The Holy Blessed Princess Anna Kashinskaya was born in the second half of the 13th century in the city of Kashin, which was part of the Rostov-Suzdal Principality. She was the daughter of the Grand Duke of Rostov Dimitry Borisovich. WITH youth Saint Anna was raised in the fear of God, taught humility and obedience. Her mentor was Saint Ignatius, Bishop of Rostov (+1288; commemorated on May 28), who is known for his strict asceticism and love of peace. Like all princely daughters, Saint Anna was taught different types handicrafts. When the princess grew up, the fame of her intelligence, modesty and beauty became known in other principalities. The Tver princess Ksenia sent ambassadors to the Rostov prince Dimitri with the following order: “He has... one daughter, very virtuous, wise and beautiful, this... I want to see my son in marriage as a wife; I loved her for her good nature.” The embassy of the Tver princess was crowned with success: Saint Anna was given as a wife to the Tver prince Mikhail, later the noble martyr prince (+1318, commemorated November 22).
The wedding of the blessed princess Anna with the holy prince Michael took place on November 8, 1294 in Preobrazhenskoe cathedral in Tver. The sacrament of marriage was performed by Bishop Andrey of Tver. The chronicler notes, speaking about the marriage of Prince Mikhail, that “there was great joy in Tver.” In connection with the joyful event, the residents of Kashin built the St. Michael’s Church and the triumphal gates from the Kremlin to the Tver road in Kashin, also calling them “Mikhailovsky”. A festive service was held annually in the Kashin Assumption Cathedral on November 8th.
The blessed Princess Anna was an example of a Christian wife and mother and was adorned with many family virtues. The holy spouses lived in love and harmony, cared for the welfare of their people, and were merciful to the poor and orphans. They had five children: sons Demetrius (1299), Alexander (1301), Constantine (1306), Vasily (1309) and daughter Theodora (1300), whom they raised in the fear of God and taught Christian virtues.
Despite the disasters, Saint Anna was happy. She endured adversity with her characteristic humility and submission to the will of God. In 1295, Tver was destroyed by a terrible fire. In 1296, a new fire destroyed the grand-ducal palace; The holy prince and princess barely escaped. “What a miracle it was,” notes the chronicler, “how God stood up for the prince.” That same year there was a cattle pestilence and a severe drought, and he became seriously ill Grand Duke. The loving and compassionate heart of the blessed Princess Anna experienced all the sorrows that befell her people. Constant civil strife between the princes and the struggle for the grand-ducal throne often caused princes to attack each other. This led to the ruin of the Fatherland and many other troubles. Saint Princess Anna had to repeatedly accompany her husband on campaigns, mourning him as if before death.
In 1318, Saint Prince Michael, in order to ward off the Tatar invasion of Tver, which was supposed to bring death to many people, the destruction of churches and monasteries and the ruin of the entire Tver land, went to the Horde. Holy Princess Anna knew that he was going to certain death, but as a true Christian and patriot, she courageously blessed him on this journey. Before separation, she admonished the faithful prince: “I beg you, my lord... when you appear before the wicked king as a good warrior of Christ, and when they betray you to evil torment, do not be afraid of the evils coming upon you, may neither fire nor wheels frighten you.” , neither sword nor flogging, but be patient, going to this voluntarily... Love, my lord, the One Lord Jesus Christ.” The farewell words of Saint Princess Anna contain the entire depth of her love for God, her sacrificial devotion to His holy will, the greatness of her Christian soul.
Saint Anna and her children accompanied Saint Prince Michael to the Nerl River. It is believed that near the village of Malinik, Kalyazin district, there was last goodbye faithful spouses. Saint Prince Michael was martyred in the Horde on November 22, 1318. Only in July of the following year did the blessed Princess Anna learn about the martyrdom of her husband. Having learned that his holy relics had been brought to Moscow, she sent an embassy there. The incorrupt body of the holy martyr was transferred to Tver and buried in the Transfiguration Cathedral.
In subsequent years, the sorrows of the blessed Princess Anna multiplied even more. In 1325, her eldest son, the Grand Duke of Tver, Dimitri the Terrible Eyes, was tortured in the Horde. In 1327, the second son Alexander defeated the Tatar army, which was devastating the Tver lands. In revenge, the khan gathered a new army and defeated Tver; Prince Alexander was forced to hide in Pskov. The long-suffering mother did not see her son for ten years, and in 1339, Prince Alexander and his son Theodore were killed in the Horde. An ancient life describes the life of the blessed princess Anna before becoming a monk: “Even in her house she... with frequent prayer I prayed to God, so that she would not deprive her of the dignity of the saints. And having given yourself much fasting and abstinence, adorning yourself with meekness and humility, feeding the poor, you commanded to bring the strange and wretched into your house and to feed, and to protect orphans and widows.” After the death of Prince Michael, Saint Anna decided to fulfill her long-standing desire - “to work alone with God in silence.” She took monastic vows at the Tver Sophia Monastery with the name Euphrosyne. Having exchanged the princely chambers for a wretched monastic cell, Saint Anna began to strive in even greater fasting, vigil and prayer.
Having maternal compassion for the poor and unfortunate, she still tried to help them.
In 1365, the youngest son of the blessed princess Vasily, the only survivor at that time, begged his old mother to move to his appanage principality - the homeland of St. Anna. With sorrow, Tver saw off the blessed nun Euphrosyne to Kashin. The people of Kashin greeted her there with great joy. All residents came out to meet the holy ascetic, known for her piety. The Assumption Monastery was built in Kashin, where the saint received the schema with the name Anna. All-night vigils, unceasing prayer, abstinence - were the daily feats of Schema-nun Anna. The saint remained in silence, which she interrupted only to instruct Prince Vasily. She taught him to remember death, adhere to the truth, be humble, meek and long-suffering.
The Lord revealed to Saint Anna the day of her death. She died at a ripe old age on October 2, 1368 and was buried in cathedral church in honor of the Assumption Mother of God. The holy blessed princess Anna did not leave her earthly Fatherland even after her death: with her prayers she protected the city of Kashin from misfortunes. Fires broke out in the city several times, but quickly stopped without spreading to large areas. In 1606-1611, the Poles besieged Kashin several times, but could not take it.
After her death, the blessed princess Anna was revered locally, but after several centuries the memory of her weakened. When in 1611 Saint Anna healed the sexton of the Assumption Church Gerasim from a serious illness (the saint appeared to him in a schematic robe), the veneration of the blessed princess Anna was resumed; healings began to occur at the saint’s tomb. In 1649, at the request of the clergy and citizens of Kashin, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich ordered the examination of the relics of Princess Anna. On July 21, 1649, Archbishop Jonah of Tver and Kashin and his clergy opened the tomb and found the incorruptible relics of the blessed princess Anna. In the same year, the Council of the Russian Church decided to canonize the blessed princess Anna and open her holy relics for public worship. A service was organized for the discovery of the relics.
Church glorification of the blessed princess Anna and grand opening her relics took place on June 12, 1650. On that day, the holy relics of the blessed princess Anna were transferred from the wooden Assumption Cathedral to the ancient stone Resurrection Cathedral. Hieromonk Epiphany Slavinetsky composed a service for the transfer of the relics. At the same time, a church-wide celebration was established twice a year: July 21, on the day of the discovery of the relics, and October 2, on the day of his death. Nowadays the memory of Saint Anna is also celebrated on June 12, the day of the transfer of the relics. The Life of the Blessed Princess Anna was written shortly after her glorification by the elder of the Solovetsky Monastery Ignatius (later Metropolitan of Siberia).
In 1677, Patriarch Joachim (1674-1690) and the Council abolished the celebration of the memory of the blessed Princess Anna due to the aggravation of the Old Believer schism, which used her name for their own purposes. However, the veneration of Saint Anna among the people did not stop. The memory of the saint was maintained by miracles from her relics. During the War of 1812, through the prayers of the blessed princess Anna, Kashin was spared from devastation by the French. In 1817, grateful residents of the city transferred the holy relics of the blessed princess Anna from the ancient one to the newly built Resurrection Cathedral. In 1848, during cholera, the pestilence stopped after a religious procession through the city with the icon of St. Anne. Many pilgrims from other provinces of the country came to the holy relics.
In 1909, at the numerous requests of the Kashin residents, church veneration of the Holy Blessed Princess Anna was restored. The celebration is timed to coincide with June 12, the day of the first transfer of her relics. Nowadays the holy relics rest in the church in honor of the holy apostles Peter and Paul in the city of Kashin.
The Holy Reverend Princess Anna Kashinskaya was the daughter of a prince Rostovsky Dmitry Borisovich, great-granddaughter of the holy noble prince Vasily of Rostov, who accepted martyrdom for refusing to betray the holy Orthodox faith. Blessed Anna’s grandfather’s brother-in-law was Saint Peter, Tsarevich of Ordyn, a baptized Tatar, canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church.
The princes of Rostov were distinguished by their piety, and Anna grew up in the traditions of the Orthodox faith, love for the Church, and veneration of relatives who were martyrs for the faith. She lived in those times when Holy Rus' endured the harsh feats of confession and martyrdom under the Tatar-Mongol yoke, and also suffered from internecine wars.
Her father died in 1294, when Anna was about seventeen. That same year she was married to Prince Mikhail Tverskoy. Princess Ksenia, the mother of Prince Tverskoy, having learned about Anna's beauty and virtues, sent matchmakers to Rostov. Anna was brought to Tver, where the wedding immediately took place. The bride and groom saw each other for the first time, standing in the temple under their wedding crowns, but their marriage was destined for heaven: mutual love and respect, devotion and understanding were carried by the spouses through the years, despite all the hardships that befell them.
Many sorrows befell Saint Anna. In the spring of 1295, the entire city of Tver burned down, in the spring of 1298, the entire prince's tower with all its property burned to the ground, the prince and princess escaped the fire by jumping out of the window. That same year there was a great drought, forests burned, livestock died. The prince became seriously ill. In 1299 there was a terrible solar eclipse; Anna's very first child, daughter Theodora, born this year, dies in infancy. Anna then had four more sons.
In 1304, Prince Mikhail of Tver received a label (a special charter confirming the rights of the prince) to the great reign of Vladimir, but along with the honor of primacy among other princes, he acquired a mortal enemy in the person of Prince Yuri of Moscow, who also laid claim to the great reign. In 1313, a new khan, Uzbek, reigned in the Horde, and Prince Mikhail had to go to the new khan to receive a label. Mikhail stayed in the Horde for about two years, while the princess waited, cried and grieved, not knowing what to think.
Returning, the prince waged a war with Novgorod, which ended in a heavy defeat for him. In 1317, the treacherous Yuri arrived from the Horde with a label for “seniority”; Prince Mikhail reconciled and ceded his rights to him. However, Yuri was not satisfied with this and went to war against Tver. Mikhail was forced to fight back and defeated his enemy, capturing the Tatar ambassador Kavgady and the sister of Khan Uzbek, Yuri’s wife, who, unfortunately, died suddenly in Tver.
Slandered by enemies, in 1318 Prince Mikhail, who had just won a brilliant military victory, but who did not want to use it to the detriment of others, again goes to the Horde to ward off hometown the threat of a Tatar pogrom and become an innocent victim. Prince Mikhail was ready for anything, confessed and received communion. Everyone present was crying. But Saint Anna inspired her husband to heroic deeds: “And if you, my lord and faithful prince, want to go to the Horde and voluntarily suffer for the name of the Lord Jesus, then you will truly be blessed throughout all generations and your memory will be forever.”
After a month and a half, St. blgv. Prince Mikhail Tverskoy suffered a martyr's death in the Horde, but the body of the saint was delivered to Tver only a year later. It did not decay, although it was transported in both heat and cold, sometimes on a cart, sometimes on a sleigh, and for the whole summer it remained unburied in Moscow. All worries about the principality and her sons fell on Anna’s shoulders; More and more troubles began to fall, Tatar raids began. In 1325, her eldest son, the hot-tempered and hot-tempered Demetrius the Terrible Eyes, killed Prince Yuri of Moscow in the Horde, whom he considered responsible for his father’s death, and for this he was executed by the khan.
In 1327, when the Tatar ambassador Shevkal, a cousin of Khan Uzbek, arrived in Tver with a large retinue, the residents of Tver raised a spontaneous rebellion and killed all the Tatars. After this, the entire Tver land was devastated by fire and sword, the inhabitants were exterminated or taken captive. The Tver Principality had never experienced such a pogrom. Anna Kashinskaya and her family had to flee and hide in exile for a long time, and return home to bare ashes. The second son of the princess Alexander, after many years of exile, went to ask for mercy from the khan, but in 1339 he was executed in the Horde along with his son Theodore.
The princess's suffering reached the limit of human capabilities. Nevertheless, the meek, patient enduring of suffering did not harden the deeply believing soul, but clothed it with great humility. The saint decided to leave the world in the Tver Sophia Monastery and took monastic vows with the name Sophia (according to some sources, Euphrosyne); the saint began to strive in prayer and fasting. Subsequently, the youngest son of Princess Vasily begged his mother to move to Kashin, where his inheritance was. Especially for her, he built the Assumption Monastery, where the sorrowful princess-nun could remain in silence and seclusion. Here the monk took the schema, with her former name Anna. Here she reposed in the schema in 1368, her body was buried in the Assumption Monastery Church.
The blessed princess died on October 2(15), 1368. She was 90 years old. Her son Vasily died of grief the next day, they were buried together in the Assumption Cathedral.
The name of the blessed princess Anna was forgotten over time to the point that her tomb was treated with disrespect, and only in 1611, as a result of her appearance to a pious cleric, a special reverence for their heavenly patroness, who invisibly protected them from enemies and saved their city, awoke in the residents of the city of Kashin from ruin.
IN Time of Troubles(1606-1611) Polish-Lithuanian troops approached Kashin three times, but not only failed to take the city, but also did not cause much harm to it. At the same time, a strong fire broke out in Kashin, but quickly stopped. Involuntarily, God-fearing townspeople began to wonder: what saint was guarding their city? But in 1611, the princess appeared in a dream to the seriously ill sexton of the Assumption Cathedral, Gerasim, promised to heal him and said: “The people regard my coffin as nothing. Don’t you know that I pray to the All-Merciful God and the Mother of God that your city will not be given over to the hands of your enemies, and that I will save you from many evils and misfortunes?” The next morning Gerasim was healthy. From that day on, healings and miracles at the tomb of St. Anna did not stop. The people immediately began to venerate the coffin of the blessed princess Anna as a great shrine.
The rumor of miracles from the relics of the blessed Princess Anna reached the pious Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich and His Holiness Patriarch Nikon, and at the Moscow Council of 1649 it was decided to open the relics of Princess Anna. In 1649, her relics were examined. Anna's body and clothes did not decay, but right hand lay on her chest “bent, as if blessing” (the index and middle fingers are extended, that is, folded into a two-finger cross).
The transfer of the relics of the blessed Anna Kashinskaya from the dilapidated wooden cathedral church to the stone Resurrection Cathedral with the participation of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich himself took place on June 12, 1650. In the entire history of the Russian Church to this day, not a single saint has received such a brilliant and magnificent celebration.
However, soon the holy blessed Anna Kashinskaya unexpectedly became a symbol of schismatics, when in the second half of the 17th century the Old Believer schism began, and many began to be embarrassed by the fact that the incorruptible fingers, according to legend, were folded according to the custom that existed in Rus' in the 14th century (moreover, St. Anna was sometimes depicted on icons with her hand folded in the sign of the cross). No one questioned the holiness of the blessed princess, but in order not to give rise to temptation, Patriarch Joachim and the fathers of the Councils of 1677-1678. they are destroying the canonization of the saint, prohibiting the veneration of the holy relics of Anna Kashinskaya, canceling prayer services and services to the saint until the time “until God announces and approves.” This extraordinary event is unique in the history of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Although the church debunking of the blessed princess Anna lasted 230 years, grateful folk memory she maintained strong faith in the intercession of her heavenly patroness before the Lord. Before getting married, before entering the service, before being tonsured, before starting studies, making any serious decision, not to mention all sorts of troubles, illnesses and sorrows, believers went to pray at the tomb of the blessed Anna.
On June 12 (25), 1908, Emperor Nicholas II, by the will of God, again glorified the blessed princess, restoring proper veneration of the saint.
And already in 1909, in the city of Grozny, in the region of the Tver Cossacks, a women’s community arose in honor of the holy blessed princess Anna Kashinskaya. In 1910, a temple in the name of St. Anna Kashinskaya in St. Petersburg was consecrated.
During the troubled years of war and revolution, the image of the blessed Princess Anna became even closer and more understandable to the Russian people. It was remembered that the blessed Anna, having also seen off her husband and sons into that dangerous unknown from which they often do not return, buried and mourned them, was also forced to flee and hide, while enemies were smashing and burning her land.
Prayers to the Venerable Grand Duchess Anna Kashinskaya.
O reverend and blessed mother Anno! Humbly falling before your honorable relics, we pray diligently with tears: do not forget your poor to the end, but always remember us in your holy and auspicious prayers to God. O blessed Grand Duchess Anno! Do not forget to visit your children, even though you passed away from us in body, but even after death you remain alive and do not depart from us in spirit, preserving us from the arrows of the enemy, all the charms of the demonic and the snares of the devil. Our zealous prayer book! Do not stop praying for us to Christ our God, even though the relics of your cancer are visible before our eyes, but your holy soul, standing with the angelic hosts at the Throne of the Almighty, worthily rejoices. We fall down to you, we pray to you, we are dear to you: pray, most blessed Anno, to our All-Merciful God for the salvation of our souls, to ask us time for repentance and to pass from earth to Heaven without restraint, to be delivered from bitter ordeals and eternal torment and to be the heir to the Kingdom of Heaven to be with all the saints who have pleased our Lord Jesus Christ from time immemorial, to Him be glory, with His Beginning Father, and with His Most Holy, and Good, and Life-Giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Troparion to the Venerable Grand Duchess Anna Kashinskaya.
Troparion, tone 3
Today we praise you, reverend mother, Grand Duchess Nun Anno: for as the vine is fruitful in the midst of thorns, you have flourished in the city of Kashin with your virtues, you have surprised everyone with your wonderful life, and you have pleased Christ God, and now, rejoicing and having fun, you remain with joy reverend women enjoying heavenly beauty and joy. We pray to you: pray for us, the Lover of Mankind, Christ our God, to grant us peace and great mercy.
Kontakion, tone 4
Like a bright star, you appeared in the Russian land, in the city of Kashin, the Venerable Mother Anno, in all pious and faithful wives, like a krin, you flourished with your pure and immaculate life, in the nuns you completed your works and exploits, and you ascended to the Highest City , rejoicing and having fun, as if you had completed your course well, and now your honest relics, like precious beads, appeared for healing to all who come with faith. That is why we cry out to you: Rejoice, all-red soul, and pray to Christ God for the salvation of our souls.
Greatness
We bless you, reverend mother, Grand Duchess Anno, and honor your holy memory, teacher of nuns and interlocutor of the Angel.
Anna Kashinskaya is the daughter of a prince from the city of Rostov, Dmitry Borisovich. The wife of the Grand Duke of the city of Tver Mikhail Yaroslavovich.
From her youth she endured all the sorrows that can befall a woman. She lost her father early, and a few years later she lost her home as a result of a terrible fire that destroyed all the property of the princely family.
The main virtue of the Orthodox saints was patience and humility, which Saint Anna, the patroness of the city of Kashin, fully possessed.
Life of Anna Kashinskaya
Anna was born around 1280 in the city of Rostov. In November 1294 she got married. She also lost her first child, her daughter Theodora, and became a widow early. Her husband was tortured in the Golden Horde in 1318 for showing disrespect for Tatar Khan and for refusing to renounce his Orthodox faith and worship idols.
Left alone after the death of her beloved husband and being a passionate Christian believer, Anna retired to the Sophia Monastery in the city of Tver and took monastic vows, receiving a new name - Euphrosyne. Soon after this, yielding to the fervent requests of her son, Prince Vasily, the newly elected nun moved to live in the Assumption Monastery, where, after accepting the schema, she returned her baptized name - Anna.
Saint Anna left four adult sons in the world - Prince Vasily, Dmitry, Alexander and Konstantin, all of them were deeply and devoutly religious people, ready to suffer for their beliefs. During her lifetime, Saint Anna experienced all the sorrows possible for a woman and mother.
In 1325, Dmitry Mikhailovich, having met Prince Yuri of Moscow in the Horde, whom everyone blamed for the death of Prince Mikhail, killed him, after which he was executed by the khan for disobedience. In 1339, the youngest son Alexander and Anna's grandson Fyodor were also executed: they were quartered, and body parts were scattered across the steppe.
Apparition of Saint Anne
Unable to bear all these losses, Anna died suddenly (October 1368) and was buried in the Kashinsky Monastery in the cemetery at the Assumption Church. Her name was long and unfairly forgotten until 1611. Only after the appearance of Saint Anna to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, the quietest, pious and fair king, did the residents of the city of Kashin remember all the benefits of Anna, who repeatedly saved their city from ruin and epidemics.
Saint Anna Kashinskaya photo
There is a legend that in 1611 Anna appeared to the suffering canon and healed him, and then said that in the year of terrible trials (at that time Kashin was besieged by Lithuanian troops) she prayed to Jesus Christ and the Most Pure Virgin Mary for the salvation of her fellow citizens. Rumors about the great miracles performed by the relics of St. Anna reached the Patriarch of All Rus' Nikon, and he, together with the tsar, decided to canonize the saint and present her remains for veneration.
This procedure took place on June 12, 1650, and no saint, either before or after, was honored with such magnificent celebrations and worship. When the saint's coffin was opened, it was discovered that her body was not touched by decay, only slightly on the soles of her feet, and her right hand lay at her chest with two fingers folded, as if for a blessing.
Symbol of the Old Faith
Most likely, this is why Saint Anna became a symbol of the old faith - a schismatic movement and involuntarily contributed to a dispute between the Old Believers and the New Believers. In 1665, adherents of the old faith who continued to perform baptism with two fingers were called heretics and anathematized.
In response to this, adherents of the old faith pointed to the fingers of St. Anne, folded for baptism, and many went to church to make sure that the adherents of the old church were right. Therefore, in 1677, the canonization of the saint was canceled, since the New Believers did not want to strengthen the arguments in favor of the schismatics. Thus, Saint Anne was again forgotten for many years.
Appeals to Saint Anne
The authorities forgot for a long time about the good deeds of St. Anna, but ordinary Christians constantly came to bow to her with prayers for help. The saint never refused hers to anyone. good deeds. They prayed to her for children, for health, for marriage; they named their daughters in her honor. In 1908 they remembered her, and in 1910 the first church was opened, dedicated to the most humble and long-patient of all Orthodox saints.
Since Saint Anna herself suffered a lot during her life and knows what it is to be an orphan, and the share of a bitter widow, she knows what it is to lose children, she continues to help people who came to her with a pure heart in their sorrows. During the years of wars and revolutions, the Orthodox continued to turn to Saint Anna with their prayers, and she always heard these prayers.
And today in the 21st century, Saint Anna hears prayers addressed to her, and remains the protector of widows and orphans, and all the sick and suffering in body and soul.
Saint Anna Kashinskaya is a living symbol of the Kashin land, its heavenly protector and intercessor. She got the most difficult fate, but she endured all the troubles and sorrows with truly Christian humility, in no way yielding to the doubts and temptations of “this world.”
To see how loved and revered Saint Anna Kashinskaya is, it is worth visiting Kashin on June 25 (new style) - the day of the transfer, when a procession of thousands of people takes place through the city. However, no matter what time you find yourself in Kashin, you can always feel the special sympathetic presence of the city’s heavenly patroness. Many explain by her prayerful intercession that during the Great Patriotic War The German troops that captured Tver never captured Kashin. And to this day, in the speech of the Kashino residents, one can hear every now and then: “Well, as Mother manages,” “Let’s pray to Mother,” “Everything will work out with Mother’s prayers.”
The earthly life of Saint Anna Kashinskaya (her memory is celebrated on June 25 and October 15 according to the new style) fully explains the definition given to the ascetic by the chronicler - “much-sorrowful.” The Holy Blessed Grand Duchess was born around 1278 in the family of the Rostov prince Dmitry Borisovich. She was the great-great-granddaughter of the holy Prince Mikhail of Chernigov and the great-granddaughter of the holy Prince Vasilko of Rostov, while her grandfather, Prince Boris Vasilkovich, firmly defended the interests of his native people and native land during his repeated trips to the Horde, he was known as the “sorrower of the Russian land.”
Troparion
Troparion to the Holy Blessed Princess-Nun Anna Kashinskaya, tone 3
Today we praise you, reverend mother, great princess monk Anno: for the vine is fruitful in the midst of thorns, you flourished in the city of Kashin with your virtues, you surprised everyone with your wonderful life, and you also pleased Christ God, and now, rejoicing and having fun, being with the faces of the reverend women, enjoying the heavenly beauty and joy. We pray to you, pray for us to the Lover of Mankind, Christ our God, to grant us peace and great mercy.
No exact information has been preserved about the saint’s childhood and youth. In 1294, Anna's father died, and at the same time she was married to Prince Mikhail Yaroslavich Tverskoy. The wedding took place in the Transfiguration Cathedral in Tver (during the years of Soviet power, this temple was destroyed, but now they are going to restore it). Chronicles report the birth of children from the spouses: in 1298, a son, Dmitry, was born, in 1299, a daughter, Theodora (died in infancy), and then three more sons: in 1300 - Alexander, in 1306 - Konstantin, in 1309 - Vasily. After the death of Grand Duke Andrei of Vladimir in 1305, Mikhail Tverskoy became his heir by seniority.
It was during the reign of Mikhail Yaroslavich that a dispute began between Tver and Moscow for the grand-ducal throne. Moscow Prince Yuri Danilovich slandered Mikhail Tverskoy in front of the khan, and he was summoned to the Horde. Princess Anna accompanied her husband to the mouth of the Nerl River and, having said goodbye to him, returned to Tver with great sorrow. On November 22, 1318, the holy noble Prince Michael was killed in the Horde, but in Tver they learned about this only two years later, when Prince Yuri returned to Moscow, bringing his holy remains.
Having received the terrible news, Princess Anna cried bitterly and inconsolably for many days. On September 6, 1320, the body of the martyr prince was taken to Tver. Anna rode out to meet him with her children and boyars. The coffin was carried with singing to the Transfiguration Cathedral. Despite the fact that the body was transported in the heat, and before that it had remained unburied for two years, decay did not affect it at all.
Princess Anna had to endure a lot of hard things after the death of her husband. In 1325, her eldest son, Prince Dmitry, met Prince Yuri Danilovich in the Horde and, in the presence of the khan, killed him, for which he was immediately executed. Two years later, a major uprising against the Tatars broke out in Tver, which was unsuccessful - the city was taken by the Tatars and terribly devastated. Then Princess Anna had to go into hiding. Her son, Prince Alexander of Tver, fled first to Pskov, and later “to Lithuania and the Germans.” But then, so that his children would not lose their right to the throne, according to the law of that time, he returned to his homeland and was forced to go to the Horde to confess. His mother, Princess Anna, and her family and the whole city saw off. In the Horde, Prince Alexander and his eldest son, Theodore, were killed by order of the khan. Their bodies were brought to Tver and buried in the cathedral. Princess Anna and her children mourned their son and grandson for a long time.
Having endured all these sorrows, Princess Anna took monastic vows - according to legend, in the Tver Sophia Monastery - with the name Sophia. But even in her monastery they found sad news about more and more new misfortunes. The princess-nun had to endure civil strife youngest son Vasily with his grandchildren Vsevolod and Mikhail, as well as the death of eight members of the princely family during the plague of 1365. At the end of her life, she moved to Kashin, which was ruled by Prince Vasily, and with the name, according to some sources, Anna, and according to others, Euphrosyne, she accepted the schema in the Kashin Dormition Monastery. The Grand Duchess-nun appeared before the Lord in 1368.
A unique case: Anna Kashinskaya was canonized twice (and between these canonizations she was decanonized). She was glorified for the first time in 1650; At the same time, her honest relics, discovered back in 1611 (as told in “The Miracle of the Sexton named Gerasim”), were transferred, with the participation of the young Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, from the Assumption Church to the Resurrection Cathedral. But almost thirty years later, after a new study of cases of healing from the relics of the saint, her name was excluded from the calendar. And only in 1908, the Holy Synod, with the consent of Emperor Nicholas II, restored church-wide veneration of the blessed princess.
Anna Kashinskaya(in monasticism - Sophia) - Holy Blessed Princess-nun, born in October 1280.
The memory of the Holy Reverend Anna Kashinskaya is celebrated three times a year: October 15 on the day of repose (New Art or October 2 according to the Old Style), June 25 on the day of the secondary glorification in 1909 (New Art or June 12 according to the Old Style) and August 3, the day of the discovery of honest relics (New Art or July 21, Old Style).
One of the three daughters of the Rostov prince Dmitry Borisovich. In 1294, on November 8, her wedding to Prince Mikhail of Tver took place in the Spassky Cathedral in the city of Tver.
U The couple had a daughter and four sons:
- Dmitry Groznye Ochi (born September 15, 1298);
- Theodora (born October 11, 1299);
- Alexander (October 7, 1300);
- Constantine (1307);
- Basil (between 1307 and 1318).
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L In the summer of 1318, Anna and her son Vasily accompanied her husband Mikhail Tverskoy on his last trip to Golden Horde. November 22, 1318 Mikhail Tverskoy was executed by Khan Uzbek, his body was subsequently brought to Tver on September 6, 1319. Her sons Dmitry the Terrible Eyes (1326), Alexander (1339), and grandson Fedor (1339) also died in the Golden Horde.
IN The time at which Anna Kashinskaya took monastic vows is unknown. In 1358, she was mentioned as Sophia in the Tver Convent in the name of St. Athanasius. In the summer of 1367, Prince Vasily Mikhailovich of Kashin, the son of Anna Kashinskaya, captured Tver, but the Lithuanian troops who came to the aid forced him to leave the city. Together with her son she left Tver and Anna Kashinskaya. It became the place of her spiritual exploits. Died Anna Kashinskaya October 2, 1368 (old style).
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Schema of the Venerable St. Anna Kashinskaya in the Assumption Cathedral, 1910
M The burial site of Anna Kashinskaya was found in 1611. “The Miracle of the Sexton Gerasim” tells about this. In the old wooden Assumption Church, which had become very dilapidated, the church platform collapsed, so the coffin that was under the floor ended up on the surface. Not knowing whose burial it was, the residents of the city of Kashin treated it without due reverence. One night the sexton of the Assumption Church Gerasim appeared Anna Kashinskaya with the words: “Why don’t you value my coffin and despise me? How long must I be trampled under your feet? She also gave instructions to Gerasim to tell the rector of the temple about his appearance.
M Numerous miracles and healings began to occur after this at the tomb of Anna Kashinskaya. In total, 41 miracles were recorded before the glorification of St. Anne. Patients were brought to the city of Kashin from various Russian cities. In 1645, boyar V.I. Streshnev, a relative of Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich, also visited Kashin. It was he who submitted a petition to the king for the glorification of Saint Anna. In 1647, Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich died before he could give orders.
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L Only in 1649, by order of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, an examination of the relics of Anna Kashinskaya took place, accompanied by miracles. Anna Kashinskaya was canonized. On June 12, 1650, her relics were transferred to the Resurrection Cathedral.
IN 1650-1652 "The Legend of the Finding and Transfer of the Relics of St. Anna Kashinskaya" was written. The canon and troparion for the discovery of the relics were written by the Kashin archpriest Ivan Naumov and the townsman Semyon Osipov. The life of Anna Kashinskaya was most likely written by the elder of the Solovetsky monastery Ignatius. In 1675-1676 a complex of hagiographic monuments dedicated to Anna Kashinskaya was created.
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IN In 1677, Tsar Feodor Alekseevich was supposed to visit the city of Kashin and the relics of Anna Kashinskaya. However, the patriarchal commission, sent that year on February 12-21, decided to ban the veneration of the relics of Anna Kashinskaya. This decision was announced at a small council in Moscow. This decision was also approved by the Council of 1678-1679. At the same time, the chapel was renamed in the name of Anna Kashinskaya of the Assumption Cathedral in honor of All Saints. The grounds for decanonization were presented in 13 points. The main one sounded like this: “the right hand is bent, as if blessing with two fingers.”
P The veneration of Anna Kashinskaya did not stop after decanonization in Kashin itself. The Tver bishops, seeing the ongoing healings at her tomb, did not resist this. In 1818, he allowed the publication of month books indicating the memory of Anna Kashinskaya and the Holy Synod. On October 2, 1899, the Tver Consistory became familiar with the report of Archpriest John of Amenite on the healing of E.S. Zubanova through the prayers of Anna Kashinskaya. At the same time, Archbishop Dimitry of Tver and Kashin ordered to resume recording the miracles of healing at the relics of Anna Kashinskaya, which lasted until 1909.
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IN In 1901, Archbishop Dimitri turned to the Synod with a request to restore services to Anna Kashinskaya. A positive conclusion was received from the Kyiv Metropolitan Theognost, but permission was not given. Only after the congress of bishops in Kyiv in 1908 did the Holy Synod give its consent, having first sought the emperor’s consent to restore church-wide veneration of Anna Kashinskaya. The Holy Synod designated June 12 (old style) as the day of memory of Anna Kashinskaya. Nowadays, every year on June 25, the city of Kashin receives numerous pilgrims who come to the religious procession in the name of the Holy Blessed Princess-nun Anna Kashinskaya.
Question: Where are the relics of Anna Kashinskaya located?
Answer: The relics of the Holy Blessed Princess-nun Anna Kashinskaya have been located since 1993 in the Ascension Cathedral (northern part of the temple, next to the altar).
IN On June 25, 1994, the Day of the City of Kashin and the Day of Veneration of the Holy Blessed Princess-nun Anna Kashinskaya, the first religious procession with her relics was held along the following route: Ascension Cathedral, Church of Saints Peter and Paul, Resurrection Cathedral, Proletarskaya Square, Ascension Cathedral. Nowadays the religious procession is held along the route: Ascension Cathedral, Resurrection Cathedral, Proletarskaya Square, Ascension Cathedral.
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TO The shrine with the relics of the Holy Blessed Princess-nun Anna Kashinskaya is placed in a silver shrine weighing 54 kg, made by a master from Sergiev Posad with donations from residents of Moscow, Tver, St. Petersburg and other cities of Russia.
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ABOUT Reverend Mother Anno, pray to God for us!
"Kashin Orthodox" 2010-2014