Saint Alexandre Nevski
Prince
russe (✝ 1262)
A dix ans, il était
prince de Novgorod une cité où les "petites gens" jouissaient d'un
degré de liberté et de liberté d'expression (car toutes les couches sociales
étaient lettrées) plutôt exceptionnel pour l'époque.. Il sut se faire aimer
d'eux et de tous.
Quelques années plus tard, en 1237, les Tatares déferlèrent sur la Russie
contrôlant pour deux cents ans l'ensemble des principautés russes par de
lourdes impositions financières. Mais à la même époque, Novgorod eut à
affronter le royaume de Suède, le royaume de Lituanie et les chevaliers
teutoniques qui voulaient convertir au catholicisme romain les peuples
orthodoxes.
Partisan intransigeant de l'orthodoxie byzantine, saint Alexandre s'opposa à
eux victorieusement sur les rives du lac Peipus. Il eut aussi à faire face aux
pressions du khan et dut même aller lui rendre visite aux extrêmes confins de
la Mongolie. Ayant obtenu le pouvoir sur toute la Russie, il intercéda pour son
peuple allégeant les taxes des Mongols d'un côté et repoussant à l'Ouest la
coalition germano-scandinave dirigée par les chevaliers teutoniques.
Epuisé par les voyages et par la maladie, il retourna dans la paix de
Dieu dans la petite ville de Gorodets, au retour de sa dernière expédition
à Sarai, la ville dont dépendait Novgorod depuis la fragmentation de la Horde
d'Or (le grand empire de Batou khan, partagé à sa mort entre tous ses fils).
voir aussi le livre "Soleil de la Russie" de Catherine
Durand-Cheynet, édité à la Librairie Académique Perrin
Le saint prince Alexandre Nevsky est né le 30 mai 1220
dans la ville de Pereslavl-Zalesk, en Russie. Son père s’appelait Yaroslav 2,
et sa mère était la princesse Théodosie Igorevna. Il grandit comme tous les
princes de cette époque terrible pour la Russie, avec d’un côté les Hordes
Mongoles qui avaient envahi une grande partie du pays l’écrasaient sous
l’esclavage, et de l’autre, Suédois, Chevaliers Teutoniques, Polonais et
Lituaniens, dûment mandés par le pape de Rome, profitaient de la situation pour
tenter de s’emparer des parties encore libres de la Russie, y semant
désolation, massacres et terreur. Il dût fort jeune apprendre à être soldat,
mais aussi la vie spirituelle, tous les princes de son pays étant Chrétiens
Orthodoxes, très dévoués à Dieu et à l’Église.
Tout jeune il fut donc témoin des
horreurs des guerres qui ravageaient son pays, la terreur qui frappait les
habitants, les églises et monastères dévastés. Il avait reçu la bénédiction de
l’évêque pour devenir un défenseur de sa patrie et de l’Église. Il dût vite
apprendre. Son père s’installa en 1236 comme prince de Kiev, la ville où est
née la Russie, longtemps sa capitale, et installa son fils Alexandre comme
prince de Novgorod, une autre célèbre ville de Russie. Il épousa Alexandra,
fille du prince Briacheslav, et reçurent comme bénédiction une sainte icône de
la Mère de Dieu, devant laquelle Alexandre priera toute sa vie durant.Face à
des temps si terribles, il fallait un homme providentiel, et Dieu fit se lever
Alexandre. La mission était si désespérée, si impossible, que sans la volonté
de Dieu, elle n’aurait jamais réussi. Et les miracles seront nombreux dans sa
vie, qui démontreront que Dieu était bien avec lui.
En 1240, le roi de Suède
rassemblera une grande armée et l’enverra sur une flotte de navires pour
descendre le cours du fleuve sur lequel se trouvait Novgorod, la Neva. Ils
massacraient et pillaient les populations sur leur passage. Le roi envoya des
messagers à saint Alexandre, le défiant, se vantant de ses méfaits.
Saint Alexandre n’avait pas
encore 20 ans. Il se retira pour prier longuement dans l’église de
Sainte-Sophie, la Sagesse de Dieu, récitants les Psaumes de David. L’archevêque
Spiridon le bénit. Et Alexandre encouragea sa petite armée en disant que, comme
pour le roi David, la puissance de Dieu n’était pas dans le nombre mais dans la
vérité. Et ils firent route vers le terrible ennemi. En chemin, ce 15
juillet 1240, un guerrier eut la vision d’un bateau portant les 2 saints
martyrs les plus vénérés de Russie, Boris et Gleb, qui étaient déjà
souvent intervenus du haut du Ciel pour sauver leur pays. Ils les prièrent de les aider.
La lourde armée ennemie s’élança
contre la petite armée Russe, mais ils s’enfoncèrent dans les eaux, et les
Russes remportèrent une victoire tout à fait incroyable. Depuis lors, saint
Alexandre reçut le surnom de “Nevski”, en souvenir du nom de la bataille de la
Neva.
Par la suite, Alexandre devra
encore souvent lutter contre les Chevaliers Teutoniques, qui reviendront semer
la mort régulièrement, jusqu’au 5 avril 1242, à la bataille du Lac Chud. Comme
Moïse face à Amalek, saint Alexandre éleva ses bras et ses prières vers Dieu :
les chevaliers germaniques virent les glaces se briser sous les sabots de leurs
chevaux, et ceux qui n’avaient pas été tués au combat périrent noyés.
Contrairement aux coutumes de l’époque, saint Alexandre renvoya cependant les
rares survivants capturés, leur permettant de rentrer libres chez eux. Dès
lors, au moins durant la vie de saint Alexandre, les frontières ouest de la
Russie furent en paix.
Mais à l’Est, les Tatars
(Mongols) étaient les maîtres. Alors commença pour Alexandre la longue série de
séjours à la Horde, au fin fond de la Steppe d’Asie, où à chaque fois, il
s’offrira en otage pour alléger les taxes qui écrasaient son peuple, ou le
protéger de la vengeance du Khan quand ce peuple s’était révolté à cause des
injustices et cruautés de ses envahisseurs. Le métropolite Cyril le bénira pour
ce nouveau service à la patrie : il fallait agir de sorte que les Tatars ne
restent plus des ennemis, des envahisseurs, mais que petit à petit ils
deviennent des honorables alliés, et se convertissent au Christ, et pour y
parvenir, il fallait la douceur d’un Ange et la prudence d’une couleuvre.
C’est une longue histoire, où Alexandre se verra souvent offrir des trésors à
condition de devenir un fidèle du Grand Khan, et un de ses officiers– un
“voïvode”, et aussi abandonner la Foi en Christ. Jamais ni les douleurs, ni les
promesses, ni les menaces, ni la fatigue ne le feront changer.
D’autres que lui auront essayé
auparavant à obtenir des alliances avec les ennemis d’hier, en Europe, mais ils
n’y parviendront pas. Chacun pensera pouvoir résister seul aux Hordes Mongoles,
par les armes, et tous se feront battre! Mais Alexandre, fidèle à la Foi au
Christ, celle des Pères de l’Église, savait que là aussi, la force serait dans
le Seigneur, pas dans les arrangements humains.
Par sa vie, sa manière
d’organiser le pays, de restaurer la paix, de favoriser la culture, l’éducation
de toutes les couches de la population, sa fidélité au Christ sans faille, il
deviendra le premier “Grand-Prince de toute la Russie.” Et partout où il
passera, il favorisa les oeuvres missionnaires de l’Église, afin que les
populations vivant encore dans la nuit et les horreurs du paganisme puissent
connaître les douceurs de la Foi en Christ. Au point qu’il réussit, en 1261, à
faire établir un diocèse de l’Église de Russie dans la capitale même des
Mongols, Saraï.
Et en 1262, il obtiendra, sans tuer quiconque, que les Tatars prennent une
décision capitale : les Russes ne seront plus traités en esclaves, ne seront
plus soumis aux impôts Tatars, ni au service militaire à la Horde.
Ce quatrième voyage de saint
Alexandre à la Horde sera le dernier : il aura assuré la paix dans son pays, et
accomplit la mission pour laquelle Dieu l’avait fait prince. Le saint Prince
Alexander Nevsky mourut au retour de ce voyage à Gorodtsa sur la Volga, le 14
novembre 1263. Juste avant de mourir, il se fit recevoir comme moine sous le
nom d’Alexis. Il fut enterré le 23 novembre 1263 dans l’église cathédrale
du monastère de la Nativité dans la ville de Vladimir, où se trouve un mémorial
du saint prince. Une série de miracles eurent lieu dès sa mise au tombeau, et
un siècle plus tard, on découvrit ses reliques intactes. D’autres miracles
eurent lieu au cours des siècles et encore de nos jours, par son intercession.
À sa mort, un culte local lui est
voué et sa vie est rédigée. Il est canonisé le 26 février 1547. Le 30 août
1724, l’empereur Pierre le Grand fait transférer ses reliques de Vladimir à
Saint-Pétersbourg dans la laure récemment construite pour la nouvelle capitale.
SOURCE :
http://www.cathedrale-orthodoxe.com/saint-alexandre-nevsky/
Le
23 novembre, mémoire du Saint Grand-Prince Alexandre Nevsky
A l'époque la plus critique de toute l'histoire mouvementée
du peuple russe, Saint Alexandre brilla par son courage et ses vertus de chef
d'état chrétien: énergique, vaillant, défenseur de la foi et de la justice; il
reçut de Dieu la mission d'offrir sa vie au service de son peuple assailli de
toutes parts. Dès son plus jeune âge, il fut initié au métier des armes et à
l'art du gouvernement par son père Iaroslav, prince de la ville de Peregiaslav;
mais il apprit aussi à user de l'un et de l'autre avec sagesse et modération
pour la cause de la piété et de la justice, grâce à la fréquentation assidue de
l'Eglise et à la méditation des Saintes Ecritures. Alexandre était si beau, si
vaillant et se comportait avec un tel esprit évangélique qu'il faisait même l'admiration
de ses ennemis.
En 1228, âgé de seulement dix ans, il était devenu avec son
frère aîné. prince de la fière et grande ville de Novgorod. Il fit de bonne
heure l'expérience des difficultés du gouvernement, car les habitants de la
ville étaient divisés en des luttes fratricides qui opposaient les riches au
pouvoir et les pauvres écrasés par les taxes et la tyrannie des notables. En
1231, cette situation fut agravée par une terrible famine et un hiver
exceptionnellement rigoureux qui firent de nombreuses victimes. Le jeune prince
montra alors ses vertus chrétiennes en ouvrant toutes ses réserves et en venant
en aide personnellement aux riches comme aux pauvres. Il se fit ainsi aimer de
ses sujets et put, peu à peu, imposer son autorité aux habitants qui avaient
refusé jusque là de reconnaître la dignité du Prince. Ami du Clergé, des moines
et des pauvres, il consacrait toute son énergie à la sauvegarde de sa ville
menacée.
Depuis 1223 les Tartares (ou Tatares), venus des steppes
d'Asie centrale, avaient envahi et ravagé d'immenses territoires, et, entre
1237 et 1239, il déferlèrent sur la Russie, pillant et massacrant tout ce qui
se trouvait sur leur passage. Ils s'emparèrent de Vladimir, mais s'arrêtèrent à
environ 100 kilomètres de Novgorod pour se diriger vers Kiev et la réduire en
cendres. Ils se fixèrent ensuite dans la partie sud-est de la Russie, sur un
territoire d'une grande importance stratégique, contrôlant l'accès à la Mer
Noire, au Caucase et à l'Asie centrale, nommé la Horde dOr: mais ils soumirent
pour plus de deux cents ans les principautés russes à de très lourds tributs,
les menaçant constamment de meurtrière invasion en cas de rébellion.
Devenu seul Prince de Novgorod à la mort de son frère en
1236, Alexandre eut à affronter le danger plus pressant venu d'Occident, le
royaume de Suède, celui de Lithuanie et les chevaliers teutoniques -(ordre
monastique militaire qui occupait les rives de la Baltique entre la Pologne et
la Finlande et qui avait pour mission la conversion forcée des peuples slaves
et baltes au Catholicisme romain)- faisaient converger leurs efforts pour
s'emparer des principautés russes affaiblies par l'invasion mongole et par
leurs divisions. Le 16 juillet 1240, Alexandre fut contraint de réunir une
faible armée pour s'opposer à une violente et massive incursion des Suédois.
Mais la veille au soir, Saints Boris et Gleb apparurent sur un mystérieux
bateau descendant la Neva, en exhortant les rameurs célestes à se hâter pour
venir au secours de leur «parent, Alexandre». Encouragés par cette apparition
et assistés par la Mère de Dieu, le jeune Prince et ses hommes infligèrent
alors une défaite écrasante à leurs ennemis. Or, le peuple de Novgorod à
nouveau divisé expulsa, quelque temps plus tard, son héros; mais l'année suivante,
les chevaliers teutoniques s'étant emparés de Pskov menacèrent de prendre
Novgorod. On rappela Alexandre qui, sans rancune, accourut au secours de son
peuple et remporta une nouvelle victoire près du lac Peîpous (1242). Il fut
alors accueilli triomphalement à Novgorod et passa les quatre années suivantes
à s'opposer aux incursions répétées des Lithuaniens.
A la mort de son père, en 1246, Alexandre fut convoqué à la
Horde d'Or auprès du khan tatare avec les autres princes russes. Or l'usage
voulait qu'en rendant hommage au souverain mongol, on se soumît aussi aux
usages païens, sous peine de mort1. Alexandre le savait, mais il ne voulait pour rien au monde
trahir la Sainte Foi, aussi se prépara-t-il à la mort. Arrivé devant le khan,
il s'inclina respectueusement devant son souverain, mais refusa de se soumettre
au rite païen, en disant: «Majesté, je te rend honneur car Dieu t'a octroyé la
souveraineté, mais je ne peux vénérer les idoles, car je suis Chrétien et
j'adore le seul Dieu en trois Personnes, le Créateur du ciel et de la terre!»
Le khan, impressioné par son courage et ayant été mis au courant des exploits
du Saint, ordonna qu'on ne lui fît aucun mal, et il lui offrit une hospitalité
pleine d'égards. De là, Alexandre et son frère André furent envoyés auprès du
grand-khan, à Karakoroum, aux extrêmes confins de la Mongolie. Il revint à
Novgorod en 1251, épuisé ,et malade après ce voyage, mais ayant été confirmé
Prince de Novgorod et de Kiev et ayant acquis la confiance des envahisseurs.
En 1252, André, Prince de Vladimir, se révolta contre les
Tatares et s'allia aux Suédois, offrant la Russie à de terribles représailles.
Alexandre se rendit à nouveau à la Horde d'Or et put éviter l'invasion. Il
racheta de nombreux prisonniers avec les réserves de l'état et, ayant obtenu le
pouvoir sur toute la Russie, il entreprit de rassembler le peuple de Kiev
dispersé. Par la suite, il se rendit une troisième et une quatrième fois auprès
du khan pour intercéder en faveur de son peuple rebelle aux lourdes taxes et au
recensement fiscal imposés par les Tatares.
A la même époque, le Saint Prince dut résister aux menaces
persistantes de l'Ouest. Le Pape de Rome Innocent IV avait envoyé des
missionnaires vers les principautés russes pour convertir le peuple orthodoxe à
la foi romaine, mais Alexandre réagit fermement en repoussant les dogmes
étrangers à la tradition apostolique transmise au peuple russe par
l'intermédiaire de Byzance. Les puissances catholiques levèrent alors une
véritable «croisade» contre lui; en 1256, Suédois, Danois, Finnois et
chevaliers allemands se précipitèrent vers Novgorod, mais Alexandre repoussa la
coalition et occupa même la Finlande.
En 1260, les tributs exigés par les Mongols augmentèrent à
nouveau et ceux qui ne pouvaient pas s'acquitter étaient pris comme esclaves
par les mercenaires chargés du recouvrement des impôts. On enrôlait également
de force de nombreux russes pour servir dans la campagne engagée par le khan en
Perse. Alexandre partit à nouveau en mission, obtint l'allégement des taxes et
put éviter la conscription obligatoire. Mais, épuisé par le voyage et la
maladie, il mourut en route, le 14 novembre 1263, après avoir revêtu le grand
habit monastique sur son lit de mort et avoir reçu le nom d'Alexis.
De nombreux miracles et apparitions eurent lieu auprès de son
tombeau, particulièrement à la veille des grandes victoires des Russes contre
les Mongols en 1380, 1552 et 1572. En 1380, on découvrit les Reliques de Saint
Alexandre incorrompues et on le proclama Saint. Il fut déclaré protecteur du
peuple russe par le Tsar Pierre le Grand au 18e siècle.
1. C'est en refusant de se soumettre au rite idolâtre que
Saint Michel de Tchernikov souffrît le Martyre, le 20 septembre 1246.
Feodorovsky
Cathedral in Tsarskoye Selo. Tsar's
entrance mosaic (centre).
Saint Alexandre Nevski
Héros national, Alexandre
Nevski a été canonisé après sa mort par l'Église orthodoxe.
Le 5 avril 1242, Alexandre Nevski massacre les chevaliers Teutoniques et les
chevaliers Porte-Glaives sur les glaces du lac Peïpous, à la frontière de
l'Estonie actuelle. De cette victoire, aussi appelée «bataille de la Glace», va
sortir la nation russe, au terme d'un douloureux processus.
A dix ans, il était prince de Novgorod une cité où les "petites gens"
jouissaient d'un degré de liberté et de liberté d'expression (car toutes les
couches sociales étaient lettrées) plutôt exceptionnel pour l'époque.. Il sut
se faire aimer d'eux et de tous.
Quelques années plus tard, en 1237, les Tatares déferlèrent sur la Russie
contrôlant pour deux cents ans l'ensemble des principautés russes par de
lourdes impositions financières. Mais à la même époque, Novgorod eut à
affronter le royaume de Suède, le royaume de Lituanie et les chevaliers
teutoniques qui voulaient convertir au catholicisme romain les peuples
orthodoxes.
Partisan intransigeant de l'orthodoxie byzantine,
saint Alexandre s'opposa à eux victorieusement sur les rives du lac Peipus. Il
eut aussi à faire face aux pressions du khan et dut même aller lui rendre
visite aux extrêmes confins de la Mongolie. Ayant obtenu le pouvoir sur toute
la Russie, il intercéda pour son peuple allégeant les taxes des Mongols d'un
côté et repoussant à l'Ouest la coalition germano-scandinave dirigée par les
chevaliers teutoniques.
Epuisé par les voyages et par la
maladie, il retourna dans la paix de Dieu dans la petite ville de Gorodets, au
retour de sa dernière expédition à Sarai, la ville dont dépendait Novgorod
depuis la fragmentation de la Horde d'Or (le grand empire de Batou khan,
partagé à sa mort entre tous ses fils).
L'un des fils d'Alexandre Nevski héritera de la petite principauté de Moscou.
Il témoignera comme son père d'une soumission exemplaire aux Mongols et leur
bienveillance lui permettra d'agréger peu à peu le peuple russe autour de sa
principauté.
ALEXANDRE IAROSLAVITCH NEVSKI (1220-1263)
Fils de Iaroslav Vsevolodovitch, prince héréditaire de Pereïslav-Zalesski — au
nord de
Moscou —, le jeune Alexandre
apparaît d'abord comme le brillant second de son père, devenu grand-prince de
Vladimir. Il se voit confier notamment la fonction de prince de
Novgorod au moment où les
territoires russes occidentaux sont assaillis par leurs voisins : Suédois,
chevaliers Teutoniques, tribus lituaniennes. Les premiers sont défaits, le 15
juillet 1240, sur les bords de la Neva (c'est lors de cette victoire que le
prince reçoit son surnom : Alexandre de la Neva) ; les deuxièmes, le
5 avril 1242, sur les eaux glacées du lac Peïpous, enfin les Lituaniens, en
1245, près de Vitebsk. La victoire de 1242 sur les chevaliers Teutoniques est
considérée comme décisive, car elle semble arrêter définitivement la poussée
germanique vers l'est (
Drang nach Osten)
et décider ainsi de la suprématie russe sur les peuples
slaves, suprématie qui va s'affirmer au
siècle suivant, au détriment de l'Occident.
La mort de son père (1246) amène
Alexandre à s'intéresser à l'ensemble de la Russie, tout en continuant
d'ailleurs à veiller à la sécurité des frontières occidentales. Après plusieurs
années d'intrigues à Saraï, auprès de la
Horde d'Or, et même à Qaraqorum, la
capitale de l'Empire mongol (Alexandre s'y est rendu en 1247), il obtient du
khān d'être investi grand-prince de Vladimir (1252). La fidélité
inconditionnelle envers les Tatars devient alors la ligne politique directrice
d'Alexandre : il n'hésite pas à faire intervenir les troupes mongoles
contre l'un de ses frères, André (1252), à réprimer des mouvements antitatars à
Novgorod (1257, 1259), cherchant toujours avec les dirigeants de la Horde d'or
la voie de la conciliation. C'est précisément peu après avoir su éviter une
expédition punitive contre la Russie qu'Alexandre meurt en chemin, revenant de
Saraï.
Ses victoires militaires valurent à
Alexandre Nevski une certaine popularité qu'atteste sa première
Vie, rédigée probablement par un témoin
oculaire des combats. Cette popularité explique la canonisation du prince
(1547). La translation de ses reliques à
Saint-Pétersbourg (1723-1724)
en fit l'un des héros nationaux de la Russie impériale. Sa mémoire fut de
nouveau évoquée à la veille de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, comme en témoigne le
film de S. M. Eisenstein,
Alexandre
Nevski (1938).
— Wladimir
VODOFF
SOURCE : https://www.universalis.fr/encyclopedie/alexandre-iaroslavitch-nevski/
Alexander Nevsky
Born at Pereaslavl, 1219; died at Vladimir, 1263; canonized by the Russian
Orthodox Church in 1547.
Grandprince
Alexander of Novgorod, Vladimir and Kiev, saved Russia by his policy of
conciliation towards the invading Tartars and firm resistance to enemies on the
west. His name of Nevsky came from his victory in 1240 over the Swedes on the
River Neva; he defeated the Teutonic Knights at Lake Peipus in 1242, and drove
out the Lithuanians soon after. But he was no mere ambitious conqueror:
"God is not on the side of force," he said, "but of truth and
justice." He had several times to make long journeys to the Tartar
overlords to intercede for his people, and earned much obloquy thereby from
those who disapproved of his policy. He bore the unjust accusations patiently,
and the religious integrity of his life, together with his great services to
his people, caused him to be venerated as a saint: "Go glorified his
righteous servant," it is said, "because he labored greatly for the
land of Russia and for the true Christian religion." In 1938, Alexander
Nevsky was made the subject of a film by Eisentein, with music by Prokofiev
(Attwater).
Grand Duke of Novgorod and Kiev. He defeated the Swedes in battle on the River Neva; from that he
derived his surname of Newski (Nevski). Defended
his land against invading Tatars. Confessor of the faith.
(1219-1263) Confessor. Grand Duke of Novgorod and Kiev,
born Vladimir, Russia; died Gorodetz. He was victorious over the Swedes on
the River Neva, hence his surname. An organizer and reformer, he defended
Russia against the Tatars. Relics at
Leningrad.
Feast,
30 August.
- “Saint Alexander
Newski”. New Catholic Dictionary. CatholicSaints.Info. 28 July 2012. Web. 30 August 2020. <http://catholicsaints.info/new-catholic-dictionary-saint-alexander-newski/>
Repose of Saint Alexander Nevsky
The Holy Prince Alexander Nevsky was
born on May 30, 1220 in the city of Pereslavl-Zalessk. His father Yaroslav II,
Theodore in Baptism (+1246), “a gentle, kindly and genial prince”, was the
younger son of Vsevolod III Large Nest (+ 1212), brother of the Holy Prince
Yuri Vsevolodovich (February 4). Saint Alexander’s mother, Theodosia Igorevna,
a Ryazan princess, was Yaroslav’s third wife. Their older son was the Holy
Prince Theodore (June 5), who departed to the Lord at age fifteen. Saint
Alexander was their second son.
His childhood was spent at
Pereslavl-Zalessk, where his father was prince. The princely tonsure of the lad
Alexander (a ceremony of initiation to be soldier) was done in the Savior
Transfiguration Cathedral of Pereslavl by Saint Simon, Bishop of Suzdal (May
10), one of the compilers of the Kiev Caves Paterikon (Lives of the Fathers).
From this Elder-hierarch, Saint Alexander received his first blessing for
military service in the name of God, to defend the Russian Church and the
Russian Land.
In 1227 Prince Yaroslav, at the
request of the people of Novgorod, was sent by his brother Yuri, the Great
Prince of Vladimir, to rule as prince in Novgorod the Great. He took with him
his sons, Saints Theodore and Alexander. Dissatisfied with the Vladimir
princes, the people of Novgorod soon invited Saint Michael of Chernigov
(September 20), and in February 1229 Yaroslav with his sons departed to
Pereslavl. The matter ended peacefully: in 1230 Yaroslav with his sons returned
to Novgorod, and Saint Michael’s daughter Theodosia was betrothed to Saint
Theodore, the elder brother of Saint Alexander. After the death of the bridegroom
in 1233 the young princess went to a monastery and became famous in monastic
exploits as the nun Saint Euphrosyne of Suzdal (September 25).
From his early years Saint Alexander
went along on his father’s campaigns. In 1235 he participated in a battle at
the River Emajogi (in present-day Estonia), where the forces of Yaroslav
totally routed the Germans. In the following year Yaroslav went to Kiev,
“settling” his son, Saint Alexander, to rule independently as prince at
Novgorod. In 1239 Saint Alexander entered into marriage, taking as wife the
daughter of the Polotsian prince Briacheslav. Some histories relate that the
day the princess was baptized was the Name Day of her saintly spouse, and she
was named Alexandra. His father, Yaroslav, blessed them at betrothal with the
holy wonderworking icon of the Theodore Mother of God (the father was named
Theodore in Baptism). Afterwards, Saint Alexander constantly prayed before this
icon. Later, it was taken from the Gorodetsk Monastery, where he died, by his brother
Basil of Kostroma (+1276), and transferred to Kostroma.
A very troublesome time had begun in
Russian history: from the East came the Mongol Horde destroying everything in
their path; from the West came the forces of the Teutonic Knights, which blasphemously
and with the blessing of the Roman Pope, called itself “Cross-bearers” by
wearing the Cross of the Lord. In this terrible hour the Providence of God
raised up for the salvation of Russia holy Prince Alexander, a great warrior,
man of prayer, ascetic and upholder of the Land of Russia. “Without the command
of God there would not have been his prince.”
Abetted by the invasion of Batu, by
the ruin of Russian cities, by the dismay and grief of the nation, by the
destruction of its finest sons and leaders, a horde of crusaders made
incursions into the borders of Russia. First were the Swedes. “A king of Roman
faith from the midnight land,” Sweden, in 1240 gathered a great armed force and
sent them to the Neva on many ships under the command of his son-in-law, Yarl
(Prince) Birger. The haughty Swede sent his messengers to Novgorod to say to
Saint Alexander: “Fight me if you have the courage, for I am already here and I
am taking your land captive.”
Saint Alexander, then not yet twenty
years old, prayed a long time in the church of Saint Sophia, the Wisdom of God.
He recited the Psalm of David, saying: “Judge, O Lord, those who injure me,
fight against those who fight against me. Take hold of shield and buckler, and
rise up to help me” (Ps. 34/35). Archbishop Spyridon blessed the holy prince
and his army for the battle. Leaving the church, Saint Alexander exhorted his
troops with words of faith: “The power of God is not in numbers, but in truth.”
With a smaller force, trusting in the Holy Trinity, the prince hastened towards
the enemy to await help from his father, not knowing whether the enemy would
attack, nor when.
But there was a miraculous omen: at
dawn on July 15 the warrior Pelgui, in Baptism Philip, saw a boat, and on it
were the Holy Martyrs Boris and Gleb, in royal purple attire. Boris said:
“Brother Gleb, let us help our kinsman Alexander.” When Pelgui reported the
vision to the prince, Saint Alexander commanded that no one should speak about
the miracle. Emboldened by this, he urged the army to fight valiantly against
the Swedes.
“There was a great slaughter of the
Latins, and a countless multitude was killed, and their leader was left with a
mark upon his face from a sharp spear.” An angel of God invisibly helped the
Orthodox army: when morning came, on the opposite bank of the River Izhora,
where the army of Saint Alexander was unable to proceed, was a multitude of the
slain enemy. Because of this victory at the River Neva on July 15, 1240, the
nation called the saint Alexander Nevsky.
The Teutonic Knights remained a
dangerous enemy. In a lightning-quick campaign in 1241 Saint Alexander
recaptured the ancient Russian fortress of Kopore, expelling the knights. But
in 1242, the Germans succeeded capturing Pskov. The enemy boasted of
“subjecting all the Slavic nation.” Saint Alexander, setting forth in a winter
campaign, liberated Pskov, that ancient home of the Holy Trinity, and in spring
of the year 1242 fought a decisive battle against the Teutonic Order. On the
ice of Lake Chud both armies clashed on April 5, 1242. Raising his hands
towards the heavens, Saint Alexander prayed: “Judge me, O God, and judge my
strife with a boastful nation and grant help to me, O God, as to Moses of old
against Amalek, and to my great-grandfather Yaroslav the Wise against accursed
Svyatopolk.”
By his prayer, by the help of God,
and by military might the Crusaders were completely destroyed. There was a
terrible slaughter, and there was such a crashing of striking spears and swords
that it seemed as though the frozen lake were in motion and not solid ice,
since it was covered with blood. When they turned to flee, the enemy was
pursued and slashed by Alexander’s army “as if they sped through the air, and
there was nowhere for the enemy to flee.” Later, they led a multitude of
captives behind the holy prince, marching in disgrace.
Contemporaries clearly understood
the universal historical significance of the Great Battle of the Ice, and the
name of Saint Alexander was celebrated throughout Holy Russia, “through all the
lands, from the Egyptian Sea to Mount Ararat, from both sides of the Varangian
Sea to Great Rome.”
The western boundaries of the
Russian land were safely secured, and it was time to guard Russia from the
East. In 1242 Saint Alexander Nevsky and his father Yaroslav journeyed to the
Horde. Metropolitan Cyril blessed them for this new service of many hardships:
it was necessary to turn the Tatars from enemies and plunderers into honorable
allies, and this required “the meekness of an angel and the wisdom of a snake.”
The Lord crowned the holy mission of
the defenders of the Russian land with success, but this required years of
hardship and sacrifice. Having made an alliance with Khan Batu, Prince Yaroslav
was required to travel to faraway Mongolia, to the capital of all the nomadic
empire. The situation of Batu himself being precarious, he sought the support
of the Russian princes, wishing to break with his own Golden Horde from faraway
Mongolia. And there in turn, they trusted neither Batu nor the Russians.
Prince Yaroslav was poisoned. He
died in agony, surviving the Holy Martyr Michael of Chernigov, whose relative
he nearly became, by only ten days. Since his father bequeathed him an alliance
with the Golden Horde, it was necessary for Saint Alexander Nevsky to hold fast
to it in order to avert a new devastation of Russia. Sartak, the son of Batu,
had accepted Christianity, and was in charge of Russian affairs with the Horde.
He became his friend, and like a brother to him. Vowing his support, Saint
Alexander allowed Batu to launch a campaign against Mongolia, to become the
chief power in all the Great Steppes, and to raise up the Tatar Christian
leader, Khan Munke (most of his Tatar Christians were Nestorians) on the throne
in Mongolia.
Not all the Russian princes possessed
the wisdom of Saint Alexander Nevsky. Many hoped for European help in the
struggle against the Mongol Yoke. Saint Michael of Chernigov, Prince Daniel of
Galich, and Andrew, Saint Alexander’s brother, conducted negotiations with the
Roman Pope. But Saint Alexander well knew the fate of Constantinople, seized
and devastated by Crusaders in the year 1204. His own personal experience
taught him not to trust the West. The alliance of Daniel of Galich with the
Pope, giving him nothing in return, was a betrayal of Orthodoxy, a unia with
Rome. Saint Alexander did not want this to happen to his Church.
When ambassadors of the Roman Pope
appeared in 1248 to seduce him also, he wrote in answer that the Russians were
faithful to the Church of Christ and to the belief of the Seven Ecumenical
Councils: “These we know very well, but we do not accept your teaching.”
Catholicism was unsuitable for the Russian Church, and a unia signified a
rejection of Orthodoxy, a rejection of the source of spiritual life, a rejection
of the historical future foreordained by God, and the dooming of itself to
spiritual death.
In the year 1252 many Russian cities
rose up against the Tatar Yoke, supporting Andrew Yaroslavich. The situation
was very risky. Again there arose a threat to the very existence of Russia.
Saint Alexander had to journey to the Horde once more, in order to prevent a
punitive Tatar incursion on the Russian lands. Defeated, Andrew fled to the
Swedes seeking the help of those very robbers whom his great brother had crushed
with the help of God at the Neva.
Saint Alexander became the ruling
Great Prince of All Rus: Vladimir, Kiev and Novgorod. A great responsibility
before God and history lay upon his shoulders. In 1253, he repelled a new
German incursion against Pskov; in 1254 he made a treaty with Norway concerning
peacetime borders; in 1256 he went on a campaign to the Finnish land. The
chronicler called it “the dark campaign,” because the Russian army went along
through the polar night, “going to impassable places, unable to see either day
or night”. Into the darkness of paganism Saint Alexander brought the light of
Gospel preaching and Orthodox culture. All the coastal region was enlightened
and opened up by the Russians.
In 1256 Khan Batu died, and soon his
son Sartak was poisoned, the one who was like a brother to Alexander Nevsky.
The holy prince journeyed a third time to Sarai in order to confirm peaceful
relations of Rus and the Horde with the new Khan, Berke. Although the successor
to Batu had accepted Islam, he needed the alliance with Orthodox Rus. In 1261,
by the diligent efforts of Saint Alexander and Metropolitan Cyril, a diocese of
the Russian Orthodox Church was established at Sarai, the capital of the Golden
Horde.
There followed an epoch of great
Christianization of the pagan East, and Saint Alexander Nevsky prophetically
speculated about the historical vocation of Rus. The holy prince used every
possibility to uplift his native land and the ease its allotted cross. In 1262
by his decree in many of the cities the Tatar collectors of tribute and the
conscription of soldiers were stopped. They waited for a Tatar reprisal. But
the great intercessor of the nation again journeyed to the Horde and he wisely
directed the event into quite another channel. Having been dismissed for the
uprising of the Russians, Khan Berke ceased to send tribute to Mongolia and
proclaimed the Golden Horde an independent entity, making it a veritable shield
for Russia from the East. In this great uniting of the Russian and Tatar lands and
peoples the future multi-national Russian State was matured and strengthened.
Later, within the bounds of the Russian Church, was encompassed nearly the
entire legacy of Ghenghis Khan to the coasts of the Pacific Ocean.
This diplomatic journey of Saint
Alexander Nevsky to Sarai was his fourth and last. The future of Rus was
rescued, his duty before God was fulfilled. But his power was wholly devoted,
and his life put to the service of the Russian Church. On the return journey
from the Horde Saint Alexander fell deathly ill. Unable to reach Vladimir, in a
monastery at Gorodets the prince-ascetic gave up his spirit to the Lord on
November 14, 1263, completing his difficult earthly path by receiving the
monastic schema with the name of Alexis.
Metropoltan Cyril, the spiritual
Father and companion of the holy prince, said in the funeral eulogy: “Know, my
child, that already the sun has set for the land of Suzdal. There will be no
greater prince in the Russian land.” They took his holy body to Vladimir, the journey
lasted nine days, and the body remained undecayed.
On November 23, before his burial at
the Nativity Monastery in Vladimir, there was manifest by God “a wondrous
miracle and worthy of memory.” When the body of Saint Alexander was placed in
the crypt, the steward Sebastian and Metropolitan Cyril wanted to take his
hand, in order to put in it the spiritual gramota (document of absolution). The
holy prince, as though alive, reached out his hand and took the document from
the hand of the Metropolitan. “Because of their terror, and they were barely
able to stumble from his tomb. Who would not be astonished at this, since he
was dead and the body was brought from far away in the winter time.”
Thus did God glorify the saintly
Soldier-Prince Alexander Nevsky. The universal Church glorification of Saint
Alexander Nevsky took place under Metropolitan Macarius at the Moscow Cathedral
in 1547. The Canon to the saint was compiled at that time by the monk Michael
of Vladimir.
The Tale of the Life of Alexander Nevsky
Alexander (born circa 1220, died in 1263) was Prince
of Novgorod from 1236 to 1263 and Grand Prince of Vladimir from 1252 to 1263.
Both during his reign in Novgorod and as grand prince he led Russia’s struggle
against the German and Swedish invaders.
In 1240 Swedish knights invaded the north-west of
Russia. They sailed up the river Neva, stopping somewhere near the mouth of its
tributary the Izhora (some say at the point where the settlement of Ust-Izhora
now stands outside Leningrad, others at the Alexander Nevsky Monastery in
Leningrad itself). With a small force of men Alexander attacked the enemy on
June 15, 1240 and won a splendid victory over a large force. Hence his
nickname, Alexander of the Neva (Nevsky). In 1241-1242 Alexander led the
struggle against the Teutonic Knights who had captured the lands of Pskov and
Novgorod. On April 5, 1242 on the ice of LakeChudskoye (Peipus) a decisive
battle was fought that ended with the total defeat of the invaders, the famous
Battle on the Ice.
Realising that it was futile at that time to launch an
attack on the Golden Horde, Alexander maintained peaceful relations with the
khan of the Golden Horde and pursued a policy of uniting the lands of
North-East and North-West Russia and strengthening the authority of the grand
prince. He travelled to the Horde several times and succeeded in releasing
Russia from the obligation of providing troops for the Mongol khans. Alexander
relied extensively on the assistance of the common people in his defence of
Russian lands against external foes, which did not prevent him, however, from
cruelly suppressing anti-feudal revolts by the masses (e.g., the uprising in
Novgorod in 1259).
The Tale of the Life of Alexander Nevsky is devoted to
Alexander as the wise statesman and great military leader. The work was written
in the Monastery of the Nativity in Vladimir, where Prince Alexander was buried
(he died on his way back from a journey to the Horde).[1] In
composition, manner of describing the battles, individual stylistic devices and
certain phraseologisms The Tale of the Life of Alexander Nevsky is similar to
The Chronicle of Daniel of Galich. According to Dmitry Likhachev’s convincing
argument, this is explained by the fact that Metropolitan Cyril played a part
in the writing of both works. “There can be no doubt,” he writes, that Cyril
was associated with the compiling of the biography of Alexander. He could have
been the author, but more likely he commissioned the Life from a Galich writer
living in the north.”40 That Cyril had something to do with the compiling
of The Chronicle of Daniel of Galich is well argued by Lev Cherepnin.41 The
Metropolitan died in 1280, therefore, The Tale of the Life of Alexander Nevsky
must have been compiled between 1263 and 1280.
As well as being similar the Tale and the Chronicle
also differ in terms of genre. The biography of Alexander Nevsky is a work of
the hagiographical genre.42 This is reflected in many characteristic
features of the work. First of all, in keeping with the canons of the genre,
the author speaks of himself in the foreword, with exaggerated humility, using
stock phrases: “I, a wretched, much-sinning man of little understanding, dare
to write the Life of the saintly Prince Alexander…”43 Secondly, in keeping
with hagiographical custom he begins his narrative by announcing the birth of
Alexander and his parentage: “He was born of a merciful, loving and,
furthermore, meek father, Grand Prince Yaroslav, and of his mother Theodosia.”
Thirdly, the story of the miracle that happened after Alexander’s death is of a
clearly hagiographical nature. Finally, the actual text contains constant digressions
of an ecclesiastical and rhetorical nature and the prince’s prayers.
The story about Alexander Nevsky was intended to show
that in spite of the conquest of the Russian principalities by the Mongols,
there were still princes in Russia whose courage and wisdom could resist the
enemies of the Russian land, and whose military prowess could inspire fear and
respect in neighbouring peoples. Even Batu acknowledges Alexander’s greatness.
He summons Alexander to the Horde: “Alexander, know you not that god has
subjected many peoples to me? Why do you alone refuse to submit to me? If you
wish to keep your land come quickly to me and you will see the glory of my
kingdom.” When he meets Alexander, Batu says to his nobles: “It is true what I
have been told that there is no prince the like of him.”
The author of the Tale, as he tells us at the very
beginning of his story, knew the prince and witnessed his acts as a statesman
and military feats: “I myself was a witness of his age of maturity.”
Hagiographers often tell us in their works where they obtained information
about the life of their hero. The author usually says that he found out about
the saint from contemporary accounts, extant records, an earlier Life, or as
his contemporary or pupil. It is rare for the author to say that he knew the
saint himself; the wording of the Tale: “I myself was a witness…” is not found
in any other Life. Therefore we have every reason to regard this phrase as
documentary proof of the fact that the author was a contemporary of Alexander’s
and personally acquainted with him.
Both the real figure of the prince, who is close to
the author, and the tasks which the author sets himself give this
hagiographical work a special military flavour. One can sense the narrator’s
liking for Alexander and admiration of his military and political activity.
This lends a special sincerity and lyricism to the Tale.
The descriptions of Alexander in the Tale are on
various levels. His “Christian virtues” are stressed in keeping with
hagiographical canons. The author says that the Prophet Isaiah had in mind such
princes as Alexander Nevsky when he said: “He loved priests and monks and
beggars, revered the Metropolitan and the bishops and heeded them like Christ
Himself.”
At the same time Alexander is of majestic and comely
appearance, a brave and invincible military leader: “He was comely as no other,
and his voice was like a trumpet among the people.” He is invincible. In his
military operations Alexander is swift, dedicated and merciless. On hearing that
the Swedish army has reached the Neva, Alexander “flared up in anger” and sped
off “with a small bodyguard” against the enemy. He was in such a hurry that he
could not “send news to his father”, and the Novgorodians did not have time to
rally to his aid. Alexander’s impetuosity and military daring are
characteristic of all the episodes about the prince’s military exploits. Here
he appears as an epic hero.
The combination of the emphatically religious and even
more clearly expressed secular levels constitutes the distinctive style and
originality of the Tale. In spite of this multiplicity of levels, however, and
the apparently contradictory nature of the descriptions of Alexander, his
character is unified. This unity is produced by the author’s attitude towards
his hero, by the fact that for him Alexander is not only a heroic military
commander, but also a wise statesman. For the enemies of the Russian land he is
terrible and merciless: “the Moabite women” (meaning the Mongols here) frighten
their children by saying “Alexander is coming!” But in his own land Alexander
“judges orphans and widows righteously, gives alms, and is kind to his
household”. He is the ideal prince, ruler and military leader.
In the episode of the battle on the Neva we are told
of six heroes who fight alongside Alexander and distinguish themselves in
battle. The first, Gavrilo Alexich, tried to ride on horseback onto an enemy
boat, fell with his horse into the Neva, climbed out unharmed and went on
fighting. The second, a Novgorodian called Zbyslav Yakunovich, slayed a vast
number of the enemy with his battle axe. The third, Yakov from Polotsk, felled
them with his sword. The fourth, Misha from Novgorod, sank three enemy ships.
The fifth, “by the name of Sava from the younger bodyguard” “burst into the
royal gold-canopied tent and hacked down the tent post”, which caused great
rejoicing among Alexander’s men. The sixth, Ratmir, fought on foot and died
“from many wounds”.
This story in the Tale is obviously based on a folk
legend about the battle on the Neva, or perhaps an heroic song about the six
brave men. The inclusion of such a story in a hagiographical text is explained
by the heroic epic nature of this work. Nevertheless the hagiographical element
is felt in this episode as well. The author merely lists the names of the
heroes and mentions briefly, in one or two phrases, the feats of each of them.
The concluding section of the Tale, the account of the
prince’s final days and death, is very solemn, yet full of sincere lyricism.
Alexander went to the Horde to see the khan in order
to relieve Russians of the obligation of serving in the Mongol army. As already
mentioned, he succeeded in this. After announcing that the prince fell sick on
his way back from the Horde, the author gives vent to his feelings in
exclamations of grief: “Oh, woe unto you, poor wretch! How can you describe
your master’s death! How will your very eyes not fall out with tears! How will
your heart not be torn from its roots! For a man can take leave of his father, but
not of his good master. If it were possible, he would go into the grave with
him.” After announcing the day on which Alexander died he quotes the words of
Metropolitan Cyril and the men of Suzdal, when they heard the sad tidings: “And
Metropolitan Cyril said: ‘My children, know that the sun has now set on the
land of Suzdal!’ And the priests and deacons, monks, beggars, rich men and all
folk exclaimed: ‘We are done for!”’
The Tale ends with an account of the “wondrous” and
“memorable” miracle that was believed to have happened during the burial of the
prince. When they were about to put a scroll with a prayer for absolution into
the prince’s hand, the dead man “as if alive stretched out his hand and took
the scroll from the metropolitan’s hand”.
In spite of the hagiographical nature of the work, the
author makes extensive use of military epic legends and the poetic devices of
military tales in his descriptions of the prince’s military feats. This enables
him to reproduce in a hagiographical work the striking figure of the defender
of the homeland, military leader and warrior. Right up to the sixteenth century
The Tale of the Life of Alexander Nevsky was a kind of model for portraying
Russian princes by describing their military feats.
[1] Alexander’s
remains were transferred to St Petersburg in the reign of Peter the Great.
SOURCE : http://www.rusliterature.org/the-tale-of-the-life-of-alexander-nevsky/
Silver tomb of Alexander Nevsky. Work of the 1750-1753.
Entered in the
Hermitage in 1922 from the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.
Sant' Alessandro Nevskij
Granprincipe di Novgorod
Perejaslavl’-Zalesskij, Russia, 30 maggio 1220 –
Gorodec, Russia, 14 novembre 1263
Etimologia:
Alessandro = protettore di uomini, dal greco
Alessandro
Nevskij nacque in Russia nel 1220, figlio del Granduca di Vladimir Jaroslav II
Vsevolodovic e della principessa Feodosia di Halic. Suo fratello maggiore
Feodor Jaroslavic, erede del titolo e dei privilegi, morì precocemente all’età
di soli quandici anni ed Alexander si trovò così principe di Novgorod nel 1245.
Sposò la principessa Bassa di Potolsk, da cui ebbe quattro figli, di cui
l’ultimogenito fu San Danilo di Mosca.
Nessuno meglio di Alessandro può rappresentare la figura classica del “santo guerriero”,
tipologia forse lontana dalla sensibilità contemporanea. Nel 1240 si trovò a
dovere respingere un massiccio attacco degli svedesi che avevano invaso il suo
principato. In questo frangente, chiamato a raccolta il suo piccolo esercito,
si rivolse ai soldati con queste parole: “Dio non è nella forza ma nella
verità. Alcuni confidano nei principi, altri nei cavalli, ma noi invocheremo il
Signore Dio nostro!”. La notte che precedette lo scontro, sulla riva della
Neva, un soldato di nome Filippo ebbe una visione: i santi principi martiri
Boris e Gleb, si avvicinavano a bordo di una barca all’accampamento russo.
Secondo la tradizione San Boris pronunciò queste parole: “Fratello Gleb,
andiamo ad aiutare il nostro pari Alessandro!”. Il giorno successivo Alessandro
ed il suo esercito riportarono una storica vittoria sul nemico. Da quel momento
Alessandro fu soprannominato “Nevskij”, cioè “della Neva”, luogo della mirabile
battaglia.
La tradizione narra una lunga serie di successi e di vittorie che trasformarono
il saggio principe Alessandro Nevskij nell’eroe russo più amato e popolare,
paladino della Chiesa indigena. Le guerre, le incessanti attività e i lunghi
viaggi minarono però la salute di Alessandro. Tornando da un lungo viaggio in
oriente e sentendo la morte avvicinarsi, decise allora di vestire l’abito
monastico presso il monastero di Gorodec, assumendo il nome di Alessio. Il
novello schema-monaco morì il 14 novembre 1263.
Nel 1547 Alessandro Nevskij fu canonizzato dalla Chiesa Ortodossa Russa, che lo
commemora il 23 novembre, giorno della sua sepoltura, ed il 30 agosto, giorno
della traslazione delle sue reliquie presso la larva a lui dedicata in San
Pietroburgo.
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