Demetrius of Uglich (Moscow), the slain Crown Prince

Dates of commemoration

May 28
(Church calendar - May 15) Day of martyric death
Jun 05
(Church calendar - May 23) Synaxis of All Saints of Rostov and Yaroslavl
Jun 16
(Church calendar - Jun 3) Translation of the relics
Jun 25

(Church calendar - Jun 12) Synaxis of Saints of Vologda (movable feast on the 3rd Sunday of Pentecost)

Sep 03

(Church calendar - Aug 21) Synaxis of all saints of Moscow (movable feast on the Sunday before August 26th)

Nov 01
(Church calendar - Oct 19) Day of nativity

Life

Born October 19, 1582 and was the son of Ivan IV Vasilyevich, more commonly known as Ivan Grozny or Ivan the Terrible.

Ivan was succeeded by his much less capable son, Feodor, upon his death in 1584. According to some, the new Tsar Feodor was not only feeble in body, but also in mind. This meant that Feodor was a ruler only in name, and that real power was in the regency council that was established to guide the Tsar. One of the most prominent figures of the council was Boris Godunov, the Tsar’s brother-in-law.

Feodor and his wife, Irina, did not produce an heir, and, according to one popular account, BorisGodunov was hoping to occupy the Russian throne once Feodor died. In order to achieve this, Boris Godunov would have to have to get rid of the last of Ivan’s sons, Dmitri.

In the year that Ivan died, Dmitri, his mother, and his uncles were exiled to Uglich, the Tsarevich’s appanage city.

Wanting to get rid of the rightful heir to the Russian throne, Boris Godunov began to act against the prince as against a personal enemy. At first he tried to slander the young heir to the throne, spreading false rumors about his alleged illegitimate birth. Then he issued a new invention that if Demetrius had inherited his father's harshness Sovereign. As these actions have not brought the desired, the insidious Boris decided to destroy the prince.

An attempt to poison Demetrius was not a success: the deadly potion did not harm the child. Then the villains decided to hide the crime. In Saturday May 15, 1591, the young prince Demetrius walked in the yard with his nurse. The killers, Osip Magi, Danilo Bitiagovsky and Nikita Katchalov, brutally stabbed prince.

Prince Dimitri was buried in Uglich, in the palace church of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Many miracles and healings began to be made at his tomb, especially often healed the sick eyes. A July 3, 1606 the holy relics of martyr Tsarevich Dimitri were found incorrupt.

Source:

http://www.pravoslavie.ru/english/87081.htm

http://days.pravoslavie.ru/Life/life6556.htm

http://days.pravoslavie.ru/Days/20150515.html

Holy relic type

unless specified otherwise below, "holy relic" means a fragment of a bone of the saint

Holy relic

Location of the holy relic in the Cathedral:

Icon of Crown Prince Demetrius. South kliros, west wall

Icon

Troparion

Тропарь благоверного царевича Димитрия, глас 4
Царскую диадиму обагрил еси кровию твоею,/ Богомудре мучениче,/ за скиптр Крест в руку приим,/ явился еси победоносец/ и жертву непорочну Владыце принесл еси себе:/ яко бо агнец незлобив, от раба заколен еси./ И ныне, радуяся, предстоиши Святей Троице,/ молися о державе сродников твоих богоугодней быти/ и сыновом российским спастися.

Ин тропарь благоверного царевича Димитрия, глас 1
Всеоружеством Духа благодати вооружен быв/ и необорим столп и утверждение отечеству своему показася,/ яко агнец незлобивый, от врага неправедно заклан быв/ и в жертву непорочну Господеви принесеся./ И ныне дар благодати от всех Подвигоположника прием,/ источавши всем исцеление, достохвальне благоверный царевичу княже Димитрие./ Слава Восприимшему тя от земных в Небесная,/ слава Венчавшему тя венцем неувядаемым,/ слава Действующему тобою всем исцеление.

Kontakion

Кондак благоверного царевича Димитрия, глас 8
Возсия днесь в славней памяти твоей верным веселие,/ яко бо доброрасленный грезн, прозябл еси/ и Христу красен плод принесл еси себе;/ темже и по убиении твоем соблюде тело твое нетленно,/ страдальчески обагреное кровию./ Благородие святе Димитрие,/ соблюдай отечество твое и град твой невредим,/ тому бо еси утверждение.

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