Venerable Euphrosyne of Moscow: favor and joy

Venerable Euphrosyne of Moscow: favor and joy

Her worldly name Evdokia (“favour”) testifies to the special attitude of the Lord towards her, who endowed her with rich talents. Her monastic name Euphrosyne (“joy”) reflects her response to the gifts sent by God - love for God, husband, children, her neighbors. The whole life of Princess Evdokia characterized her as a wise, strong-willed, decisive and consistent woman in her decisions and actions. This aroused sincere love and respect from those around her, determining her further veneration long before her canonization.

Laurentian Chronicle 1377 The future Moscow princess was born into the family of Suzdal and Nizhny Novgorod prince Dmitry Konstantinovich and his wife Anna in 1353. Thanks to her father, who instructed the monk Lawrence to rewrite the ancient manuscript, the Laurentian Chronicle was born. Having this book in her home library, Evdokia could not help but read it. At that moment, when the Suzdal princess was reading books from her home library, the young Moscow prince was preparing for his great reign.

During this period, only the young princes remained in Moscow, pupils of St. Alexy - the future Dmitry Donskoy and Vladimir the Brave, and Evdokia's father received from the khan a label for the great reign. But Dmitry Konstantinovich did not have a chance to be Grand Duke for long, as the Moscow army approached the city. Perhaps this was God’s providence so that the young Moscow prince, who came to Evdokia’s father for an answer, saw his daughter and fell in love.

The wise words of the Psalter tell us that the saint will be with the saints (Ps. 17:26), and the life of Evdokia Dmitrievna fully confirmed the truth of these words. Saint Euphrosyne of Moscow became a saint largely thanks to her social circle. She was surrounded by a whole host of our beloved saints and communicated with them, as we communicate with our loved ones in everyday life. Saint Alexy, Metropolitan of Moscow and All Russia, the Wonderworker, was the mentor and educator of her future husband, and not without his participation and blessing, Evdokia was chosen as Demetrius’ bride. The Metropolitan appreciated the abilities and properties of this girl already in her teens, who subsequently, both with her husband and after his death, did a lot of good for the Russian land.

Saint Euphrosyne of Moscow became a saint largely thanks to her social circle

Her confessor was Saint Theodore, abbot of the Simonov Monastery, nephew of Saint Sergius of Radonezh. The Monk Sergius himself was not only the spiritual interlocutor and mentor of the couple, but also a relative, since he baptized the children of Demetrius and Evdokia.

St. Euphrosyne of Suzdal. Icon. 1700 From the Cathedral of the Deposition of the Robe Monastery in Suzdal.

The successors of the princely children, in addition to St. Sergius, were Metropolitan Alexy and St. Demetrius of Prilutsky. Until the end of his life, Rev. Savva Storozhevsky was the spiritual mentor for her son, Prince Yuri, and for her mother.

A special role in the spiritual development of the princess was played by Euphrosyne of Suzdal - one of the patrons of the Suzdal land, who went to the Lord a hundred years before the birth of Evdokia. The story of this saint is amazing. She was the eldest daughter of the Chernigov prince Mikhail and a student of the boyar Theodore, who died in the Horde for professing the Christian faith and were canonized. Moreover, this woman became famous not in Chernigov, but in Suzdal, on the land of her fiancé Fyodor, brother of Alexander Nevsky, who died shortly before their wedding. Theodulia did not become a Suzdal princely wife, but became the bride of Christ in Suzdal, taking monastic vows with the name Euphrosyne. The girl was well educated in the fields of theology, history and literature. The abbess of the monastery herself came to her for advice and even gave her obedience - to speak instructive words to nuns and lay people. The martyrdom of her father and teacher shocked the young nun; she prayed intensely for them for four years and fell ill. Her father and teacher came to her in a dream and said that the Lord would not abandon the Russian land, and the blood of the martyrs was not shed in vain.

A special role in the spiritual development of the princess was played by Euphrosyne of Suzdal, who went to the Lord a hundred years before the birth of Evdokia

Growing up in Suzdal a century after the death of Euphrosyne of Suzdal, Evdokia heard about this saint and probably revered her especially. It can be assumed that from childhood, Evdokia chose Euphrosyne of Suzdal as a role model, and when she was tonsured, she chose the name Euphrosyne in memory of the saint, whose example of life she had carried in her heart since childhood.

Euphrosyne of Suzdal and Euphrosyne of Moscow were born into princely families, both received a good education and were known as book lovers, both lived during the Mongol-Tatar yoke, but in different periods. One was born even before the Mongol-Tatar invasion and lived in the initial, most terrible years of this disaster, the other sent her husband to battle with the conquerors and waited several years for her son to return from captivity. Both loved God more than anything in the world, and therefore were able to pass all the trials that befell them.

One was not destined to become a wife, the other lived a happy married life with the holy noble prince Demetrius Donskoy. Their wedding took place in Kolomna in 1366, since Moscow at that moment was devastated by fire. But within a year, a white-stone Kremlin will be built in Moscow to replace the burnt wooden one as a symbol of the new life of the city and the beginning of the life of a new married couple who have been married for 22 years and given birth to 12 children. This marriage combined two important factors: a marriage of convenience (the Principality of Suzdal became an ally of Moscow) turned out to be a marriage of love.

This woman had to endure a lot of trials. In 1382, when Khan Tokhtamysh came to take revenge on Moscow for the defeat on the Kulikovo Field, her two brothers, Vasily and Simeon, were with him. One can imagine the pain that her brothers’ participation in the campaign against Moscow resonated in her heart. The Muscovites opened the gates to the brothers of their princess, and the Mongols broke in and destroyed the city. At this time, she and her children, including her son Andrei, who was born just 12 days before these events, fled from Moscow. It was still difficult for her to move, but she resolutely gathered the whole family, and as soon as they managed to leave Moscow, Tokhtamysh burst into the city. He sent the princely family in pursuit, but the Lord preserved her and her children, uniting her in Pereslavl with her husband and father. The Grand Duke, a brave warrior, and his wife, a brave woman, returned to burned Moscow together, and standing on the ashes, they wept for the lost city.

Her husband called her “my princess” in his will. He allocated her special possessions and called on children, including adult sons, to obey their mother in everything and not to go out of her will, and whoever violates this order will not have his parental blessing. The prince, in fact, declared Evdokia the head of the family, which she remained until the end of her earthly life and went to the monastery only after she had established all the affairs in the grand-ducal house.

Evdokia Dmitrievna had the opportunity to experience all the feelings associated with motherhood: the happiness of having children, the bitterness of their loss, the pain of experiencing difficult situations in their lives. The marriage produced 12 children: 8 boys and 4 girls. Two sons: 9-year-old firstborn Daniel and baby Simeon were buried together: she and her husband. She already buried her son Ivan, who took monastic vows with the name Joasaph, and her adult daughter Maria, the wife of Prince Lugveny (Semyon) Olgerdovich. Maria died in the Lithuanian city of Mstislavl in 1399. At the request of the mother, the daughter’s body was transported to Moscow and buried in the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, founded by Evdokia.

Evdokia Dmitrievna had a chance to experience all the feelings associated with motherhood

Son Vasily (1371–1425) was the great Prince of Moscow, but before this happened, as a 12-year-old boy in 1383, he was sent to the Horde, where he was a hostage for two years, and then escaped and took refuge in Lithuania. He returned home only four years later as a matured young man who had found a bride in Lithuania. How did the mother feel each of these more than a thousand days of forced separation from her son? She could only pray, and through her mother’s prayers, the Lord arranged everything: the escape from the Horde took place.

A special son for her is Yuri Zvenigorodsky (1374–1434). Despite the fact that he only had the chance to be Grand Duke for one year, he was worthy of this title like no one else. He was a talented commander who did not lose a single battle; patronized the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery, founded together with his spiritual father, the Monk Savva Storozhevsky. He won his first high-profile victories at the age of 16. Contemporaries testified to the justice and mercy of the prince: he not only did not take the won trophies, but gave them to others; where it was possible to show toughness and kill the enemy, he pardoned and released, sometimes endowing with land holdings and money. Yuri helped his brother Vasily in everything, contributed to the strengthening of the Moscow principality, went on military campaigns instead of Vasily, risking his life, drove away enemies, subdued those who disagreed, and pacified the rebels. He did this quickly and efficiently, despite the fact that all the laurels from victories went to his older brother Vasily, who not only did not show gratitude, but also continued to compete.

George, the future Prince Yuri of Zvenigorod, was born in 1374 in the favorite childhood city of his mother Evdokia - Pereslavl on the day of remembrance of St. George the Victorious, and even during the period of the decisive, unifying congress of Russian princes, and the Rev. Sergius, who was present at the congress, became his godfather Radonezh. For the first time, the baby and the family as a whole were at the center of important events. All the Russian princes were present at the baptism, saw the boy, and congratulated the parents. The princes came to Pereslavl together with their wives and children in order to overcome past civil strife. The princes sat on a “single carpet” (a symbol of a common space established since the time of Vladimir Monomakh), negotiated, and then had fun at a family feast and gave each other gifts.

Son Yuri fell ill in 1388. The illness was probably severe, even if there is a mention of it in the chronicles. Fortunately, everything was resolved successfully: “God has mercy on him.” At the same time, the princess became seriously ill; perhaps she reacted so painfully to the serious condition of her beloved son that she herself became exhausted. God had mercy on both, and Yuri, in addition, also lived the longest life among his brothers (Andrei Mozhaisky (1382–1432), Pyotr Dmitrovsky (1385–1428), Konstantin Uglitsky (1389–1433)) - 60 years. It must be said that until the end of their lives, Evdokia Dmitrievna and Yuri had a special spiritual connection and consistency in actions. In 1393–1394, the Grand Duchess erected the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary as a monument to her husband, as a reminder of the victory on the Kulikovo Field, which occurred during the celebration of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary - September 8/21, 1380. At the same time, Yuri, in his domain near Zvenigorod, built the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, also in memory of his father and the victory of the Russian army.

Evdokia Dmitrievna did not see the civil strife into which her children and grandchildren fell in the battle for the grand-ducal throne after her death. Before her death, strife was impossible, since she was the guarantor of peace in the Moscow house, the guarantor of succession to the throne. She religiously observed her husband’s order to ensure that their sons always agreed to “be at the same time,” and that any separate agreements with third parties were prohibited.

Evdokia Dmitrievna participated in the governance of Russia and the affairs of her own home for 22 years with her husband and 18 years after his death. Her participation in contractual relations is known; her name “Avdotya” appears in the documents. One of these documents, signed by Grand Duke Vasily Dmitrievich, begins like this: “According to the word and blessing of our mother Avdotya,” in another place Fr.

The princess had to arrange the marriages of her eight children without the participation of her husband. Only the eldest daughter Sophia was married to the son of the Ryazan prince in 1387, two years before the death of Dmitry Ivanovich. As a result of the marriage, there was a union with a long-time rival - the Ryazan prince Oleg. In arranging the marriages of Vasily and Yuri, Evdokia Dmitrievna continued her husband’s policy of uniting with potential real opponents, in the first case with Lithuania, in the second with Smolensk.

Two daughters-in-law, educated according to the Western model, but different in character, appeared at court: the restless Sophia and the balanced Anastasia. The Lithuanian princess Sofya Vitovtovna was distinguished by sharpness and originality of actions, arbitrariness and emotionality; she subsequently influenced and stimulated the rivalry between her husband Vasily and his brother Yuri. The wise, restraining position of Evdokia Dmitrievna prevented Sofya Vitovtovna from developing in full force, but she did this after the death of her mother-in-law, actually provoking the start of a war between the heirs. Her father, the Lithuanian Prince Vitovt, testified to the strength of Sophia’s willful nature: “I had a daughter, a girl, and I had no power over her.” But what the father, the Lithuanian prince, could not do, the mother-in-law, the Moscow princess, managed to do. Evdokia Dmitrievna obviously understood the reasons for Sofia’s unease, whose increased anxiety arose from the experience of living at the Lithuanian court, where half of her relatives did not die a natural death. Evdokia Dmitrievna managed to instill in Sofia at least respect and trust in herself with her care and unconditional love, if Sofia Vitovtovna bequeathed to bury herself next to her mother-in-law. But before she did, Yuri’s wife Anastasia, the daughter of the Grand Duke of Smolensk Yuri Svyatoslavich, who was the direct opposite of Sofia, rested next to her mother-in-law. She embroidered vestments for her spiritual father, the Venerable Savva of Storozhevsky, and together with her husband Yuri took care of the churches. Unnoticed, unobtrusively, calmly and wisely, Princess Mother Evdokia was able to arrange the family life of her children.

After the death of her husband, Evdokia Dmitrievna remained in the world for a long time. Outwardly she looked like a princess, but inside she had long been a nun, leading a secret ascetic life and waiting for the moment to go to the monastery. While she could not, while she needed to continue to do housebuilding for herself and for her deceased husband. Evdokia Dmitrievna radiated beauty, prosperity and self-confidence in such a way that rumors spread throughout Moscow that she was vain in the pomp of her clothes, and was even accused of female impiety. These rumors also reached her sons, who approached their mother with a question. She opened her magnificent dresses, and they saw a body exhausted by chains. “Don't trust the outside. God alone is the judge of human affairs,” she told her sons. They fell at their mother’s feet with repentance for believing the slanderers and promising to take revenge, but she forbade it.

Evdokia Dmitrievna began doing good deeds from her very first appearance in Moscow: she helped victims of fire, pestilence, welcomed the poor, widows and orphans, responded to the misfortune of everyone who came to her for help.

Evdokia Dmitrievna began doing good deeds from her very first appearance in Moscow

Having grown up in the second most important city after Vladimir among the beautiful Suzdal churches, which became for her the standard of church beauty, the princess embodied all her impressions and knowledge on Moscow soil, building churches and monasteries here. She participated in the construction of the Nativity, Sretensky, Simonov, and Zachatievsky monasteries. Some researchers suggest that it was she who invited Theophan the Greek in 1399 to paint the Archangel Cathedral, since on her initiative the reconstruction and rebuilding of the stone walls of the temple took place, which were then decorated with frescoes. After 1382, Evdokia Dmitrievna, as a sign of gratitude for her miraculous salvation from Tokhtamysh, founded a monastery and churches in the city of her youth - Pereslavl.

Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God

The Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, built by her, in the Moscow Kremlin for a long time was part of the female half of the Grand Duke's mansion and served as a house church for grand duchesses and future queens.

The Venerable Euphrosyne, having founded the Ascension Monastery in the Moscow Kremlin, remained in the memory of descendants as the patroness of the female half of the ruling families of the Russian state. The most famous princesses and queens of Moscow were then buried in the monastery cathedral, just as their fathers, husbands, brothers and sons were buried in the Archangel Cathedral. She founded the Ascension Monastery at the Frolov Gate after the death of her husband and in memory of him: from here she accompanied him on campaigns with anxiety, but here she greeted him with joy. This monastery was considered royal, and its abbess had the right to enter the Russian queens without reporting. The queens knew that they would find peace under the shadow of this monastery, and Saint Euphrosyne began and blessed this tradition.

One of the significant affairs in the life of Evdokia Dmitrievna was her role in ridding Moscow of the invasion of Tamerlane in 1395. He did not collect tribute from the territories under his control, he simply wiped them off the face of the earth. On the advice of Princess Evdokia, her son Vasily brought the Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God to Moscow, predetermining salvation from the enemy and the creation of one of the main monasteries of Moscow - Sretensky.

Euphrosyne of Moscow reposed in the Lord at the 54th year of her life in 1407, having taken monastic vows in the Ascension Monastery she created and indicated a place for her resting place.

“Here you leave the crown and all the royal attire, you accept tonsure, you share the feats of your sisters.”

- read the verses dedicated to the Venerable Euphrosyne by the sisters of the Ascension Monastery at the beginning of the 20th century. By this time, there were more than 35 tombs of grand duchesses and queens in the monastery.

In 1922, the Bolsheviks removed the shrine and canopy over the holy relics of Euphrosyne in order to extract precious stones; the relics remained in a stone tomb.

In 1929, the government decided to destroy the monastery. Museum staff managed to save part of the necropolis. Now the rescued relics are in the Archangel Cathedral. In 2008, after the liturgy in the Archangel Cathedral, performed by Patriarch Alexy II, the relics of St. Euphrosyne of Moscow were transferred from the basement of the Archangel Cathedral to the chapel of the martyr Uar. From now on, everyone can come and venerate the patron saint of Moscow and Russia.

In the process of finding the relics, a leather monastic belt was found, which is now in the collections of the Kremlin Museums. This belt, preserved after 600 years, testifies to the incorruptibility of the monastic feat of the Venerable Euphrosyne. The belt was decorated with embossed images of the twelve holidays and inscriptions for them. And now in the Church of St. Euphrosyne at the Patriarchal Compound in Kotlovka you can take belts consecrated on the relics of the holy princess.

In 1407, when the Muscovites buried the Grand Duchess Evdokia, their peaceful life suddenly ended. In 1408, Edigei came to Rus' from the Horde and ravaged the Moscow lands. He kept the capital under a severe starvation siege, completely burned all its suburbs, and also plundered and devastated Pereslavl, Rostov, Dmitrov, Serpukhov, Vereya, Nizhny Novgorod and Gorodets. It was probably at that moment that the people went to the grave of their princess for intercession. The question of the date of canonization of St. Euphrosyne of Moscow still remains open. Local veneration began immediately after her burial. Some studies indicate that the glorification took place in the 16th century at the Makariev Councils, but there are no references to sources. According to historian Konstantin Kovalev-Sluchevsky, canonization occurred between 1857 and 1869. Until this time, on the days of memory of Euphrosyne of Moscow, memorial services were performed, as if for a revered deceased, and not prayer services, as is customary when venerating saints. Be that as it may, by the beginning of the 20th century, the Monk Euphrosyne was officially canonized, and she is the only woman of the Moscow princely house who received such an honor.

The question of the date of canonization of St. Euphrosyne of Moscow still remains open. Local veneration began immediately after her burial

In 1907, a special celebration was held for the 500th anniversary of the repose of Saint Euphrosyne; after the Liturgy, the faithful were given anniversary medals, icons, and sheets of biography. Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna, the future martyr, took a special part in preparing the celebration. She donated part of her jewelry in advance to decorate the shroud of St. Euphrosyne of Moscow. The sisters prepared a special cover for the shrine with relics with a full-length image of Saint Euphrosyne, and at the corners of the cover were embroidered images of St. Alexis, St. Sergius, the noble princes Daniel of Moscow and Dmitry Donskoy. Elizaveta Feodorovna ordered garlands of roses and cornflowers for the shrine with the relics, and she herself took part in the decoration, and she also donated a golden lamp to the relics of St. Euphrosyne.

On the eve of the celebration of the memorable day, believers went from the Ascension Monastery to the Archangel Cathedral to lay an icon on the tomb of Demetrius Donskoy. The holiday dedicated to the wife began with a bow to her husband; this was like a harbinger of an event that occurred more than 100 years later. Since 2015, June 1, the day of memory of Dimitri Donskoy, has become the day of his joint memory with his wife as a symbol of a good, faithful marriage, childbearing and family happiness. Now in our memory they will be inseparable. Nowadays, the blessed princess Evdokia and the blessed prince Dimitri lie in the same cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin - Arkhangelsk.

Since 2015, June 1, the day of memory of Dimitri Donskoy, has become the day of his joint memory with his wife as a symbol of a good, faithful marriage, childbearing and family happiness

In 2007, on the 600th anniversary of the repose of St. Euphrosyne of Moscow, new church awards were established - the Order and Medal of St. Euphrosyne of Moscow, which are awarded to women who have made a special contribution to the strengthening of spiritual and moral traditions in society and the development of social service. The first women to receive these awards were: composer Alexandra Pakhmutova, cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, Abbess Philareta (Smirnova), abbess of the Pyukhtitsky Assumption Monastery, and Honored Builder of Russia Galina Evseeva.

Icon of the Venerable Euphrosyne of Moscow

Temples are erected in memory of Saint Euphrosyne. The first of them was the temple in Kotlovka, built on the initiative of Muscovites (2002–2010). Among its shrines is the miraculous icon of St. Euphrosyne with particles of her relics and belt, as well as a stone from her tomb. Near the temple in 2013, the opening and consecration of the monument to Saints Demetrius Donskoy and Euphrosyne with their children took place.

In 2012, on Rozhdestvensky Boulevard, not far from the Mother of God Nativity Convent, according to legend, one of the founders of which was Grand Duchess Evdokia, a Worship Cross was erected in her honor, “by whose will the miraculous Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God was transferred to Moscow in 1395 , which saved Rus' from the invasion of Tamerlane.”

God willing, the Ascension Cathedral will be restored to its original location in the Kremlin. May our eternal memory and love be with the intercessor of our city, Saint Euphrosyne of Moscow!

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The daughter of the Prince of Suzdal and Nizhny Novgorod, Evdokia, was born in Suzdal in 1352. According to contemporaries, “she combined with the beauty of her face a rare kindness of soul.” Here they taught her to perceive the dignity of the Grand Duke not as an opportunity to spend time idle and well-fed, but as a great and difficult service - to God, the Fatherland, the people, and not to spare her heart for anyone. Throughout her life, the Grand Duchess will prove how she has internalized her father’s precepts. In 1366, she married the grandson of Ivan Kalita and the son of Ivan II the Red - Dmitry Donskoy, Grand Duke of Moscow and Vladimir. The chronicle says that the prince was “strong and courageous and had a marvelous look.” Evdokia was 13 years old, and Dmitry Donskoy was 17.

The marriage celebration took place on January 18, 1366 in Kolomna with all the splendor and magnificent rituals of that time. As Karamzin wrote, “this wedding was celebrated with all the magnificent rituals of that time in Kolomna.” The wedding took place in Kolomna because Moscow did not have time to rebuild after the terrible fire of 1365. This fire was called the Great All Saints. In two hours he destroyed the entire city and suburbs. But a year after the wedding, Prince Dmitry laid the foundation for the white-stone Kremlin, which was completed in 1368.

From the first days of her marriage, the young princess of Moscow Evdokia constantly justified the honor and attention shown to her. Chastity, ardent love for her husband, the deepest modesty of behavior before society and active piety - all these qualities were demonstrated by the Grand Duchess, and they fully corresponded to the high spirituality of her husband. Dmitry’s main qualities were peaceful, piety and family virtues, which he inherited from his father, Prince Ivan “The Meek.” Evdokia and Dmitry lived in love and harmony for 22 years. They had six sons and three daughters. Together they steadfastly endured all the trials that befell them. Dmitry Donskoy had to reign in difficult times. The Moscow land suffered from strife and external enemies, was twice raided by the Lithuanians, was devastated by the invasion of Tokhtamysh, and then rebuilt again.

During the reign of Dmitry Donskoy, the principalities of Suzdal, Yaroslavl, Nizhny Novgorod rallied around Vladimir and Moscow. But from four sides, Lithuania, the Prince of Tver, the Horde and the Prince of Ryazan attacked Rus'. Evdokia was not destined to enjoy serene happiness. In the year of the wedding, a terrible pestilence struck southern Russia, and then Moscow - Olgerd of Lithuania subjected Rus' to terrible devastation. Evdokia and her family survived the siege of the Kremlin. Dmitry's wife locked herself with the children in the new stone Kremlin, which Dmitry rebuilt after the All Saints Fire of 1365. Olgerd did not take the Kremlin.

The disasters of the Fatherland, the dangers to which the sovereign was exposed, crushed the heart of the young wife. She was ardently worried, seeing the devastation of the capital caused by the Lithuanians, she was ready to suffer better than to see her dearly beloved husband in danger. Having no other means to help, she earnestly prayed to the Lord for help. Prince Mikhail Alexandrovich of Tver, brave and active, did not want to go under the will of the Moscow prince, but could not equal Moscow with his own strength and therefore sought help from his son-in-law Olgerd Gedominovich of Lithuania, then support in the Horde. Mikhail Tverskoy managed to get a label from the Horde for the Great Reign, but the Moscow prince Dmitry did not let him into Vladimir, moreover, he went on a campaign to Tver and defeated Mikhail Tverskoy. In 1375, peace was concluded between Tver and Moscow. Princess Evdokia was greatly distressed by the fact that her husband and the Moscow state had another enemy who wanted to overthrow Dmitry from the grand ducal throne - Oleg Ryazansky. Proud and wayward, he either helped Moscow in the wars with Olgerd of Lithuania, or marched with an army to Moscow, opposing the policy of unity of command pursued by Dmitry. In December 1371, the Muscovites defeated the Ryazanians, but Oleg again established himself on the throne. Evdokia knew that he was the most stubborn of the Russian princes, and she prayed to God for the humility of his soul. Sergius of Radonezh helped in establishing peace. He knew how to quietly and meekly tune a person’s soul and extract the best feelings from it. The monk dissuaded the stubborn and severe Ryazan resident from war with Moscow. Subsequently, Ryazan and Moscow made peace, and Oleg Ryazansky agreed to the marriage of his son Fyodor Olegovich with the daughter of Evdokia and Dmitry, Sofia Dmitrievna, and became their matchmaker. After the end of the war, peace was concluded with Lithuania. Before this, the Lithuanian prince Olgerd went to Moscow three times and besieged it in 1368 and 1370. And the third time, in 1372, Olgerd did not reach Moscow, peace was concluded, and Olgerd hurried to the west to repel the advance of the Teutonic Order. To commemorate the conclusion of the alliance with Lithuania, Evdokia's brother-in-law, Prince Vladimir Andreevich (cousin and faithful friend from childhood of Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich) was solemnly engaged to Olgerdova's daughter Elena. The wedding took place a few months later and the Lithuanian princess became a Russian princess. Evdokia received her daughter-in-law in Moscow, not yet knowing how many insults she would endure from her relatives.

The robberies of the Horde stopped and silence fell on Russian soil during the reign of Ivan Kalita, the grandfather of Dmitry Donskoy. People began to wean themselves from the chilling fear of the Horde, and the moral and political revival of the Russian people began. The consciousness of the need for complete liberation from the Tatar yoke was maturing, but had this time come? Moscow Prince Dmitry discussed for a long time with Metropolitan Alexei and the boyars how to build relations with the Horde. It was necessary to choose: either openly oppose the Tatars, or resort to the previous means - to achieve the mercy of the khans by submission and humiliation. They chose a very wise policy, decided to act with cunning, flattery, and win the favor of the khan with gifts and obedience. In the early 70s, the success of courage and boldness was still doubtful. The people were excited and horrified when they learned that the young sovereign, Dmitry was then about 20 years old, should be in danger of being killed in the Horde. Karamzin wrote about the prince’s upcoming visit to the Horde: “No one could see without emotion how much Dmitry preferred the people’s safety to his own, and the general love for him doubled in the hearts of the grateful.”

There is no doubt that the state of mind of Evdokia, who was seeing off her dearly beloved husband, was as painful as that of all people, and the suffering was even deeper and despair. Metropolitan Alexei, Princess Evdokia and the people accompanied Dmitry to the banks of the Oka and there they prayed for a long time to the Most High Lord God . The Metropolitan ordered the boyars who accompanied the prince to the Horde to protect his precious life and share any danger with him. Evdokia, like all of Moscow, waited with trepidation for news from the Horde. The worries about the fate of those who went to the Horde were especially grave because an evil omen appeared in nature: black spots were visible in the sun, there was an evil drought in the country, fogs were so thick on the ground that it was impossible to see faces two fathoms away. Birds could not fly, but walked on the ground in flocks. The cattle were dying. Bread prices were beyond the reach of the common people. Neither the khan, nor the temnik Mamai, nor the nobles of the Horde recognized Dmitry’s true thoughts and greeted the prince kindly. He was again granted the Grand Duchy of Vladimir and released with great honor, agreeing to take a tribute much less than before. In the Horde, Dmitry did a good deed for his enemy, Prince Mikhail Tverskoy. He ransomed his son Mikhail, the young Prince Ivan Mikhailovich, from Horde captivity for 10,000 rubles. At the end of the autumn of 1371, Evdokia greeted Dmitry from the Horde with great joy. For Evdokia, a calm time of family happiness has come for several years. With her qualities of kindness and patience, Princess Evdokia acquired deep respect from the best people of her time - Metropolitan Alexei and, especially, St. Sergius of Radonezh. When her son Yuri was born in 1373, Sergius of Radonezh came on foot to Pereyaslavl, where the princely family was located, to be the successor of the newborn son Evdokia from the font. Evdokia considered this day one of the happiest in her life. Nearby were her husband, Grand Duke Dmitry, and her father, Prince Dmitry Konstantinovich of Suzdal, and her mother, Princess Anna, and her siblings, Princes Vasily Dmitrievich and Semyon Dmitrievich (not yet in litter, still alive). Sergius of Radonezh personally baptized her son and laid him in her arms. Perhaps in memory of this event, Princess Evdokia built a church in Pereyaslavl in the name of John the Baptist and founded a monastic monastery with it.

With a strict view of her Christian duties as a wife and mother, Princess Evdokia rarely appeared in society. Something extraordinary was needed to force her to leave her circle of family and friends and appear before the people. Such an event was the farewell of the husband of Prince Dmitry to the great and decisive battle with the Horde in 1380. Two years before, in 1378, there was a victory for Grand Duke Dmitry in the battle with the Tatars on the river. Vozhe. And now we are getting ready for a new battle. Going to battle with the hordes of Mamai on the Kulikovo Field, Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich walked around the cathedral churches of Moscow for the last time. On the square in front of the Archangel Cathedral, a group of women was waiting for him: Grand Duchess Evdokia, Princess Elena Serpukhovskaya - the wife of Prince Vladimir Andreevich, the wives of the Moscow boyars, they came out “to give their sovereign the final kiss.” When Dmitry left the Archangel Cathedral and went to Evdokia, she could not utter a word from tears and excitement. Dmitry himself almost burst into tears, as the legend says: “don’t shed tears for the sake of the people.” Gathering all the strength of his spirit, he spoke the words of the psalm: “If the Lord is against us, who can be against us?” - and jumped on his horse. During all the time of his absence there was not a day when Evdokia did not pray for the salvation of her husband.

Saint Sergius of Radonezh predicted to Dmitry “terrible bloodshed, but victory... the death of many Orthodox heroes, but the salvation of the Grand Duke.” And indeed, the prince was found after the battle unconscious, but alive. Dmitry’s Russian troops gathered in Kolomna, then crossed the Oka and moved to the upper reaches of the Don. We met with countless hordes of Mamai on the banks of the Nepryadva River, the right tributary of the Don. The battle began on the huge Kulikovo field. Only on the fourth day did Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich send a messenger to his wife Evdokia and Metropolitan Kupriyan with the news that he was alive and that on the day of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, September 8, a victory was won over the enemy and the enemy was defeated. After the Battle of Kulikovo, Grand Duke Dmitry began to be called Donskoy. On September 25, 1380, Dmitry Donskoy returned to Moscow victoriously. Grand Duchess Evdokia with her children, princes Vasily and Yuri, met him at the Kremlin gates. She was accompanied by her daughter-in-law - the wife of Prince Vladimir Andreevich and the wives of the governor. Together with her husband, Grand Duchess Evdokia toured the Kremlin cathedrals, where she offered fervent prayers of thanks for the victory won and the salvation of her husband. In the Church of the Assumption of the Mother of God, Metropolitan Cyprian performed a liturgy and a prayer service of thanks for the victory granted. The next day, Dmitry Donskoy, accompanied by Grand Duchess Evdokia, went to the Trinity Monastery to see Sergius of Radonezh, the herald of victory. Evdokia, in commemoration of the Battle of Kulikovo, vowed to turn the small wooden church of St. Lazarus into the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, for this day brought victory in the battle on the Kulikovo field. Evdokia fulfilled this vow at the end of her life. All the people celebrated the defeat of Mamai, but this was not yet the final victory over the Horde. Karamzin wrote: “God miraculously saved the prince among countless dangers to which he exposed himself with excessive ardor, fighting in a crowd of enemies and often leaving his squad behind him.”

The heart of Evdokia and all the people was filled with great horror when in 1382 a comet swept over the earth, which foreshadowed the formidable invasion of Tokhtamysh, and yet the enemies approached Moscow unexpectedly. Dmitry Donskoy, in order to gather an army, quickly rushed to Kostroma. Evdokia and her children remained in Moscow. The people were worried and did not let anyone leave the city. Scary drunken people, who usually appear during public unrest, wandered the streets and crowded at the Kremlin and city gates. Evdokia, in order to save the children from the anger of Tokhtamysh, who could fall on the city at any minute, decided to leave Moscow. This was not easy to do; there were barriers everywhere. Distributing her jewelry to the crowd, she paved the way for her train to leave the city wall. On the way to Pereyaslavl, a new danger awaited her. Tokhtamysh burned Moscow, causing a terrible pogrom in the city and plundering the surrounding area. One detachment from Tokhtamysh’s army overtook Evdokia’s train. The Horde were hot on her heels, but she and her children managed to rush to Pereslavl-Zalessky and take refuge behind the walls of the monastery, and then through Rostov she brought the children to Kostroma to her husband.

Tokhtamysh soon left Russian lands forever. One of his detachments was defeated by Vladimir Alexandrovich, his faithful comrade and brother of Dmitry Donskoy. When Tokhtamysh learned that Vladimir Alexandrovich’s army was standing at Volok, and Grand Duke Dmitry himself was standing in Kostroma, he quickly began to retreat. This marked a decisive change in Rus'’s relations with the Tatars, which was a consequence of the Battle of Kulikovo.

Grand Duchess Evdokia with her husband and children returned to devastated Moscow, where everyone was crying and burying the dead. Evdokia suffered difficult trials one after another in 1383. In addition to Tokhtamysh’s invasion of the country, there was a personal grief - her father, 60-year-old Dmitry Konstantinovich, died. Prince of Suzdal and Nizhny Novgorod. The old enemy Prince Tverskoy, counting on Tokhtamysh’s anger towards Moscow, went to the Horde to take away the title of Great from Dmitry Donskoy, i.e. the main thing in Rus', the prince. He did not go along the straight road, but along the outskirts, so that princes Dmitry and Vladimir would not find out about this. Tokhtamysh sent ambassador Murza Karacha to Dmitry, to invite him to the Horde to the khan. The circumstances were such that it was impossible to resist the Tatars this time, but going into the horde was also very dangerous. Princes were often killed there. Prince Dmitry Ivanovich was not allowed to go because “the very sound of his name outraged the soul of Tokhtamysh, who was evil to him.” No matter how great Evdokia’s sadness was, at the Great Council it was decided to send the eldest son Vasily to the horde, who in the future would become the Grand Duke after his father. Princess Evdokia made a sacrifice to the Russian land - she submitted to the decision of the Boyar Council, sent her 13-year-old son to the horde to Tokhtamysh, who had just incinerated Moscow. The mother's heart was seriously wounded by the news that Tokhtamysh had detained the young prince in the horde for an indefinite period, as a pledge of loyalty to his father's khan. The grieving Evdokia could barely stand three difficult years of separation from her son and constant prayer for him. Vasily Dmitrievich also suffered a lot until he escaped from Tatar captivity through the southern regions and western countries, through Moldova and Prussia. Vitovt, the cousin of Prince Jagiello of Lithuania, helped him escape. For this, Vasily Dmitrievich undertook to marry Vitovt’s daughter Sophia. The Moscow boyars solemnly greeted Prince Vasily.

Evdokia’s heart rejoiced and calmed down. Princess Evdokia was 34 years old at that time, and she was again expecting a child. She gave birth to a girl and named her Anna after her mother. All Moscow people rejoiced at the maternal happiness of their princess. But this joy was only a brief moment before new troubles. The year 1389 of the death of Dmitry Donskoy was approaching. Grand Duchess Evdokia was pregnant again, expecting her last child, and therefore they did not tell her about her husband’s serious illness. But then Prince Konstantin was born and the next day, still very weak, she entered her husband’s bedroom and was struck with grief - Dmitry lay in a serious illness, surrounded by his sons and boyars. Dmitry, seeing that Evdokia, whom he loved and deeply respected, had arrived, began to say his “last word.” He called Evdokia his dear wife and heir to wealth. In his spiritual will, Dmitry Donskoy assigned an important role to his wife, Evdokia: he allocated to the Grand Duchess several volosts from the inheritance of each son. Granted Grand Duchess Evdokia unlimited power in the redistribution of volosts between her sons. If one of the sons dies, then Evdokia herself should dispose of the inheritance. In addition to the lands, Dmitry bequeathed to his wife trades and most of the Moscow income. Having made exhortations to his sons, he ordered the boyars to approach: “Serve my wife and children,” asked the dying prince. Dmitry Donskoy introduced the boyars and everyone present to his 17-year-old son Vasily as the future sovereign. So he was the first of the princes not to ask the consent of the horde. He hugged Evdokia and said: “May the God of peace be with you!” He folded his hands on his chest and died. According to the chroniclers, it is impossible to imagine deeper spiritual grief: crying, long lamentations and screams did not stop in the palace, on the streets and squares. Grand Duke Dmitry was loved not only by his wife, but also by the people for his generosity, for caring for the glory of the Fatherland, for justice and kindness. Evdokia’s lament was recorded by chroniclers and became an ancient Russian literary monument. She lamented: “Why don’t you say a word to me, my beautiful flower? Why do you fade early? O abundant vine, no longer give fruit to my heart and sweetness to my soul. My sun, set early; My beautiful month, you perish early; Eastern star, are you coming towards sunset? Finishing the story about the princess’s cry, the chronicler exclaims: “From the grief of the soul, the tongue is tied, the lips are blocked, the larynx is silent.” Even in widowhood, she remained faithful to her husband’s memory, was a caring mother and was distinguished by her modest behavior in society and at court. According to her inner spiritual state, Evdokia wanted and was ready to go to a monastery immediately after her husband’s death.

But she considered it her duty as a Christian to take care of the well-being of children and to regulate family relations, including legal, property and financial relations. She began managing family affairs by fulfilling the agreement on the marriage of her son Vasily to the daughter of Vytautas. Vytautas at that time, pressed by Jogaila, did not sit firmly in Lithuania. So this marriage was not beneficial for Muscovy. But fulfilling this word was a matter of honor. Having enormous wealth, Evdokia used it not for herself, but for the cause of piety and charity. She fulfilled the vow made on the day of Dmitry’s return from the Battle of Kulikovo: the construction of the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary began, and she herself supervised the construction. In Pereslavl-Zaleskoye, at the Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist, built through her efforts, she created a monastic hostel. The Book of Degrees says that Princess Evdokia “built many holy churches and built monasteries.”

But there were also difficult, sorrowful days for the widow Evdokia. The courtiers who came from Lithuania—relatives of the young princess Sofia Vitovtovna—uttered “fictional words” about Evdokia, dishonoring her rumors. Evdokia knew about these fables, but silently endured the insults, counting this patience as a Christian duty. The widow princess incessantly fasted, deliberately exhausting her flesh. And at ceremonial receptions she wore several luxurious clothes so that her ascetic exhaustion would not be visible. When rumors at court intensified and became known to her sons. And one of them, Yuri, was even inclined to believe the slander; Evdokia decided to act and defend herself. After all, to ignore rumors meant losing sons, losing their respect and reverence. The gravity of the situation for her was that making excuses was not only humiliating, but also meant violating the secrets of piety and humility. For the sake of a moral lesson for the children, the princess cast aside her doubts. She secretly called her sons to her and announced that for the sake of higher justice she intended to reveal the secret of her life. At these words, she opened her clothes and exposed her chest and stomach. Horror seized the sons - they saw the emaciated, seemingly dried-out body of the mother, the bones covered with skin. This especially struck the gullible Yuri Dmitrievich. Princess Evdokia made the children promise to keep this meeting a secret. But the mother’s main order was for her sons to be more careful when talking about other people. She also made them promise that they would never take revenge on anyone who spread false rumors about their mother. Thus, Evdokia defended her dignity in an edifying manner for her young sons.

