Day of Remembrance of Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky (06/12)

Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky — a talented commander, diplomat, wise and strong ruler — put all his strength into protecting the Russian Land from foreign invaders. The Orthodox Church glorified the prince for his meek service to his neighbors and merciful assistance provided to the people during times of difficult trials and hardships.

Grand Duke Alexander Nevsky of Vladimir had a difficult fate: «to save Rus', he had to simultaneously show the valor of the warrior and the humility of the monk».

The fame of this man was great during his lifetime. The main battles won by the prince, the — Battle of the Neva with the Swedes in 1240 and the Battle of the Ice with the German knights (crusaders) on Lake Peipsi in 1242.

Realizing that Mongol slavery — was a humiliating and heavy burden, he nevertheless made a lot of efforts to maintain peace with the Horde, which gave him the opportunity to devote all his strength to repelling aggression from the Catholic West. Catholicization for Orthodox Rus' meant not only physical destruction, but also spiritual death.

Unlike the Tatars, the crusaders, blessed by the Pope, not only robbed and killed, but also destroyed the foundations of the Orthodox spiritual culture of the Russian people. The veneration of Prince Alexander as a saint began almost immediately after his death.

On December 6, 1941, on the Day of Remembrance of Alexander Nevsky, the counter-offensive of Soviet troops began near Moscow, and in 1942, the Day of the Battle of the Ice coincided with Easter. With funds from the Russian Orthodox Church, an air squadron named after Alexander Nevsky was created.

To this day, the Russian people believe that Alexander Nevsky guards the borders of the Russian state.

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