Повесть о кончине блаженного Константина, митрополита Киевского

Soon after the grand princely throne of Kiev was taken away from blessed Igor 3652 and captured by Izyaslav Mstislavich 3653, grandson of Vladimir Monomakh 3654, His Holiness Metropolitan Michael II of Kiev reposed in the Lord 3655. This happened shortly before Igor’s murder. In place of Michael, Grand Duke Izyaslav chose one very bookish monk, Clement the philosopher 3656, who had already accepted the schema. Izyaslav brought this monk from Smolensk, and he really wanted his consecration to be carried out by Russian bishops in Kyiv, since due to the distance he did not want to send him to Constantinople for a blessing to the ecumenical patriarch (as was previously the custom). Izyaslav convened a council of Russian bishops and ordered them to ordain Schemamonk Clement as Metropolitan of Kyiv. However, not all bishops agreed to this, not daring to ordain without the blessing of the Patriarch of Constantinople. But there were also bishops who, wanting to please the prince, ordained Clement as a bishop under the head of St. Clement, the Pope of Rome, brought by St. Vladimir from Chersonesos to Kyiv. This council and the installation of Clement as bishop are described in more detail in the story of the life of Saint Niphon, on the 8th day of the month of April (this blessed Niphon did not deign to this illegal ordination). After Izyaslav Mstislavich, the throne of Kyiv passed to Georgy Vladimirovich 3657, the son of Monomakh. He did not want to have Clement as Metropolitan of Kyiv, as he had been ordained illegally. At this very time, at the request of the Grand Duke, this Metropolitan Constantine 3658, about whom our word will be, arrived from Constantinople from the Most Holy Ecumenical Patriarch to Kyiv. This Constantine, by the authority given to him by the patriarch, removed Metropolitan Clement from the bishopric and from the throne, and also removed from service all those whom Clement had ordained to one or another clergy. A few years later, the Grand Duke of Kyiv Georgy Vladimirovich Monomakhovich died. And great disagreements began among the Russian princes, both regarding the grand-ducal throne and the metropolitan throne: for some considered Constantine to be the shepherd, others demanded the second enthronement of Metropolitan Clement; in particular, the son of the deceased Grand Duke Izyaslav Mstislavich, Mstislav Izyaslavich 3659, great-grandson of Vladimir Monomakh, stood not for Constantine, but for Clement. He said this: “I don’t want Constantine to be Metropolitan of Kyiv, because many cursed my father for Clement. As a result of this, the Russian princes had to remove both metropolitans, Clement and Constantine, from the throne. Then the princes sent a request to the Holy Patriarch to Constantinople asking him to send a new metropolitan to them. His Holiness the Patriarch, wanting to end the unrest and disagreement among the Russian princes, sent a new metropolitan to Kyiv, named Theodora. Then Blessed Constantine, seeing disagreement among the princes and wanting to get away from the rebellion, left the throne even before the arrival of the new metropolitan in Kyiv. Leaving Kyiv, Konstantin went to Chernigov. Here he fell mortally ill. Anticipating his death, he wrote a letter, sealed it and handed it over to Anthony, Bishop of Chernigov; at the same time, Constantine took an oath from Anthony - after his death, having broken the seal and read the letter, to fulfill everything that was written in it. As soon as Blessed Constantine Metropolitan 3660 reposed, Bishop Anthony, taking the letter sealed by the Metropolitan, went with it to Prince Svyatoslav Olgovich of Chernigov 3661. Having printed out the letter here, Anthony read it in the presence of everyone. And something wonderful and terrible was written in that letter, namely: - After my death, do not bury my body, but, tying ropes to my feet, take me out of the city and throw me to be devoured by dogs; I have sinned; because of me there was a riot; may the hand of the Lord be on me for this; may I suffer, may the Lord turn away discord and strife from His people. Hearing this, everyone was in fear and horror. The prince said to the bishop: - Do as you see fit. The bishop, not daring to neglect the order of the metropolitan and not daring to break his oath, fulfilled everything that was commanded in the letter: dragging the body of the deceased out of the city, he threw it into the field. And the body of the metropolitan lay without burial for three days; everyone was filled with great fear and horror, seeing such a wondrous incident. On the third day, Prince Svyatoslav Olgovich, filled with the fear of God (great fear and horror fell upon him after that terrible incident), ordered the discarded body of the bishop of God to be buried with decent honors. And they brought his body to the city with great honor, and laid it in the Church of the Holy Savior, in the Red Tower, where the new passion-bearer, Blessed Igor, Prince of Kiev, killed by the Kievites, was buried. In those days, when the honest body of Constantine was thrown out of the city of Chernigov, the sun darkened in Kyiv and such a great storm arose that the earth even shook, thunder rose, lightning flashed, so that all the people of Kiev fell into great fear and despondency. At this time, thunder struck eight people with one blow - two priests, two deacons and four laymen. Prince of Kiev Rostislav Mstislavich 3662, grandson of Vladimir Monomakh, was at that time in Povary near Vyshgorod; the storm destroyed the tent that was near him. Filled with fear and remembering the death of the metropolitan (the prince of Chernigov announced it to him through a messenger), he sent a special one to Kiev, to the Church of St. Sophia and other cathedrals with a request to hold an all-night vigil in all churches. “This is a punishment,” he said, “the Lord sent to us because of our sins.” All these fears and horrors were only in Kyiv; in Chernigov these days the sun shone brightly and there were no horrors. At night, three pillars of fire appeared over the body of the blessed Metropolitan Constantine, thrown out of the city, shining brightly and reaching to the sky. After the honorable body of Blessed Constantine was buried, complete calm reigned in Kyiv; everyone, marveling at what had happened, glorified God, to whom glory is sent both from us, now and to endless ages. Amen. Igor Olegovich ruled Kiev for only two weeks (in 1146). He is canonized by the Church as a saint. – His memory is June 5. Izyaslav Mstislavich was the Grand Duke of Kyiv from 1146 to 1149; then again from 1150 g to 1154 g Vladimir Vsevolodovich Monomakh ruled Kiev from 1114 to 1125. Metropolitan Michael II occupied the Kiev See from 1131 to 1146. Clement ruled the Kiev metropolis from 1147 to 1164. Georgy (or Yuri) Vladimirovich Dolgoruky occupied the Grand Duke's throne of Kiev three times: for the first time from 1149 to 1160; in the second in the year 1150 and in the third from 1154 to 1157. Metropolitan Constantine ruled the Kiev metropolis from 1155 to 1158. Mstislav Izyaslavich occupied the Kyiv throne in 1158; then in 1168 The death of Blessed Constantine followed in 1159. Svyatoslav Olgovich reigned from 1137 to 1165. Rostislav Mstislavich ruled Kiev in 1154 (only one week); then again from 1158 to 1167 You might be interested in: