Житие святого благоверного князя Романа, Угличского чудотворца 1135

The holy noble prince Roman of Uglich lived during the difficult time of the Tatar invasion of Russian soil. He was the second son of the second Uglich appanage prince Vladimir Konstantinovich and the grandson of Konstantin Vsevolodovich, first the appanage prince of Rostov, Yaroslavl and Uglich, and then the Grand Duke of Vladimir 1136. Vladimir Konstantinovich received the Ugleche field, or the city of Uglich, as an inheritance in his early childhood in 1137. Having married Princess Photinia, he had two sons - Andrei and Roman 1138. During the reign of Vladimir in Uglich, a terrible thunderstorm broke out over the Russian land, and together over Uglich: Batu, after the ruin of Moscow and Vladimir and the beating of the Grand Duke’s family here, moved across the Volga, where Grand Duke Yuri Vsevolodovich retired, gathering troops. On this path, the Tatars subjugated all the cities they came across, and those that did not want to submit ravaged and beat their inhabitants. In view of the obvious and inevitable danger, the Uglich prince Vladimir decided not to resist fruitlessly, but to save the city and residents by submitting to the Tatars. However, he himself and his family did not want to endure the shame and sought salvation in the north, retiring to the Novgorod borders. After the unfortunate battle on the City River and the death of Grand Duke Yuri, the Russian princes had to recognize the power of the Tatars and pay them tribute. The Uglich prince also had to submit to this fate, who, after Batu moved to the south, like other princes, after the danger had passed, returned to Uglich and began to rule as the khan’s henchman. It is not known whether Prince Vladimir went to the horde to express submission to the khan, as was required and as all sovereign princes were supposed to do. The legend, recorded in a lengthy life, says that Vladimir did not join the horde, but, in order to avoid responsibility, he did not stay in Uglich, but lived in other cities and died in Vladimir in 1249 on December 27. His body was then transferred by his wife and children to Uglich and buried in the Transfiguration Cathedral. The childhood of the noble Prince Roman, like his elder brother Andrei, was thus spent in the midst of terrible anxieties and disasters, more in exile and wanderings than in a calm stay with his parents in Uglich. After the death of Vladimir, his eldest son Andrei, who was only 16 years old, became the prince of Uglich. But his mother was with him, who led the children. Andrei died in 1261, leaving no children, and the Uglich reign went to his brother Roman, who was then 26 years old. Having grown up in the pious family of Prince Vladimir Konstantinovich among terrible anxieties and trials, having spent a lot of time wandering, Prince Roman was distinguished by his piety and did not have a great inclination towards a noisy life and fun. Being quite enlightened, he read books, loved the churches of God, the clergy and church services. His reign includes the construction of many churches in Uglich and within the boundaries of the Uglich principality, which under him enjoyed peace as much as possible during the difficult times of Tatar rule. The power of Prince Roman, in addition to Uglich, extended to other cities: Kashin, Vezhetsky Verkh, Ustyuzhna, Dmitrov, Zvenigorod. He also owned the construction of the new city of Romanov on the high left bank of the Volga opposite the Borisoglebskaya settlement. Prince Roman was distinguished by his charity, taking care of the establishment of almshouses and hospices. In 1265, Prince Roman married Princess Alexandra, but had no offspring. Living with him in Uglich was his pious mother, Princess Photinia, who in her old age accepted the monastic rank with the name Evdokia, died in 1278 and was buried in Uglich next to her husband. In 1281, Prince Roman lost his wife Alexandra and lived out his last years alone, indulging in deeds and deeds of piety. His blessed death followed on February 3, 1285, to the great sadness of his subjects and related princes who loved and revered him. The body of Prince Roman was laid in the cathedral Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord, next to the tombs of his father, mother, brother and wife. Exactly two hundred years after the death of Prince Roman, precisely in 1485, the Uglich prince Andrei Vasilyevich 