Theodore of Murom

Holy Right-⁠Believing Prince Theodore of Murom was the son of the Holy Right-⁠Believing Prince Constantine and brother of the Holy Right-⁠Believing Prince Michael. The three are honoured as wonderworkers of Murom.

Constantine (Yaroslav Svyatoslavich) was a descendant of Saint Vladimir, equal to the apostles. He asked his father, Prince Svyatoslav of Chernigov, for the city of Murom, inhabited by pagans, in order to enlighten that land with the light of the Christian faith. He sent his son Michael as envoy to the people of Murom, but the pagans killed him. When Constantine approached the city with his retinue, the inhabitants humbled themselves and received him. Without forcing the pagans to accept the faith of Christ, he did not give up the thought of enlightening them and built first a church of the Annunciation on the place where Michael had been killed, and then another, of Saints Boris and Gleb. Once a crowd of enraged pagans approached the prince's house, threatening him with death. After prayer, the prince boldly went out to the crowd, holding an icon of the Mother of God. This so astonished the pagans that they themselves wished to be baptized. The baptism of the people of Murom was celebrated solemnly, with the same rites as at Kyiv in the time of Saint Vladimir. In spreading the faith of Christ, Constantine was zealously helped by his son, Prince Theodore. The calendar page gives 1129 as the year of Constantine's death, but the years it gives for these events do not agree with one another, so we leave them aside; he was buried in the church of the Annunciation, beside his sons Michael and Theodore.

Later, a relative of Prince Constantine, the right-⁠believing Prince George Yaroslavich, restored the church of the Annunciation, and from then on the Lord glorified the holy princes, for miracles began to take place at their tombs. Many years later, in 1553, Tsar Ivan Vasilievich, going on campaign against the Tatars towards Kazan, passed through Murom and stayed there two weeks. He served a supplication at the tombs of the holy wonderworkers and promised to build a stone church. When the foundation trenches were dug, the relics of the holy princes were found whole and untouched. After the church was finished, a special place was made in a niche of the church wall, where the relics were laid. Tsar Ivan Vasilievich ordered Bishop Gurias of Ryazan to consecrate the newly built church and sent various church furnishings. A monastery was founded and the feast was celebrated with splendour.

Theodore is commemorated on 3 June (new style), together with his father and brother, and in the Synaxis of the Saints of Ryazan on 23 June. Their story was also written down by Saint Demetrius of Rostov.