Enlightened from above by God’s wisdom, illumined by the Holy Spirit, loving Christ with all your heart; wisely arranging your earthly works for His glory; founding the church of Holy Wisdom in Kiev and building the wondrous city of Yaroslavl on the Volga — you are honoured among the people as wise to this day, most pious Prince Yaroslav. Pray to Christ our God to grant us peace and great mercy.
Troparion, Tone 4
Each year on 5 March, the Church remembers Saint Yaroslav Vladimirovich, called ‘the Wise’ by those who came after. As the old chronicle says: ‘Prince Vladimir ploughed Rus’ with baptism, and Yaroslav sowed it with the words of books.’
Lawgiver, enlightener, town-builder, diplomat — such was Prince Yaroslav. Though he rarely saw a year’s peace, the old chroniclers insist he had little appetite for war. Like his father before him, Yaroslav looked more to diplomacy, alliances, and mutual gain than to bloodshed. Yet his age was a hard and violent one. War seemed the answer to every quarrel, foreign or domestic, and more often than not, the great prince found himself drawn into battle — sometimes on the defence, sometimes leading men on campaign. But there was a reason people called him “the Wise,” and the Church placed a crown of sainthood on his brow. For here was a Christian prince, remarkable in his energy for the faith, a leading figure for the Orthodox Church, uniting Russian lands, collecting the first code of laws for Rus’, founding cities, and knitting together daily life across his domain.
The holy right-believing prince of Kiev, Yaroslav — son of the holy equal-to-the-apostles great prince Vladimir and the Polotsk princess Rogneda — was born in 978 and received the name George at holy Baptism.
Old Yaroslavl, photograph from the late 19th century
Saint Vladimir first shared out his lands among his sons, placing the nine-year-old Yaroslav in Rostov. One day in 1011, the young prince was sailing down the Volga with his men. Near a place called Medvezhy Ugol, where the Kotorosl river flows into the great river, he came upon a troubling scene: local pagans were plundering merchant boats. This lawlessness angered the prince. He stepped in, defending the merchants and putting a stop to the raid. Some time passed, and Yaroslav returned, this time with a bishop and clergy, set on bringing Christianity to these wild parts. But the pagans set upon him with dogs and a fearsome she-bear, an animal they held sacred. With a swing of his axe, Yaroslav killed the bear. The dogs, meanwhile, curled up at his feet. Stunned, the people laid down arms and accepted baptism. And right there, on that very spot, the prince founded a city and called it Yaroslavl, after himself. The settlement became a stronghold on a cape at the mouth of the Kotorosl, giving the old Russian state fresh command of the Volga trade route. It all began with a church dedicated to the Prophet Elijah, on whose feast day (2 August), Yaroslav had fought and felled the beast. Today, Yaroslavl honours its founder and patron, his statue towering over Epiphany Square in the heart of the city.
Yaroslav’s Court stands on the Market side of the Volkhov River in Novgorod, named for Yaroslav the Wise, whose palace once rose there. Seven churches still stand today in this location.
In 1012, after the death of his eldest son Vysheslav, Saint Vladimir appointed Yaroslav to rule Novgorod, passing over the older brother, Svyatopolk, who had fallen out of favour. It was in that northern city that Yaroslav first heard the news: his father had died. What followed was a bitter struggle for the Kievan throne. The eldest, Svyatopolk — later called “the Accursed” — seized the moment. Ruthless and cunning, he ordered the murder of his brothers Boris and Gleb, then claimed Kiev for himself. He set his sights on a third victim — Yaroslav — though their sister Predslava got word to Yaroslav and warned him in time. Yaroslav gathered an army of Novgorodians and Varangians and marched on Kiev. For three months the brothers’ forces faced each other at Lyubech, until Yaroslav finally broke Svyatopolk’s lines. The defeated brother fled to Poland, seeking refuge with his father-in-law, King Bolesław the Brave.
Two years passed. In 1018, Bolesław and Svyatopolk’s combined strength pushed into Rus’ lands, reaching Kiev. The city fell after a brief siege. Yet again, Yaroslav rallied a fresh army in Novgorod of Varangians and local men and advanced to Kiev to take back the great throne. The two brothers clashed for the last time on the River Alta in 1019, where Svyatopolk suffered defeat. Now Grand Prince of Kiev, Yaroslav shared power with his brother Mstislav, Prince of Tmutarakan, who received all the left bank of the Dnieper in 1025, with Chernigov as his capital.
Under Yaroslav the Wise, Kievan Rus’ saw its golden age. Like his father before him, Yaroslav managed to shield his land from the raids of the Pechenegs. In 1030, after a successful campaign against the Baltic tribes, he founded Yuryev — today’s Tartu in Estonia — on the shores of Lake Chudskoye, securing Russian presence in the Baltic. When his brother Mstislav died in 1035, Yaroslav became sole ruler of Kievan Rus’.
Yaroslav Vladimirovich appoints Hilarion as Metropolitan of Rus’ in St Sophia’s Cathedral, Kiev. Illustration from the Radziwill Chronicle, 16th century
For the devout prince Yaroslav, the main task was to order life within Rus’. Many towns owe their beginnings to him: Yaroslavl on the Volga; Yuryev Rusky (now Belaya Tserkov in Ukraine); another Yaroslav, now in Poland; and Novgorod Seversky in today’s Chernigov region of Ukraine.
Yaroslav’s true mark on Russian history springs not so much from war or diplomacy, but from his work in building up the state from within. Under his reign, Kiev flourished as never before.
During the reign of Yaroslav the Wise, Kievan Rus’ gained its first legal code: the Russkaya Pravda. His sons and grandson, Vladimir Monomakh, later expanded it, but this collection of laws became the bedrock of the everyday life and justice for the people. “Russkaya Pravda” stands as t he oldest surviving record of Slavic law. Courts across the land relied on it for centuries, adapting its rules or weaving them into new charters as time went by. The laws set down by Yaroslav outlasted his own reign and remained effective for several centuries.
Scholars point out an intriguing fact: despite the fairly brutal era, Yaroslav’s law code was one of the most lenient in Europe. Most crimes were settled not with violence, but with a vira — a simple fine. Yaroslav also tried to put a stop to the feuding that so often tore princely families apart. He brought in a special law of succession: power would pass not from father to eldest son, but from the eldest brother to the next in line.
Yaroslav celebrated his long reign by raising countless churches. Most splendid of all stands the Cathedral of St Sophia in Kiev.
Yaroslav Expands Kiev. Miniature from the Radziwiłł Chronicle, 16th Century
In 1036, while the Grand Prince was away in Novgorod, grim news reached him. The Pechenegs were besieging Kiev. Without delay, Yaroslav mustered a force of Varangians and men of Novgorod, hurried to his city, and there joined with his Kievan force to meet the attackers — whose numbers, it was said, seemed endless. The battle was fierce. The fighting lasted the whole day. By evening, Yaroslav had just defeated his enemies.
To mark such a hard-won victory — one that had saved his homeland — Yaroslav founded the magnificent stone cathedral of St Sophia, the Wisdom of God, on the very field where swords once clashed. He also decided to expand Kiev far beyond its old walls. Taking its inspiration from the grand Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, Kiev’s cathedral, founded in 1037, was built on a smaller scale and had its own distinct character. Once finished, Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kiev served as the metropolitan cathedral seat. A metropolitan’s residence was constructed next to it — the first fixed home for Russia’s leading hierarchs.
The Golden Gate — a monument of early Russian defensive architecture from Yaroslav’s day — served as the grand entrance into Kiev’s Upper Town from the south
After Saint Sophia Cathedral, Yaroslav built a stone church at the Golden Gates, positioned west of the cathedral within the earthen rampart. That same year, 1037, the prince started building this fortification to surround his enlarged capital.
This church was dedicated to the Annunciation of the Most Holy Mother of God. The chronicler notes that it was built with a particular hope in mind: “may joy always be to that city through the holy Annunciation of the Lord and the prayers of the Holy Theotokos and Archangel Gabriel.”
After raising the Annunciation church, Yaroslav built two more stone churches near Saint Sophia Cathedral, each with its own monastery. To the west, looking towards the Golden Gates, stood one for his own guardian angel, Saint George the Victorious. To the south rose another, for Saint Irene, the patron of his wife.
Rather than list every church Yaroslav founded, the venerable chronicler makes a general remark: “He raised churches throughout the cities and in many places… and Yaroslav rejoiced to see so many churches rising.” Yaroslav not only built new churches, but also took great care to restore old ones. In 1039, says the chronicle, Metropolitan Theopemptus consecrated the Church of the Mother of God of the Tithes, built by Yaroslav’s father Vladimir. In 1045, Yaroslav and the devout Princess Irene were present as their son Vladimir laid the first stone of St Sophia’s Cathedral in Novgorod. As in Kiev, once the Novgorod Sophia was dedicated, it became the seat of the local bishops.
Kievan Rus’ had received baptism not long before Yaroslav’s time through his father, Prince Vladimir. Years and even centuries of effort lay ahead before Orthodoxy fully took root among the people. Saint Yaroslav the Wise spread the faith by setting the people on the path of Christian learning. By his will, the first major school was founded in Novgorod in 1028, teaching three hundred children of priests and elders to read and write.
Under Yaroslav’s rule, the first Russian monasteries appeared — strongholds of faith still standing today. In 1030, he founded the Monastery of St George near Novgorod and the Kiev Caves Monastery in Kiev.
Monument to St Yaroslav the Wise in Epiphany Square, Yaroslavl
Alongside the secular “Russkaya Pravda,” a Church Statute appeared — laying out the rights and responsibilities of the Church and its dealings with the state. Under Yaroslav, the first native Metropolitan, Hilarion, was chosen for the Russian Church. Until then, all bishops had come from Byzantium.
Also during Yaroslav’s reign the relics of the martyred saints Boris and Gleb were uncovered. And it seems very likely that during his rule, people began marking the memory of Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir on the day of his death, the 28th of July. By then, without doubt, Vladimir was already counted among the saints.
Like his father, a man who “loved the words of books,” Grand Prince Yaroslav gave himself over to reading. He often pored over books day and night. He cared just as deeply about enlightening his people. He was determined that his people, too, should benefit from the light of learning, just as his father. When posting priests across towns and villages, he provided them a personal stipend from his own coffers. This freed them up to gather people in churches more often and teach the faith with genuine enthusiasm, as God had commanded them. Yaroslav also drew to himself a circle of learned men. By his order, they translated many works from Greek into Slavonic, while others, already translated in Bulgaria or Rus’, were carefully copied out. He made these books available to all believers, inviting anyone interested to read. In time, Yaroslav amassed a rich collection of manuscripts which he placed in the Cathedral of St Sophia in Kiev — founding, in effect, the first library in our land, open to all.
Prince Yaroslav the Wise ruled Kievan Rus’ for thirty-seven years. Under his hand, the realm flourished, and Orthodox faith gained deep and lasting roots among the people.
Looking beyond his borders, the prince kept ties with Europe, striking alliances and strengthening them through royal marriages. The royal houses of Europe sought ties to the family of the prince in Kiev. Yaroslav himself married the Swedish princess Ingegerd, daughter of King Olof Skötkonung. After her baptism, Ingegerd took the name of the devout Princess Irene. Together, they raised a large and impressive family: seven sons and five daughters, all of them well-educated. They spoke several languages and set an example of uprightness and Orthodox piety. Metropolitan Hilarion’s “Praise to Saint Prince Vladimir” (circa 1040) bears witness to this: “Look at your grandchildren and great-grandchildren — see how faithfully they keep the faith you handed down, how often they enter the holy churches, how they praise Christ and worship His name!”
Daughters of Yaroslav the Wise, fresco in St Sophia’s Cathedral, Kiev, 11th century
The older children of Yaroslav and Irene left a clear mark on the history of Rus’. Metropolitan Hilarion rightly wrote about the Kievan princes: “They did not rule in an unremarkable land, but in Rus’ — renowned and heard of in all the corners of the earth.” Three sons of Yaroslav the Wise married German princesses; another son, Vsevolod, wed the daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine Monomachos — their union gave rise to the future Grand Prince Vladimir Monomakh. Yaroslav’s daughters became queens of Norway, Hungary, and France. Kazimir, grandson of the Polish king Bolesław the Brave, married Yaroslav’s sister Maria, who became the Polish queen Dobroniega.
Yaroslav’s son Iziaslav also took a royal bride, marrying Gertrude, sister to Poland’s King Kazimir. With such powerful alliances, Yaroslav the Wise became known as “Europe’s father-in-law.” Magnus the Good, son of Saint Olaf, came to live in Kiev after his father died — Yaroslav took him in as his own. Years later, Yaroslav helped his adopted son ascend first to the throne of Norway and later that of Denmark.
Scandinavian sagas* mention Saint Prince Yaroslav the Wise time and again, naming him Jarizleif Konung**. Many sagas tell of Yaroslav’s marriage to Ingegerd, daughter of the Viking leader Olof Skötkonung. One saga, ‘The Thread about Eymund’, describes how Viking warriors fought at the prince’s side in his wars against Svyatopolk the Accursed and the Polish King Bolesław.
Byzantine sarcophagus in Kiev’s Sophia Cathedral, which once held the holy remains of Yaroslav the Wise
Yaroslav Vladimirovich died on 5 March 1054 in Vyshhorod, where he spent his final years. People began to honour the devout Prince Yaroslav as a holy man almost as soon as he was gone. He was laid to rest in the Kyiv Sophia Cathedral, which he had founded, in a marble sarcophagus that stands there still. Sadly, in the twentieth century, the relics of Saint Yaroslav disappeared from the cathedral during the Second World War — most likely taken first to Germany and then to the United States. The Church canonised him in recent times. On 8 December 2005, by blessing of Patriarch Alexy II, his name was added to the calendar of saints of the Russian Orthodox Church. Then, on 3 February 2016, its Bishops’ Council established his church-wide veneration.
By tradition, Prince Yaroslav the Wise stands as the heavenly protector of statesmen, lawyers, judges, prosecutors, church builders, librarians, scholars, teachers and students.
To his sons, Saint Yaroslav the Wise left a final counsel — recorded in the “Tale of Bygone Years”: “Love one another. If you live in love with one another, God will be among you and will subdue your enemies for you, and you will live in peace. But if you hate one another and quarrel, you will perish yourselves and destroy the land of your fathers and grandfathers, which they won with bitter toil.”
He left the throne of Kiev to his eldest son, Izyaslav, dividing other cities — Chernihiv, Pereyaslavl, Vladimir and Smolensk — among the younger sons. And to his heir, he gave this parting word: “Should anyone wrong his brother, help the one who is harmed.”
Heir to your father’s throne, faithful keeper of the Apostolic tradition, unifier of the Russian land, pillar of Christ’s Church, wise builder of God’s temples, devout ruler of our people you have truly come to us as God’s blessing, holy and right-believing Prince Yaroslav. Pray for our souls without ceasing.
Kontakion, Tone 4
O saintly and divinely wise Prince Yaroslav, you discerned the will of God in your life, and, following the commandments of Christ with devotion, won purity of heart. Intercede for us, that the Lord may grant us this virtue too, so we might find God in the quiet of our hearts. Blessed father, we also ask your prayers: entreat the Lord to give us strong faith and unfeigned love, that we might save our souls. Pray that the churches may flourish, that a temple be built on your name in your city, ask for wisdom and strength for our bishops, zeal for the shepherds, and a spirit of humility and obedience for those called to the monastic life — above all, grant us diligence in prayer, so that with one voice we may glorify the Giver of all good things, our Lord in the Trinity, now and forever. Amen.
Prepared by the team of obitel-minsk.ru
Photographs from the internet
Sources:
1. Prince Yaroslav the Wise and the Rise of Kiev
2. The Life of the Holy, Faithful, Grand Prince Yaroslav the Wise | Parish of Yaroslav the Wise
3. Russian Lands
4. Grand Prince Yaroslav Vladimirovich the Wise | Russian Federal Archives Agency | VK
5. Easter | Yaroslav the Wise
* Sagas are ancient literary monuments, telling of the lives of Scandinavian peoples in the 10th–11th centuries.
** ‘Konung’ means ‘prince’.