1139 began building a new, already stone Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Lord in the fortress of the city of Uglich. While digging a ditch for the foundation of a new church, God granted Prince Andrey to find the incorruptible relics of Prince Roman, which were then placed in the newly built church and lay here safe and sound for more than one hundred and twenty years. Numerous miraculous healings from various diseases flowed from these incorruptible relics. Both the residents of Uglich and the surrounding areas reverently honored the relics of the holy prince, but there was no evidence from the church authorities. After the murder of Tsarevich Dmitry in Uglich at the end of the sixteenth and the first years of the seventeenth century, miraculous healings of the sick who flocked to the relics of Saint Prince Roman began to be repeated especially often. The fame of these miracles spread everywhere, and Patriarch Job instructed the Kazan Metropolitan Hermogenes to examine the holy relics and stories of miracles on the spot. After this examination, His Holiness Patriarch Job gave his blessing to compile the life, stichera and canon of Saint Roman, as well as a description of the miracles from February 3, 1605 1140. In 1609, the city of Uglich suffered a great disaster, like all of Rus' at that time: the Lithuanian ruin. The city of Uglich was taken, the inhabitants were killed in large numbers, and the houses, fortress and churches of God were plundered and burned. The enemies broke into the Transfiguration Cathedral, plundered and burned a lot, and deliberately the relics of Saint Prince Roman, which rested there. Pious admirers of Saint Roman collected the burnt bones of his relics: head, ribs, arms and legs, placed them in a new shrine and again placed them in the cathedral Church of the Transfiguration, where they rest to this day. In 1605, from February 3, miracles began to be performed from the relics of Holy Prince Roman of Uglich. Patriarch Job then instructed Kazan Metropolitan Hermogenes, later patriarch, to examine the relics of the holy prince in Uglich and verify information about miracles. With the blessing of Patriarch Job, governor Semyon Romanovich Olferyev and the monk of the Pereyaslav Danilov Monastery Sergius compiled the life, service and description of miracles (from February 3, 1605) of St. Prince Roman. After the Lithuanian devastation of the city of Uglich in 1609, this newly written life, as well as the tales of miracles from February 3 to March 2, 1605, could not be found; Only the service and the story of miracles from March 2 were rewritten. According to the manuscript kept in the Uglich Transfiguration Cathedral, the legend of the miracles of Saint Prince Roman was published in Yarosl. Eparch. Vedom, for 1873, No. 46–48 and a separate brochure: “The Tale of the Miracles of the Holy Blessed Prince Roman, the Uglich Wonderworker.” Yaroslavl. 1874. We know the service and the story of miracles from several other manuscripts. After the loss of the life written in 1605, subsequently, in the 18th century, at the Uglich Transfiguration Cathedral, a new lengthy life was compiled “from the most ancient chroniclers and reliable geographical history writers”; according to the list of the 18th century. This life was published in Yarosl. Eparch. Ved. for 1889 No. 48–49 and a separate brochure: “The Life of the Holy and Blessed Prince Roman Vladimirovich, the Uglich Wonderworker.” Yaroslavl. 1890. The data of the “Tale” and “Life” mentioned here in this presentation have been verified by references to chronicles and other evidence. Konstantin was the son of Grand Duke Vsevolod III Yuryevich Big Nest, b. in 1185; from 1207 he was the appanage prince of Rostov, Yaroslavl and Uglich, and from 1216 the Grand Duke of Vladimir; died in 1219. Prince Vladimir married in 1232; Prince Andrei was born in 1233, and Roman was born on October 1, 1235. Andrei Vasilyevich, son of Grand Duke Vasily Vasilyevich the Dark and brother of Grand Duke John Vasilyevich III, reigned in Uglich from 1462; in 1422 he was imprisoned by John III in Pereyaslavl, where he died in 1494. The life of Saint Roman and the description of his first miracles perished during the Lithuanian devastation. Along with the service to Saint Roman, a description of the miracles from his relics was preserved only from March 2 of the same 1605. You might be interested in: