TRANSLATION OF THE RELICIS SAINT ALEXANDER NEVSKY

With the abolition of the patriarchate at the beginning of the 18th century and the introduction of collective church governance by the Synod, Peter the Great sought to protect the Russian Church from the interference of the Greek patriarchs in its affairs, to avoid a recurrence of the crisis that followed the deposition of Patriarch Nikon in 1666. Peter proclaimed himself emperor and “Father of the Fatherland” and appointed Prince Alexander Nevsky as the heavenly patron and spiritual father of Russia.

1 In mid-September 12, the Russian Church celebrates the translation of the relics of Saint Alexander Nevsky (1221–1263) from Vladimir to Saint Petersburg. This was a long-term event. On August 30, 1721, today is September 12, according to the old calendar, Peter I finally defeated Sweden after a long and bitter war. On that day, the Peace of Nystad was concluded. Two years later, the translation of the relics began, and was completed in 1724. Alexander’s relics were placed in the Trinity Cathedral of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra.

2 Like Saint Petersburg, this monastery had just been founded and built and was destined to become the abbey for religious education and evangelization in the new Russian capital. On November 2, 1721, two months after the beginning of Alexander’s transfer, Tsar Peter proclaimed himself Emperor and “Father of the Fatherland.” Thus, these two events—the proclamation of Russia as an empire and the “great pilgrimage” of the relics of Saint Alexander across the earthly homeland—began almost simultaneously. They were preceded by the third: the abolition of the patriarchate in the Russian Church, which occurred at the very beginning of the year. On February 14 (25), 1721, the Holy Synod replaced the patriarch. Alexander would become the spiritual patron, military protector, and, much less obviously, but very importantly, the Heavenly Patriarch of the Russian Church for two centuries, until the empire founded by Peter was destroyed by the militantly atheistic Bolsheviks.

3 Those who visited Vladimir and the famous Dormition Cathedral could see that many holy princes were buried there. But it was Alexander who was destined to become the patron saint of the new Orthodox Empire, born of civilizational expansion and military victories. The history of the Christian Church and the history of holiness have never known such a radical and grandiose example of the posthumous transfiguration of the image of original holiness.

4 From a sovereign with a fairly long reign (from 1249 to 1263), Grand Prince of Kiev and Vladimir, but with a short life of only 42 years, Alexander became a symbol of political success and the protector of a prosperous and powerful state. From a diplomat and fervent supporter of peace with the Mongol Empire at the cost of compromise, he was supposed to become the image of an inflexible ruler with an iron will; from a martyr, for according to one tradition, the prince was poisoned with a slow-acting poison on his way from the Horde—in other words, the “Boris and Gleb” of his time—he became an invincible victor. From a “prince-monk” obedient to the Church, for Alexander’s first miracle was his outstretched hand in the coffin for the bishop’s prayer of absolution, he became the abbot of the main monastery of the imperial capital and the spiritual father of the Russian Empire.

5 This happened, and no one ever felt any discrepancy or discord between the original image and the glorification accumulated in the apotheosis of holiness. And this is undoubtedly the greatest miracle of Saint Alexander.

6 Finally, by divine will, after the Revolution of 1917, when the Russian Empire founded by Peter the Great was destroyed and the Orthodox Church had to endure persecution within the country and wanderings in the diaspora, Saint Alexander was predestined to become the heavenly patron of the Russian Archdiocese, whose cathedral, its spiritual heart, was in the City of Lights, Paris. And this is another great sign.