HEAVENLY PATRON SAINT OF THE BLESSED GRAND DUKE ALEXANDER NEVSKY: OPINIONS OF RESEARCHERS AND A NEW HYPOTHESIS

Metropolitan of Kostroma and Nerekhta Ferapont

Kashin Dmitry V.

Kostroma Diocese, Kostroma, Russia

Email: ferapontk@ya.ru

ORCID: 0000-0003-2895-9523

Issue: № 3 (31), 2025

Pages: 73

Annotation

The article discusses the question of which saint the blessed Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky was named after in baptism. It is pointed out that V.A. Kuchkin's traditional version that this saint was the martyr Alexander of Rome, whose memory is celebrated on May 13 (26), does not take into account the various naming traditions that existed in Russia, which established the relationship between the birthday, the day of baptism and the day of remembrance of the heavenly patron saint. Taking into account these traditions, a new version is proposed.: Saint Alexander Nevsky received his baptismal name in honor of the holy Martyr Alexander, whose memory, along with St. Antonina the Virgin, is now celebrated by the Church on June 10 (23), and previously was celebrated on June 9 according to the old style. This hypothesis allows us to establish a connection between the dedication of the Alexander and Antonina’s Church in Selishe (in the modern city limits of Kostroma) and the history of the Holy Trinity Ipatievsky Monastery, founded, perhaps, as a place of special veneration for the memory of St. Alexander Nevsky.

Keywords

Russian Orthodox Church, Kostroma diocese, Venerable Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky, Martyr Alexander, naming, Kostroma, Selishe, Ipatievsky Monastery, Alexander and Antonina’s Church