Barbara Komnena

Varvara Comnena is a mythical figure, claimed to be the daughter of the Byzantine emperor Alexei I Comnenus, and the wife of the Grand Duke of Kiev Svyatopolk II Izyaslavich.

Although she is mentioned in works of various historians such as G.V. Vernadsky, at present, most researchers her a fictional character. Varvara never appears amont the four daughters of the emperor: Anna, Maria, Evdokia and Theodora. She is also never mentioned in addition, this name is not found in the Comnen dynasty at all. In addition, there is no mention of such a marriage in Byzantine sources - and the most important text about this era is the works of Anna Comnina, the "sister" of Barbara, who does not mention her in the number of her father's children, or as a relative given for the Russian prince.

Princess Barbara and relics of St. The Barbarians of Iliopolska [ edit | edit source ]

The Novgorod icon of St. Barbarians of Iliopol Varvara appears in Russian history mainly in connection with the transfer of the relics of her holy patroness, the Great Martyr Varvara from Constantinople to Kiev, "given to her as a dowry by her father." These relics, according to tradition, were laid by her in St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery (built in 1108, after his demolition - in the Vladimir Cathedral ).

latest research that considers Varvara Komnina a fictional person and refers to the compilation of a story about it by the 17th century. in connection with the glorification of the relics of St. Barbara. Visiting Kiev in 1656, the Antiochian patriarch Makarii heard another legend about the transfer of the relics to Kiev in connection with the marriage of Princess Anne to Prince Vladimir, the Baptist of Russia [4]. However, it seems most likely that the transfer of the relics of St. Barbara to Kiev took place after the Tatar invasion and during the weakening of Byzantium [5] [6].

Researchers point out that the story of Princess Varvara seems to have appeared in hagiographic literature (for example, in The Lives of the Saints by Dimitry of Rostov, and also in The Historical and Topographical Description of the Kiev Gubernia of January 20, 1787 ) with the easy hand of Theodosius Safonovich. [7]

Notes [ edit | edit source ] ↑ Show compact

↑ G.V. Vernadsky. Kievan Rus: Rus and the outside world in the Kiev period ↑ Sementovsky N. Gallery of Kiev's landmarks and antiquities. - 1857. - Notebook 4. - P.28 ↑ Jump up to: 1 2 Nikolay Zakrevsky. Description of Kiev, Volume 2. Printed by the Dependent Moscow Archaeological Society, 1868, C.541-542 ↑ Travel of the Antiochian Patriarch Macarius to Ukraine in the middle of the 17th century, described by his son Archdeacon Paul of Aleppo. Kiev, 1997. P. 96-98 ↑ Saint Barbara // Orthodox Encyclopedia ↑ Zhilenko I. V. Zhitie is the miracles of St. vmc. Varvari // Vira i rozum. H., 2001. № 2. P. 100-118 ↑ Ірина Володимирівна Жиленко. THE VICTORY OF THE MIRACLES OF THE HOLY GREAT VARKARI ↑ Korniyenko V.V. Molitovny inscription Bryachislava Svyatopolkovich z Sofii Kyivskoe  / / Pratsky center pam'yatnikoznavstva. - 2010. - No. 18. - P. 211-218. ↑ The transfer of the hand of St. Stephen the First Martyr // Chronicle of Ortlib Tsvafaltensky. ↑ Litopis Ruskiy. For the Ipatian list, the Leonid Makhnovets cross. - K., 1989. - P. 171. - Note. 4. ↑ Svyatopolkova, a third of the squad for the Varvara i iba vona, daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Olexiy I Komnin. Survived his prince on 12 rock. Ymovirno, a widow of the pokey prince Svyatopolk-Mihailla, begging for Volodymyr Monomakh of Volokhim, from Kiev, the rest of her life lived in Turov, at once with her sins with her sins, Izalav and Bryachislav. (...) І знову ж тa polistavshi літопис під 1125 роком читаємо: "The Princess was interrupted, - додає Л. Махновець, - (Варвара, жона) Svyatopolk (Іаслаславич, місяця) лютого (у) двадцять і восьйй (день)". Її they were at the same time at the Cholovnik Sviatopolk-Mikhail at the Gold-High Church of Kyiv. (Cited by: Neviisto Hristova is beautiful! ) ↑ For giving akafista to St. Varvari, tretja (rahuyuchi neshlyubnu) zhona Svyatopolk is small ім'я Варвара і була вона дочею візантійськоі of іперператора Олексія І Комнина; in the synodik of Mihailivsky's Gold-Monastic Monastery, de Barbara was booed, the vault was called the Yerin; tse, mozhna dumati, її friend ім'я, котре вона дістала на Русі, вийшовши заміж. ( LITOPIS RUSSKY for the Ipatka list ) ↑ Nazarenko A. V. Ancient Rus on the international roads. C. 576