Princess Evdokia married all her sons and all her daughters. Two sons, Daniel and Simeon, died under their father. John - after the death of Dmitry Ivanovich. In 1394, Evdokia gave her daughter Princess Maria Dmitrievna to the Lithuanian prince Semyon Olgerdovich. The next year, 1395, she had a grandson from the eldest son of Prince Vasily, Yuri Vasilyevich, and in 1396, a grandson Ivan Vasilyevich. The next year, 1397, Princess Evdokia married her daughter, Princess Anastasia (Natalia) to Prince Tverskoy, Ivan Vsevolodovich, nephew of the famous militant Mikhail Alexandrovich Tverskoy. The eldest daughter, Princess Sophia, two years before the death of Dmitry Donskoy, was married to the son of Prince Oleg of Ryazan - Fyodor. In 1400, she married her son Yuri to Princess Smolenskaya, who briefly in 1433 - 1434. will become a Grand Duke. In 1403, Princess Evdokia married her son Andrei to Princess Agripina of Starodubskaya. In 1406, she married her son Peter to the daughter of the Moscow boyar Poluekhta Vasilyevich. The younger son Konstantin, who was left a 3-day orphan after the death of his father, was already carrying out the orders of the elder brother of Grand Duke Vasily - his godfather. In 1406, he was sent to Pskov to protect it from the Livonian Germans and remained in the war waged by the Moscow principality with the Lithuanian principality from 1406 to 1408. The upbringing of the last son of Constantine perfectly completed the worldly feat of Princess Evdokia - the feat of her mother.

F. Ya. Alekseev. Spassky Gate and Ascension Monastery in the Kremlin. 1800s

The children grew up and could no longer remain under her care. Now nothing tied the pious princess to worldly life. For seventeen years of her widowhood, for the sake of the well-being of her children, Evdokia endured the grand-ducal court, full of intrigues and gossip. Her soul had long longed for freedom and the peace of monastic life. And now this high-spirited woman could move away from the bustle of the world, think about her soul, especially since she had already been told about the imminent end of her earthly life. As an ancient legend says, an Angel appeared to the princess with the news of her death. Struck by joyful horror, the princess was speechless. The princess asked with signs that icon painters be sent to her. They rewrote the icon twice, but could not please the princess. Finally, the icon painter depicted Archangel Michael on the icon. Evdokia recognized the Angel, paid him homage, and the ability to speak returned to her. Evdokia placed the icon of the Archangel Michael in the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary, which she created. Evdokia did not stain herself with any family quarrel, never interfered in the affairs of her son - Grand Duke Vasily Dmitrievich, who after his father reigned for 36 years, and Dmitry Donskoy reigned for 27 years, although he lived only 39 .

Illness and the foreshadowed proximity of death prompted Evdokia to enter a monastery. The procession of the princess to the monastery from the royal chambers became a great event. The “Tale of the Blessed Grand Duchess Evdokia” says that during this procession God was pleased to show a sign of God’s favor and love for the righteous woman. With a calm step, the princess walked to the holy monastery she had built. The streets were full of people, the poor and the sick. During the short transition of Princess Evdokia from the palace to the monastery, about 30 sick people were healed. The blind beggar cried out loudly: “Princess! Give me insight! Blessed Evdokia continued on her way, as if not hearing his appeals, but when she caught up with him, as if by accident, she straightened her clothes and the sleeve fell onto the hands of the blind man. He dared to wipe his eyes with it and regained his sight! And the princess continued on her way with a calm step. Finally, she entered the monastery and the heavy gates closed behind her. On May 17, she was tonsured a nun, taking the name Euphrosyne.

But her good deeds continued. Three days later, after her tonsure, the humble nun Euphrosyne founded the new Church of the Ascension of Christ at her own expense. This was a special day memorable not only for Euphrosyne, but also for all of Great Rus' - the Day of the Burial of Dmitry Donskoy. But the days of the Monk Euphrosyne were numbered - on May 30, 1407, she died. She was buried on the seventh day, seventh month, seventh year of the 15th century, mourned by her sons, boyars and all the people. In the Church of the Ascension in the Kremlin, the tomb of St. Euphrosyne is the oldest of the tombs. She is placed at the right wall of the church, not far from the side South door. Her soul entered the world where the righteous live, this was soon proven by the first miracle that happened at her tomb: the unlit candle standing at her tomb lit up by itself, just as First, a candle was lit at the tomb of St. Peter.

For modern women, it may seem that the life of Princess Evdokia is generally very ordinary, dedicated to the fulfillment of the modest duties of a Christian, wife and mother. But the strictest honest and selfless fulfillment of one’s duty expresses the true Christian calling of a married woman, mother and widow. Therefore, the example of her life is of great importance for women and the entire Russian people. The monastery was the burial place of Russian princesses, queens and princesses. The royal brides lived here before their wedding. The Ascension Convent for Women was destroyed, and in its place in 1932-1934 an administrative building was built for the School of Red Commanders named after the All-Russian Central Executive Committee.

EVDOKIA DMITRIEVNA

EVDOKIA DMITRIEVNA

(c. 1353–1407) - Grand Duchess of Moscow, daughter of the Suzdal prince Dmitry-Foma Konstantinovich (senior) and his wife Anna, wife of Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy (from 1366).
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RUSSIA, HISTORY

According to the text of the Life of Dmitry Donskoy, “rare spiritual kindness was combined with the beauty of the face.” Hagiographic literature glorified her image as a pious and wise woman. Her spiritual teachers were Metropolitan Alexei of Moscow and St. Rev. Sergius of Radonezh.

As a young girl (according to anthropological reconstruction of the late 20th century, her height was 155 cm), Evdokia was betrothed by her father to marry the Grand Duke of Moscow and Vladimir, the grandson of Ivan Kalita and the son of Ivan II the Red, Dmitry Donskoy. The proposed marriage pursued political goals: there were discord between the Moscow prince Dmitry and Evdokia’s father, the Suzdal prince Dmitry Konstantinovich over the great reign. Having rendered the Suzdal citizen a service in returning the Nizhny Novgorod principality occupied by his brother Boris, Dmitry Ivanovich demanded that Dmitry Konstantinovich renounce his claims to the grand-ducal table and give his daughter Evdokia for him.

16-year-old Dmitry and 13-year-old Evdokia were married in 1366 in the Moscow region in the Resurrection Church of Kolomna. The marriage became the guarantee of peace between the Moscow and Suzdal principalities.

The chronicler reports that Evdokia was an example of a devoted wife, who always called her husband “My Bright Light.” Not a single Russian female chronicle character has been given so much space in descriptions of exemplary family life.

After indicating the date of the wedding, she is mentioned in the chronicle, under 1380, in connection with the description of her husband’s departure with the army to the Battle of Kulikovo. In the Tale of the Massacre of Mamayev

Evdokia is the image of a righteous woman who “constantly remained in the holy church, praying day and night” in order to call upon divine help for her husband.

In 1382, when the troops of Khan Tokhtamysh approached Moscow in the absence of her husband, who had not returned from the campaign, Evdokia remained in the capital, as she was pregnant. After the birth of her son Andrei, she left Moscow, almost captured by the Tatars who were chasing her, and reached her husband in Kostroma. After Moscow was captured and plundered by Tokhtamysh on August 26, 1382, up to 24 thousand Muscovites died, Princess Evdokia and her husband buried them at their own expense, considering herself guilty of not saving her subjects. Having lived with her husband for 22 years, Evdokia gave birth to 6 children, the last - Konstantin - at the age of 39 years.

Before his death, Dmitry called his son Vasily and Evdokia to him, entrusted the son to his mother and drew up a “spiritual document”. In it, he “ordered his children to the princess” and told them to “obey their mother in everything.” Evdokia's suffering over her deceased husband is described by the chronicler in the genre of lament typical of the literature of that time. (“For joy came tears, for joy unbearable sorrow! Why didn’t I die before you?...”).

Custom required Evdokia to take monastic vows, but she rejected the monastic lot, taking the development of events in the principality into her own hands. A year and a half after her husband’s death, she advantageously married her eldest son Vasily to the daughter of the Lithuanian prince Sofia Vitovtovna (1391). In 1395, when Vasily Dmitrievich, already a Grand Duke, marched against Tamerlane with an army, he left the capital of the principality to his mother. She sent to Vladimir for the miraculous icon of the Vladimir Mother of God. By the miraculous effect of the icon brought to Moscow, Muscovites explained that Tamerlane’s army turned away from Moscow. At the place where Muscovites met the icon, Evdokia Dmitrievna suggested that Vasily build the Sretensky Monastery.

According to her husband's will, Evdokia became the owner of significant property, which she disposed of at her own discretion. She invested in church construction: where Evdokia escorted Dmitry to the Battle of Kulikovo and where she met him victorious, she erected a stone Church of the Ascension and with it a “girls’ cenobitic monastery”; in memory of her husband, she ordered the construction of the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in the Moscow Kremlin for the female half of the grand ducal family, instructing Theophanes the Greek and Daniil the Black to paint it (1396). Theophanes the Greek was also invited by her to paint the Archangel Cathedral of the Kremlin (1399), the construction and reconstruction of the stone walls of which Evdokia also contributed to.

The worldly affairs that Evdokia conducted gave rise to rumors that she was living “dishonestly” in widowhood; her sons were also “embarrassed” by the rumors.

Then Evdokia retired from work and took open monastic vows under the name of Euphrosyne.

She died on July 7, 1407 in Moscow, and was buried in the Ascension Convent (when the church was demolished, her ashes were transferred to the Archangel Cathedral in 1929). In 1999, a Board of Trustees was created in Moscow to recreate the grand-ducal tomb of the great Moscow princesses and queens, which decided to build a temple for St. Euphrosyne of Moscow (Evdokia Dmitrievna) in the Kotlovka district in the South-Western district of Moscow. Evdokia was canonized at the same time as her husband, Dmitry Donskoy. An anthropologically accurate sculptural portrait of Evdokia based on her remains, preserved in the crypt, was made in March 2002 by S.A. Nikitin and is stored in the Moscow Kremlin Museum-Reserve.

Natalia Pushkareva

Grand Duchess Evdokia - wife of Dmitry Donskoy

On September 7, 1995, a solemn religious procession took place in Moscow - from the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin to the Sretensky Monastery. They celebrated a big holiday - the six hundredth anniversary of the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God in Moscow, brought from the city of Vladimir in 1395. One thing few people remembered is that this event is connected with the name of the widow of Dmitry Donskoy - Grand Duchess Evdokia. This happened during the reign of her son Vasily Dmitrievich, when the hordes of the Tatar-Mongol Khan Tamerlane approached the borders of the Moscow principality. And it was at the insistence of his mother that the Grand Duke ordered that the Vladimir Mother of God be brought to Moscow. Together with her sons, boyars, governors, and clergy, the Grand Duchess met the icon on Kuchkovo Field. At the site of this meeting - Candlemas - the Sretensky Monastery was subsequently erected. According to legend, at this very hour Tamerlane saw in a dream a vision of the “Bright Woman” surrounded by the heavenly army, and turned his troops away.

The name of Princess Evdokia has long been surrounded in Rus' with an aura of special holiness and respect. And on July 7, 1907, there were great celebrations in Moscow in her honor - it was five hundred years since the death of the Grand Duchess, who had long been canonized by the Orthodox Church. Princess Evdokia took monastic vows a few weeks before her death, and on July 7 she died and was buried in the Ascension Monastery, which she founded back in 1387 - seven years after the Battle of Kulikovo - in the Moscow Kremlin. The main church of the monastery - in the name of the Ascension of the Lord - has since become the tomb of the spouses, daughters, mothers of the great princes and tsars of the Russian state. It was a women's tomb, while the Archangel Cathedral became the necropolis of the Moscow grand ducal house. Subsequently, Sophia Paleologus, wife of Ivan III, a Byzantine princess, was buried there; Ivan the Terrible's mother Elena Glinskaya and some of his wives; mother of Peter I Natalya Naryshkina and others. The relics of the Venerable Grand Duchess Evdokia, who accepted Euphrosyne into monasticism, rested in the cathedral church of the Ascension Monastery, in a silver shrine under the canopy. Her husband, Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy, was canonized by the church only in our days - in 1988, so that at the celebrations of 1907 he was honored as the wife of the Venerable Euphrosyne. These are the paradoxes of history and fate.

The marriage of these extraordinary people, as can be understood from the testimony of contemporaries, was happy, although it took place through matchmaking. Dmitry Ivanovich ascended the throne of the Moscow principality as a 10-year-old boy and at the age of 16 married the daughter of the Suzdal prince, 13-year-old Princess Avdotya. Avdotya - Evdokia... The wedding was celebrated on January 18, 1366 in Kolomna. “And the whole earth rejoiced at the union of their marriage,” writes the chronicler.

The years of Dmitry Ivanovich's reign were dramatic, and among the contemporaries of the princely couple were St. Sergius of Radonezh, icon painters Theophan the Greek, Andrei Rublev, and Metropolitan Alexy. Sergius of Radonezh baptized two children Dmitry and Avdotya.

In August 1380, the Grand Duchess and her two sons accompanied Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich to the Battle of Kulikovo. Subsequently, in this very place at the Frolovsky (now Spassky) gates, the princess would build her monastery. The army was also met here after returning with victory from the banks of the Don.

However, the Russian people did not enjoy the joy of their victory over the hordes of Mamai for long. The Golden Horde did not forgive him for his shameful defeat on the Kulikovo Field, and Mamai was killed. Power was seized by Khan Tokhtamysh, who decided to take revenge on the Moscow prince Dmitry Ivanovich. Khan went on a campaign against Moscow.

The story of Khan Tokhtamysh's capture of Moscow in August 1382 is one of the most bitter pages of Russian history. Here two tragic circumstances inevitably manifested themselves because of which this happened - the betrayal of the princes and the incredible gullibility of the Muscovites. The chronicle story “About the arrival of Tokhtamysh the Tsar, and about his captivity, and the capture of Moscow” (abbreviated as “The Tale of the Invasion of Tokhtamysh”) tells us about this in great detail. The khan's goal was not only the capture of Moscow, but also the capture of Prince Dmitry Donskoy. The Tatar-Mongols moved quickly, and the prince of the Ryazan principality Oleg advised them how to take Moscow, indicating all the fords for crossing the Oka. Meanwhile, the Suzdal prince, the father of Grand Duchess Evdokia, Dmitry Konstantinovich sent his two sons, Vasily and Semyon, to Tokhtamysh: apparently, he again dreamed of receiving a label for the great reign from the Tatars, as he had achieved this before, even before his daughter’s marriage to the Moscow prince.

On August 23, 1382, the army of Khan Tokhtamysh approached Moscow, but Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich was forced to leave the city even before, since “among other Russian princes, and governors, and advisers, and nobles, and elder boyars, disagreement was discovered, and they did not want to help each other. And having understood, and understood, and examined, the noble prince came to bewilderment and great thought.” Maybe some wanted to abandon their prince? In any case, Dmitry Ivanovich went to Pereyaslavl, and then to Kostroma to gather another army. Grand Duchess Evdokia and her children followed him and with difficulty made their way out of the city.

Muscovites gathered a veche - they were confident of complete safety, since the city was remarkably fortified. Meanwhile, the army of Khan Tokhtamysh approached the Moscow walls. The townspeople shot arrows, threw stones, poured boiling water, shot crossbows, beat vices and “shot from the cannons themselves,” as the chronicle says. Tokhtamysh besieged the city for three days and realized that he could not take Moscow. And then the Suzdal princes Vasily and Semyon appeared “with the Horde nobles” and turned to the people standing on the impregnable walls of Moscow: “The Tatar king did not come against you in war, but against Prince Dmitry. The king does not require anything else from you, just come out to meet him with honors and gifts, since he wants to see this city and enter it, and visit it, and he will give you peace and his love!” And they asked to open the city gates. The princes of Nizhny Novgorod added to the persuasion of the Suzdal princes: “Believe us, we are your Christian princes.” Trusting Muscovites reasoned that Prince Dmitry Ivanovich was not in the city, and therefore the Khan’s army would not harm them. Oh, this trust in the enemy! It was as if they had forgotten that just two years ago they fought to the death with Mamai’s troops on the Kulikovo Field, and blood flowed in streams. They also forgot about the cunning of the enemy, about his ability to lie as necessary - just to win. On August 26, Muscovites opened the city gates and came out with gifts to Khan Tokhtamysh. And immediately the Tatars began to cut down everyone in a row, sparing no one. Churches were robbed, women were raped and killed, “there was no one to bury around Moscow... And others burned in fire, and others drowned in water, and many others were taken into filthy slavery.”

The return of Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich and Grand Duchess Evdokia to the burned and plundered city was terrible. They cried bitterly and ordered Moscow to be rebuilt.

On May 19, 1389, at the fortieth year of his life, unexpectedly for everyone, Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy died. In these last days, Princess Evdokia was involuntarily separated from her husband, as she was giving birth to her last son, Konstantin. She went in to her husband and saw him dying. “And groans entered his heart, so that his insides were torn, and his soul was already approaching death,” writes the author of “The Lay on the Life of Grand Duke Dmitry Ivanovich.” Was he poisoned like Alexander Nevsky? We will probably never know this, in any case, the secret of his death remains unknown to this day, but the Horde was incredibly happy.

The Grand Duke understood that he was dying, so he called his sons, the boyars, the princess and told them: “So I am going to my Lord. You, dear princess, be your children’s father and mother, strengthening their spirit and instructing them to do everything according to the commandments of the Lord.” And son Vyam said: “I entrust you to God and your mother, and always be under the fear of her.” This will alone is a complete refutation of the supposedly humiliated position of women in Ancient Rus'.

The author of the story conveyed to us not only the dying speeches of Dmitry Donskoy, but also the cry of the Grand Duchess Evdokia, his beloved Avdotya, over him. Before us is a truly poetic work of an ancient Russian poetess, so in discussing who should give the right to be called the first poetess in Rus', we must not forget the name of the Grand Duchess Evdokia. Here is an excerpt from this text:

I’m fast asleep, my dear sir, I can’t wake you up. What war did you come from, are you very tired? The beasts of the earth go to their beds, and the birds of the sky fly to their nests, but you, sir, do not leave your home well! Who will I be like and what will I call myself? Will I call myself a widow? I don't know this. Should I call myself a wife? I lost my king. Old widows, comfort me, and young widows, weep with me. The widow's misfortune is the most bitter among people. How I cry or how I exclaim: “My great God! King of kings, be my protector! Most Pure Lady Theotokos! do not leave me in my time of sorrow!” (translation from Old Russian - by the author).

Grand Duke Dmitry Donskoy was buried in the Archangel Cathedral of the Kremlin, where both his father and grandfather were already buried. The son of Dmitry Ivanovich, Vasily, ascended the Moscow throne, and the entire Moscow principality was divided between his brothers, which caused a long internecine war. Who knows how Rus' would have developed further if Dmitry Donskoy had lived longer!

Grand Duchess Evdokia was a tireless builder of churches and monasteries, and in 1407 the Archangel Michael appeared to her, informing her of her imminent death. According to legend, Grand Duchess Evdokia ordered an icon with his image, which later became the temple icon of the Archangel Cathedral of the Kremlin.

After the death of Princess Evdokia, during the monastic life of Euphrosyne, many healings were performed at her tomb in the Ascension Monastery, and candles were lit by themselves. This went on for several centuries, and Saint Euphrosyne was revered as the patroness of Moscow. And in 1929, by decision of the government, the destruction of the Ascension Monastery began in the Kremlin. Stalin could not tolerate the existence of a monastery, especially a monastery, on the territory of the Kremlin.

The museum staff tried to selflessly save something. The necropolis of the monastery was destroyed, the remains of all the burials were taken to the basement of the Judgment Chamber under the Archangel Cathedral, where they remain to this day. The fragments of the tomb of St. Euphrosyne are in the same basement, and parts of her leather belt were removed during the opening of the tomb, and they are still in the Kremlin museums. The broken tombs of our great duchesses and queens are still dumped in neglect.

But the mercy of the Venerable Euphrosyne, in the world of Grand Duchess Evdokia, wife and widow of Dmitry Donskoy, remains with us.

Svetlana KAYDASH

The Venerable Euphrosyne of Moscow, daughter of Prince Dmitry of Suzdal and wife of the holy noble Prince Dmitry Donskoy, bore the name Evdokia before her tonsure. The marriage of Evdokia and Dmitry was of great importance for Moscow, cementing the union of the Moscow and Suzdal principalities.

She was the mother of twelve children. Her eldest sons were baptized by the Monk Sergius of Radonezh.

The life of Evdokia of Moscow combined the feat of civil service to her people and righteousness in family life.

In 1380, having accompanied her husband on a campaign against the Tatars, she remained the de facto ruler of Rus'. On September 8, 1380, Prince Dmitry defeated Khan Mamai on the Kulikovo Field. This victory marked the beginning of the revival of the Russian national spirit. For her, Grand Duke Dmitry received the nickname Donskoy. And in the Moscow Kremlin, by order of the princess, a temple was built in honor of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The temple was painted by the great icon painters of Ancient Rus', Theophanes the Greek and Daniil Cherny.

Two years later, she again had to fulfill the role of ruler of the state, when, during the invasion of Moscow by Khan Tokhtamysh, Prince Dmitry went north to gather troops.

In 1389, Prince Dmitry, who was not even forty years old, died (his body was buried in the Kremlin, in the Cathedral of the Archangel Michael). Left without a husband, the princess put on a hair shirt and chains under her princely dress, fasted herself and began attending church services every day. She began donating to churches and monasteries, helping the poor, and built another stone church in the Kremlin - Evdokia the Martyr, as well as the Ascension Convent (destroyed in 1929). For almost 20 years, Evdokia Dmitrievna ruled Moscow and during this time she managed to do a lot. It was thanks to her that Moscow established itself as the Mother See of Moscow.

In 1395, when Tamerlane was marching on Moscow, it was Princess Evdokia who advised her son, Grand Duke Vasily, to transfer the miraculous image of the Vladimir Mother of God from Vladimir to Moscow. And Tamerlane, who had already passed through the entire Ryazan principality, having taken Yelets, turned around and went back.

In 1407, Archangel Michael appeared to Princess Evdokia and announced her imminent death. Then the princess decided to take monastic vows. In monasticism she was named Euphrosyne. A month and a half later, she died, and soon the sick began to be healed at her tomb in the Ascension Church of the Ascension Monastery she founded. Believers revere her as an intercessor and patroness of wives and mothers.

The memory of the Venerable Euphrosyne of Moscow is celebrated: May 17/30 and July 7/20.

Prayer to the Holy Blessed Princess Euphrosyne

O venerable princess Euphrosyne, a noble ascetic in women, a most praiseworthy servant of Christ! Accept the prayer from us, the unworthy, who fall to you with faith and love and with a warm petition to God, ask for the preservation of the city of Moscow and the people from troubles and misfortunes, help, like a child-loving mother, the child you have gathered to bear the yoke of Christ in complacency and patience and kindness strive to correct your life, hedgehog to salvation; in the world, ask the Lord for firmness in faith, progress in piety in the world, and to everyone who comes running to you with faith and asks for your help and intercession, always give healing to illnesses, consolation in sorrows and prosperity in all life, especially beg the Lord for peace and repentance earthly life will pass us, we will be delivered from bitter ordeals and eternal torments and receive the Kingdom of Heaven through your intercession, where you stand with all the saints before the Lord, may we always glorify the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and to the endless ages of ages. Amen.