nevsky.

In 1241 he took back the fortress of Koporye, and after the Germans had seized Pskov he freed it. On 5 April 1242 he defeated the Teutonic Order on the ice of Lake Peipus. Many knights were killed and the prisoners were led away in disgrace.

Protector of his people

Rus' lay under Mongol rule after the devastation of 1237 and 1240. In 1242 Alexander set out for the Horde with his father, and after Yaroslav's death by poison he kept the alliance with Khan Batu to spare the land a new ruin. Not all the princes thought as he did: some, among them his brother Andrew, sought help from the pope. Alexander knew what had befallen Constantinople, taken by the Crusaders in 1204. To the pope's envoys, who came in 1248, he answered, according to OCA, that the Russians were faithful to the Church of Christ and the faith of the Seven Ecumenical Councils: "These we know very well, but we do not accept your teaching".

In 1252, after an uprising in which Andrew was defeated, he became grand prince of Vladimir, Kyiv and Novgorod. He strengthened the borders, made a treaty with Norway and campaigned in Finland. In 1261, through his efforts and those of Metropolitan Cyril, an Orthodox diocese was founded at Sarai, the capital of the Golden Horde. He made four journeys to the Horde to shield his people from reprisals.

Repose and glorification

On the way back from the last journey he fell gravely ill. In a monastery at Gorodets he received the monastic schema with the name Alexis and reposed in the Lord on 14 November 1263. At the funeral Metropolitan Cyril said, "Know, my children, that the sun of the land of Suzdal has set". His body was carried to Vladimir and, according to OCA, remained incorrupt. On 23 November, before the burial, the metropolitan wished to place in his hand the document of absolution, and the saint reached out his hand and took it. He was buried in the Nativity of the Mother of God monastery in Vladimir.

In 1380 his relics were uncovered after a vision before the battle of Kulikovo and were found incorrupt. He was numbered among the saints in 1547, under Metropolitan Macarius. In 1724 the relics were brought to Saint Petersburg, to the Annunciation Church of the lavra that bears his name. The Church celebrates him on 23 November, the day of his burial, and on 30 August.