A saint's day
St Alexander Nevsky
Alexander, son of Grand Prince Yaroslav, became Prince of Novgorod while still young and was loved for his mercy to the poor and the hungry. After tearful prayer in Novgorod's Cathedral of Holy Wisdom he defeated the Swedes on the Neva in 1240, and the holy martyrs Boris and Gleb were seen coming to his aid; facing the overwhelming power of the Horde, he chose humility and patient diplomacy to win mercy for his people. He took the monastic schema with the name Alexis and reposed in 1263, and at his burial he stretched out his own hand to receive the prayer of absolution.
The dates
- Kept on
- 23 November (6 December on the Old Calendar)
- Next, New Calendar
- Next, Old Calendar
The New Calendar (the Greek, Antiochian, Romanian and Bulgarian churches, the OCA and most converts) keeps fixed feasts on the church date; the Old Calendar (the Russian, Serbian and Georgian churches, Jerusalem and Mount Athos) keeps them 13 days later. Pascha and the feasts that follow it are kept on the same day by both.
How the day is kept
He is a Russian saint, venerated chiefly in the Russian Church, and known in Bulgaria and Serbia through the cathedrals dedicated to him in Sofia and Belgrade.
Orthodox Christians pray to him for courage, wisdom and steadfastness, for the peaceful end of conflicts and for the safety of soldiers and their families.
A second feast keeps the translation of his relics to St Petersburg.
Name days
These names keep their name day on this feast: