Epic hero Ilya Muromets. Ilya Muromets - an epic hero or a real person

Ilya Muromets, the legendary Russian hero and one of the central characters of ancient Russian epics, was widely known both in his homeland and far beyond its borders, for example, in ancient Germanic poems of the 13th century there is a mention of the Russian valiant knight Ilya the Russian. The Russian hero, the defender of Russian lands, the brave and powerful warrior Ilya Muromets is not a mythical epic character, but a real person who lived around the 12th century in Rus' and was buried in the caves of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. He was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church in the middle of the 17th century, the day of his memory is revered by Orthodox Christians on January 1 (December 19). By the way, he is a heavenly protector Missile troops strategic purpose Russian Federation, so Russian soldiers especially honor him and in difficult times ask for help and intercession.

The image of the hero - the birth, calling of the epic hero

(V. Vasnetsov "Bogatyrsky lope" 1914)

The future defender of the Russian land was born in 1143 to the peasants Ivan and Efrosinya Timofeev in the village of Karacharovo near Murom in Vladimir region. In the historical annals of those years, his name was not found, but this may be due to the fact that Russian cities and villages were often raided by Tatars and Polovtsy, and historical documents were simply destroyed in fires and robberies.

In the 80s of the twentieth century, anthropologists who studied the remains of St. Ilya Muromets, preserved to this day in the Lavra, established that it was a large, tall (height 177 cm) man with a powerful build. He died at the age of about 45-55 years from numerous wounds and fractures received as a result of blows with a sword, spear and saber, which confirms his epic feats of arms.

Scientists have also established that this man in early age suffered from paralysis of the lower extremities and could not walk. As it is written in the epics, “for thirty years and three years Elijah sat and did not have walking at his feet,” he was miraculously healed by passing kaliks, who asked him to drink some water. Then Ilya felt an unprecedented strength in his legs, he was able to get up and give water to the wanderers. So he was healed and received a blessing for exploits for the glory of the Fatherland, to which he immediately set about, devoting all his later life service to the Russian people and its protection.

The years that he spent, practically imprisoned within four walls, tempered his character, which, according to epic storytellers, was distinguished by great patience, meekness and amazing strength spirit.

Glorious deeds of the Russian hero

(Frame from the film "Ilya Muromets" 1956)

The exploits of Russian heroes described in epics, no matter how fantastic and amazing they are, have under them real basis, because they still overlap with real events that took place in real life, a little embellished and with the addition of a bit of fiction and fantasy, the people who composed them. One of the most famous exploits Ilya Muromets is his battle and victory over the legendary Nightingale the Robber, who robbed and killed innocent people and merchants on the way to Kyiv. The Kyiv prince Mstislav, who ruled at that time, organized a princely squad to protect merchants and their goods, and most likely appointed an experienced and wise warrior Ilya Muromets, who at that time served in this squad. Having slain in battle the whistling robber Nightingale the Robber, who personified all the dashing people of that time in epics, the Russian legendary hero cleared the road to Kyiv, thereby accomplishing, in the opinion of the people, a considerable feats of arms a good deed for the whole Russian land.

Also known are other exploits of the famous Russian hero, who was revered and glorified by the Russian people for all the glorious deeds for the good of the Fatherland, this is his victory over Pogany Idolishche (most likely this is a collective image of all nomads who attacked Russian lands), the fight against Babka-Gorynka, Zhidovin, various robbers and dashing people.

(Boris Fedorovich Andreev - People's Artist of the USSR in the role of Ilya Muromets)

And although Ilya Muromets, according to the epic storytellers, never suffered defeat and always won in battle, he was never proud of this and did not flaunt himself, but defeated enemies pardoned and even let go on all four sides.

Having received an incurable chest wound in one of the battles, the Russian hero retired from military affairs and, having taken monastic vows, began to live in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. Not much is known about this side of his life; he died at the age of 45 from a stab wound in his heart (there is a version that the warrior monk was killed in his last battle when he defended Kyiv from the attack of the Polovtsians). He was buried with special honors on the territory of St. Sophia Cathedral, in those days the former main burial place of the great Russian princes. Later, his remains were reburied in one of the caves of the Lavra, where his incorrupt relics are kept to this day.

In 1188, the venerable elder Elijah reposed in the Kiev-Pechersk monastery, whose memory the Orthodox Church celebrates on January 1. Among the people, this saint is better known as the Russian hero - Ilya Muromets. In extreme old age, he became a resident of the monastery, crowned with the glory of a hero and winner of adversaries. As the journal of the Moscow Patriarchate writes: “His monastic exploits are hidden from us, but, undoubtedly, they were great, if his relics after many years were found to be incorrupt.” The Orthodox Church canonized the people's favorite as a saint in 1643. And in 1594, the envoy of the Roman Emperor Erich Lassota, who visited Kyiv and St. Sophia Cathedral, saw “there is the tomb of Elijah Muromets, about whom many fables are told. His tomb is now destroyed.

The best evidence of the enormous popularity of the image of Ilya Muromets is the number of epics and epic stories about him. After all, even about Vasily Buslaev - a very colorful figure - only two plots are known. There are hundreds of records of epics about Stavra, Duke, Churil, Sadko, Nightingale Budimirovich, but there are only one or two original stories about each of them - no more, while more than ten can be named about Ilya Muromets, not to mention the options that, taken together, they may well constitute a genuine Iliad of the Russian epic.
It was this image that was destined to become central in the Russian epic, to embody the best ideals and aspirations of the people, their concepts of good and evil, of loyalty native land, about heroic prowess and honor. None of the heroes - neither Dobrynya Nikitich, nor even Alyosha Popovich - can be compared in this respect with Ilya Muromets.

For the Russian hero, a special bogatyr chapel was built in the Kiev temple. After the canonization, the remains of Elijah were transferred to the Antoniev cave of the Kiev-Pechersk monastery. In 1638, these relics were described by the monk Athanasius of Kalnofoisky, who determined that Ilya Muromets reposed in 1188.
A curious description of the relics of Elijah, which he worshiped in 1701, was left by the Moscow priest John Lukyanov in his Journey to the Holy Land. According to John, it was a large and strong man(height about 180 centimeters), dressed in monastic clothes. In addition to a deep round wound on the left arm, the same significant damage is visible on the left side of the chest.
Saint Ilya Muromets was not composed of a canonical life. But there is his epic biography from birth and healing to death.

Ilya Muromets - the most famous hero Russian epic, but at the same time the most mysterious. Our distant ancestors had no doubt that Ilya was real historical figure, warrior who served Kyiv prince. However, Russian chronicles do not mention his name.
Nevertheless, the ancient Russian epic, folk songs, epics are an unusually valuable historical document.
According to one version, Ilya was born in the village of Karacharovo near the city of Murom. From birth he was weak, he could not even walk until he was thirty years old. Strength was given to him by a miracle, through the holy elders, "kalik passers-by." They came to his house, where he habitually sat alone, and ordered: "Go and bring us a drink." Not wanting to disobey the elders, Ilya suddenly got up and brought them a whole bucket of water. “Drink yourself,” the elders ordered. He drank. "What do you hear in yourself?" “I hear strength in myself, I will uproot a tree from the ground.” - "Bring another bucket." Elijah brought. “Drink this bucket too,” the elders told him. - What do you hear in yourself now? “If the ring were to be screwed into the ground,” Ilya answered, “I would turn the earth.” - "It's a lot. Bring the third bucket." Ilya brought the third bucket, drank it, and his strength became less. “It will be with you and this,” the elders said and left.
Ilya went to the capital city of Kyiv to the Grand Duke Vladimir. The time was alarming, no one dared to go by a direct road to Kyiv. Having met robbers on this path, Ilya did not fight with them. He took his tight bow and shot an arrow into an oak, which caused the oak to break "into knife-edges." He showed the Rogues his strength and they let him pass with a bow.

But the memory of the people merged together the two great princes - the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Vladimir and Vladimir Monomakh, transferring the events that happened under Vladimir Monomakh to the time of the holy prince Vladimir.
The bogatyr Ilya Muromets comes to Prince Vladimir Monomakh (1053-1125), and this can be seen at least from the fact that Christianity has already spread to Rus', deeply rooted in the people's soul and even in everyday life, which, of course, could not be realized under St. Vladimir. Ilya himself is a Christian, sitting at the table with Vladyka Chernigov, and in Rostov the Great there is a cathedral where the father of Alyosha Popovich, who is sitting next to him, has long served.

Through the efforts of the Russian heroes, headed by Ilya Muromets, the fight against the Polovtsy moved deep into the steppes. Russian heroes reached Sea of ​​Azov, conquered the Polovtsian cities on the Northern Donets, forced the Polovtsians to migrate beyond the Don and beyond the Volga, in the steppe North Caucasus and South Urals...
“The calm grandeur of the ancient epic breathes in all the stories, and the face of Ilya Muromets is expressed, perhaps more fully than in all other already known fairy tales,” wrote A.S. Khomyakov in the preface to the first publication of epics from the collection of P.V. Kireevsky (Moscow collection, 1852), when epics were still considered fairy tales. And in 1860, in the first issue of the Songs collected by P.V. Kireevsky, was published "A note on the significance of Ilya Muromets" by K.S. Aksakov, with whom, in fact, attempts to comprehend this image begin. Konstantin Aksakov was the first to notice that the image of Ilya Muromets is a kind of boundary separating two eras in the development of the Russian epic. “Ilya Muromets,” he emphasized, “does not belong to the titanic, but to the heroic era; he is the greatest, the first human power.”

The first study of the remains of the hero was carried out in 1963. In that atheistic era, the commission concluded that the mummy belongs to a person Mongoloid race, and the wounds were imitated by the monks of the Lavra. In 1988, the Interdepartmental Commission of the USSR Ministry of Health again conducted an examination. At the same time, the most modern technique and ultra-precise Japanese equipment. The research results are amazing. The age of the man was determined - 40-55 years, such defects of the spine were revealed, which allow us to speak about the transfer of paralysis of the legs by our hero in his youth; it was established that the cause of death was an extensive wound in the region of the heart. Unfortunately, the dating of death is very approximate - XI-XII: cc. But this does not diverge from the aforementioned time of life of Ilya Muromets. The opinion of the Church was confirmed that Ilya Muromets lived under Vladimir Monomakh, and not under Vladimir the Red Sun, as narrated in epics.

In the native village of Karacharovo, they always kept the memory of their beloved hero. Local legends tell how Ilya Muromets changed the course of the Oka River, leaving oaks in it. locals springs were especially revered, which, according to legend, arose from the blows of the hooves of the horse of Ilya Muromets. There were many such springs.
The chapel at the church of Elijah the Prophet was especially revered, since Ilya himself laid it. The Trinity Church in the village of Karacharovo, according to legend, was also founded by the hero. At its base he placed several oak trees, which he pulled out from the river and brought up a steep mountain. In the homeland of Ilya Muromets, there were stories about his fight with the dragon. There is no such plot in epics, it is known only in a fabulous version. Local historian A.A. Yepanchin in the late 1960s recorded an interesting version of this story, according to which Ilya Muromets accomplishes a feat by killing a dragon in another state, and then returns to his homeland and marries the beautiful daughter of Murom Prince Gleb.

The newspaper "Muromsky Krai", published in 1914, published "The Tale of the Strong and Glorious Knight Ilya Muromets", where he is credited with the extermination of dragons - prehistoric animals, whose bones are found in the vicinity of the city. It also says that Ilya Muromets, nicknamed Gushchin, lived near the village of Karacharova in a forest that was impassable at that time. The nickname - Gushchiny - became generic, and then family for part of the peasants of this village, who still consider themselves descendants of glorious hero. In the 19th century, there was an opinion that the Karacharov peasants named Ilyushins were also his descendants.

AT last years with the revival of the Church and local shrines, the church veneration of Ilya Muromets increased significantly and spread throughout the country. In Karacharovo, a temple was restored, where on January 1, 1993, an icon of the saint with a particle of his relics was solemnly installed. The image was made by the Murom icon painter I. Sukhov, commissioned by the descendants of the hero, the numerous Gushchins. A particle of the relics of the monk was transferred from the local museum.
In 1994, a chapel in the name of the holy hero was laid at the city cemetery. Ilya Muromets entered the cathedral of local Murom saints and is depicted on icons for monasteries and temples. The Russian army considers the holy hero to be their patron. In 1998, on the territory of a military unit in the Moscow region, a wonderful church was erected and consecrated in the name of St. Ilya Muromets.

In 1869 the first fundamental research"Ilya Muromets and the Heroism of Kiev" by Orest Miller, which marked the beginning of the scientific study of the image of the central hero of the Russian epic. F.I. wrote about Ilya Muromets. Buslaev, A.N. Veselovsky, V.F. Miller, A.I. Sobolevsky, A.V. Markov and many other major pre-revolutionary researchers. And from the works of the Soviet era, it should be named first of all famous book V.Ya. Propp "Russian Heroic Epic" (1958), several chapters of which are completely devoted to Ilya Muromets, an article and comments by A.M. Astakhova to the publication of Ilya Muromets, which she carried out, in the series Literary Monuments (1958).
“Ilya Muromets,” writes A.M. Astakhov, is the image of a huge, self-aware intelligent, expediently directed force. Numerous exploits of Ilya Muromets, described in epics, are always associated exclusively with the task of serving the people, he is depicted in the Russian epic primarily as a protector of the motherland ... ".

The search for historical "prototypes" epic Elijah Muromets did not give any results. And there is only one reason: in the annals and others historical sources there is no similar, at least in consonance, name, like, say, Putyata - Putyatichka, Tugor Khan - Tugarin, Stavr Gordyatinich - Stavr Godinovich ... Therefore, in this case researchers were deprived of opportunities for approximations, comparisons, hypotheses.
But folklore itself is also a document of history, one of the most reliable chronicles inner life the people themselves, their ideals. And in this chronicle, Ilya Muromets was destined to become the main character.

However, there is this version:
According to epic records of the 19th century. the bogatyr Ilya is of peasant origin. Ilya's parents are farmers who are raising new soil, clearing the area from the dubya-kol for arable land. Healed with kaliki, Ilya goes to the field and quickly finishes the work begun by his father. This is the origin of Elijah according to the epics of later records. The epics of the old record do not know anything about the peasant origin of Ilya. It follows from this that Ilya Muromets was made a peasant already in modern times when the Kyiv antiquities, after the defeat of the class of buffoons-singers, fell into the peasant environment. This conclusion is also supported by the consideration that Ilya's receipt of heroic strength is still described in two ways: according to some epics, Ilya received strength from the kaliks of passers-by - the version is very suspicious, because the epics transmitting it are clumsy and have poor verse, and according to others - Ilya speaks from the very beginning, a hero, and his strength is increasing thanks to the heroic school that he goes through under the guidance of the foreign Caucasian hero Svyatogor - the version that most corresponds to the initial moments of our history: Russian power really developed and strengthened under the protectorate of the Caucasian Khazar force, the heirs of which are Russian princes, including the Kagan of Kyiv - Vladimir. In addition, the peasant origin of Ilya is not expressed in any way in other epics.

Ilya, as a hero of peasant origin, is attached to the city of Murom and the village of Karacharov, i.e. to the Rostov-Suzdal region. Hence the nickname of Ilya - Muromets. But if we turn to the old records of epics, we will find enough indications that timing is the fruit later creativity the era when, together with the colonization movement from Kievan Rus in the Rostov-Suzdal Territory, Kyiv antiquities came to the northeast and the names of persons, the names of localities of Kievan Rus began to approach and mix with the names of figures and names of localities in the Rostov-Suzdal region. Kmita Chernobylsky (XVI century) calls Ilya not Muromets, but Muravlenin, Erich Lassota (XVI century) - Morovlin; in the records of epics of the 17th century. - Murovich and Murovets, from the Spaniard Castillo, who lived in Russia at the end of the 18th century. - Ilia Muravitz, in the Finnish echoes of our epics - Muurovitz.

All these forms of the more ancient nickname of Ilya, from the 16th century. and until the end of the 18th century, forced researchers to study the names of different cities and localities in Kievan Rus. The study led to the ascertaining of the existence of a whole kind of names very close to the old nickname of Ilya. In Volyn there are places called Morovesk and Muravitsa. But the existence of places with a name close to the old nickname of Ilya can be especially firmly established in the Chernihiv region. In the Chernigov province there is a village Morovsk, corresponding to the ancient city of Moroviysk, the first mention of which is found in the annals under 1139. It is in this city that Yaropolk of Kyiv makes peace with Vsevolod Olgovich. In 1152, Izyaslav, on the way to Chernigov, besieged by Yuri Dolgoruky and the Polovtsy, stops at Moroviysk; in 1154, Yuri Dolgoruky, during a campaign against Chernigov, stopped near the same city; Svyatoslav of Chernigov under 1159, listing the cities belonging to him, names, among other things, Moroviysk; in 1160, Svyatoslav Mstislavovich arrived in Moroviysk to conclude an alliance; in 1175 Oleg Svyatoslavich Novgorod-Seversky in the fight against Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich burns his city of Moroviysk. The “Book of the Big Drawing” even knows and describes the Muravsky Way (road) from the Kulikovo field past Tula, between the Upa and Solova rivers - to the Crimea.

On the border Chernihiv Principality and Novgorod-Seversky there was the city of Karachev, mentioned in the annals for the first time since 1146: during the strife with the Chernigov princes, Novgorod-Seversky prince Svyatoslav Olgovich, not hoping to stay in his city, went to Karachev, ruined it and fled further to the Vyatichi; having made peace around 1155, Svyatoslav traded Karachev for himself. Then Karachev becomes the property of Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich of Kyiv (acting in the "Lay of Igor's Campaign") and serves as a base for the Kyiv princes in the fight against the Polovtsians and Ryazan. The Smorodinaya River flows 25 versts from Karachev, and on its banks is the village of Devyatidubye and Soloviev Translation. According to local legend, the nightingale the robber lived here in ancient times.

These data suggest that before the Rostov-Suzdal era in Russian history, the activities of Ilya were associated with the Chernigov region and were confined to the cities of Moroviysk and Karachev. This assumption is, firstly, in full agreement with history: for more than two centuries (since XI-XIII) Chernihiv plays the role of Kyiv's rival in power, wealth and glory; The Chernihiv region is an arena where numerous military clashes of Russian princes with each other or with the Polovtsy take place. Epics depicting the liberation of Chernigov from the besieging force is undoubtedly an echo historical events associated with the name of this city.
In one of the current epics, the hometown of Ilya is called Morov, reminiscent of Moroviysk in its sound composition.
According to another epic, Ilya asks his father for blessing to go to Chernigov and already from Chernigov goes to Kyiv to Vladimir. Secondly, this assumption eliminates a number of misunderstandings raised by the current edition of the epics about Ilya's first departure: Ilya leaves Murom and the village of Karacharov in order to get to Kyiv; Chernigov stands well off the road to Kyiv; meanwhile, Ilya Muromets falls under Chernigov, thus making an inexplicable detour. If we assume that Ilya was leaving Moroviysk, then indeed Ilya inevitably had to pass Chernigov on his way to Kyiv.

But the timing initial activities Ilya to the Chernihiv region was, in all likelihood, the fruit of creativity in the era of the system of the next reign. Meanwhile, Ilya Muromets appears so clearly as a hero, embraced by the idea of ​​serving the Russian land and its representative, Prince Vladimir, that his image could not arise in the era of the next reigning system, when all-Russian interests receded before local interests. The image of Ilya Muromets was supposed to arise initially in great era Vladimir, when for the first time the Russian ruling class, headed by a prince, had interests of a cultural and state nature. About this initial period, experienced by the ancients about Ilya Muromets, we find some remarkable echoes in the German poem "Ortnit" ( early XIII c.) and in the Norwegian "Tidrek-saga" (half of the XIII century)

Comparing the data from the poem "Ortnit" and "Tidrek-saga" with our chronicle legends, we have to conclude that Ilya of Western European poems is none other than Vladimir's uncle, known in the annals under the name of Dobrynya. This conclusion raises a number of questions.
Firstly, where could the facts from Russian history get into the Scandinavian "Tidrek-saga" and its echo - the Germanic poem "Ortnit"? This question is resolved very simply: between Scandinavia and ancient Russia there were active relations that were maintained by the Varangians, who went to the service of the Russian princes and then returned back. Returning to their homeland, they had to tell their loved ones about their own adventures in Rus', about those persons for whom they served, about the events that they witnessed and participated in. If among the returned Varangians there were singer-poets, then they told about these persons and events in the form of a song. Thus, there is nothing surprising in the fact that in Scandinavian songs we find echoes of ancient Russian history. And from the Scandinavian songs with Russian content, the German epic, akin to the Scandinavian, could also draw content.

Secondly, in the poem "Ortnit" Ilya-Dobrynya is portrayed as a visiting foreign hero from Rus'. Why? In all likelihood, this is a reflection of the following, probably indeed former fact. Under 977, our chronicle reports that Vladimir, having heard that Yaropolk had killed Oleg, got scared and fled from Novgorod to the Varangians across the sea. Vladimir at that time was about 16-17 years old; its leader, according to the annals, was Uncle Dobrynya. It is clear that Vladimir did not run alone, but with his uncle. Vladimir and Dobrynya stayed in Scandinavia until 980, i.e. about three years. It is difficult to imagine that such a person as Dobrynya did not show himself during this time by some actions that attracted the attention of Scandinavian social groups: it was not for nothing that after three years Dobrynya managed to captivate a detachment of Varangians after Vladimir and himself, thanks to which Vladimir took possession of the entire Russian earth.

Thirdly, if the annalistic Dobrynya and Ilias are the same person, then why does Dobrynya appear in Ortnit and Tidrek-saga under the name of Ilias, i.e. Elijah of most of our epics, This question is the most difficult to resolve.
The answer can only be a series of assumptions, equally likely.
The first assumption is that the name Dobrynya was gradually replaced in the songs about this figure by the name Ilya, which belonged to some later figure. This assumption finds its support in some annalistic data. The first Novgorod Chronicle mentions Prince Ilya, the son of Yaroslav the Wise. Here is a passage from the annals: “And the son of Ilya was born to Yaroslav and planted in Novgorod and died. And then Yaroslav got angry at Kosnyatin Dobrynich and imprisoned and (him); and plant your son Volodymyr in Novgorod.” In this fragmentary information, it is curious that Yaroslav had a son named Ilya, who even ruled Novgorod; at one time this Ilya was a very famous person: at least in the sagas he, under the name of Golti, i.e. dexterous, fast, appears next to Valdimar (Vladimir) and Visivolod. Remarkable in the information given is the fact that they mention Kosnyatin Dobrynich, the son of Dobrynich, who somehow brought the wrath of Yaroslav, perhaps by some kind of relationship with the deceased prince, or by his claims.

The second assumption is that the name Dobrynya was replaced by the name of some previous Russian figure consonant with the word Ilya. A variant of the name of Ilias - Eligas - indicates which particular figure's name could have had influence here. The form Eligas, with the accent indifferently on the first syllable from the end or on the second syllable from the end, corresponds to the old Russian form Olga and folk Volga. Erich Lassota gives the name of Ilya Muromets in the form of Elia, corresponding to the Elias variant in the poem "Ortnit". In some lists of the poem "Ortnit" the forms Yllias, Illias, Ilias are found directly. So, apparently, the name Dobrynya could be replaced by the name old Russian prince Oleg prophetic.

There were important reasons for such a displacement in the process of oral transmission of songs: 1) Oleg under Igor played the same role as Dobrynya under Vladimir: he ruled the state for Igor, made a number of brilliant campaigns and conquests, moved the capital to Kyiv, defeated the Greeks; 2) Oleg, according to some chronicles, was the brother of Rurik's wife, therefore, he was in the same relationship of kinship to Igor as Dobrynya was to Vladimir. For these reasons, songs about Dobrynya involuntarily had to be mixed up and confused with songs about Oleg the Thing, and the name Dobrynya could easily be replaced by the name of Oleg; and since some forms of this name come close to the name of Elijah, it will eventually be replaced by this name. The assumption that the name Dobrynya was replaced by the name Ilya through the name Oleg, thanks to the confusion of two historical figures and their activities, finds confirmation in the following fact. In one prologue life of St. Vladimir, in the story about Vladimir’s campaign against Korsun, it is reported that Vladimir, having taken Korsun, “envoyed Olga to the voivode with Zhdebern to Tsargrad to the kings asking for their sisters.” From this message it is clear that Dobrynya, the governor of Vladimir, the oral traditions recorded by the author of the prologue life, were already mixed with Oleg, who turned into the governor of Vladimir.

The second assumption, i.e. the displacement of the name Dobrynya by the name Oleg in forms close to the name Ilya throws light on the nickname of Ilya - Muromets. In one "Triumphant" it is told about the conquest by the Novgorod Russian prince Bravlenin, or Bravlin, of the southern coast of Crimea from Korsun to Korchev. Having taken the city of Surozh (Sudak), Prince Bravlenin-Bravlin broke into the church of St. Sophia and began to rob the coffin of St. Stefan Surozhsky. But a miracle happened here: the prince fell and began to exude foam, shouting that great person hit him in the face. It was St. Stefan, who said he would not let him out until he was baptized. The prince was baptized. Further, it is told about the healing of the Queen Anna of Korsun. In this legend, first of all, the mention of the Queen Anna of Korsun, the namesake of that Queen Anna, whom Vladimir married in Korsun a century and a half after the campaign of Prince Bravlin, is interesting. Further, the name, more precisely, the nickname of Prince Bravlenin, or Bravlin, attracts attention. The word Bravlin appears to have been derived from Mravlin (like Bohmit from Mohammed, fringe from mahram); the short vowel form Mravlin, Mravlenin corresponds to the full vowels Morovlin, Morovlenin. The words Mravlin, Mravlenin and Morovlin, Morovlenin, in turn, could arise in parallel with the words Murmonin, Nurmanin, Urmanin, corresponding to the German Normannen, i.e. the name of the Scandinavians. So, Bravlenin, Bravlin, most likely means Murmanin, Urmanin, Norman. The so-called "Joakimovskaya" chronicle calls Oleg the Prince of Urmansk, i.e. Norman.

The nickname of Ilya "Murometz", as you know, represents a later understanding the following forms: Murovich (XVII century), Morovlin and Muravlenin (XVI century); the latter forms, in turn, are a distortion of the original forms: Murmanin, Urmanin, which meant Normanin, Norman. So, Ilya Muromets means - Ilya Norman. On Dobrynya-Ilya, "a brave and well-dressed husband", was transferred from ancient songs about Oleg not only the name of the latter, but also a nickname denoting the tribe from which the daring conquering leaders came, and later received a common noun. Such an interpretation does not contradict the historical theory of princely retinue epic creativity and is in full agreement with historical facts ancient Russian life.
Discussions about whether Ilya actually existed could have continued for a very long time if not for the scientific research conducted in 1989-1992 in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. The fact is that in the Near Caves of the Lavra, among more than hundreds of relics of ancient saints, the remains of a certain “Ilya from the city of Murom” rest. It was these remains, along with dozens of others, that were examined by a group of scientists.

“The studies were carried out for three years, and they were comprehensive. Scientists of different specialties took part in them. There were employees of the Kyiv medical institute from the departments of forensic medicine, anatomy, radiology, biochemistry, hygiene. Of course, employees of the Institute of Geology of the Academy of Sciences also participated, and it was at this institute that the study of dating the remains was carried out,” says Professor Boris Mikhailichenko, an active participant in the scientific study of the relics of the Lavra saints, now head of the Department of Forensic Medicine of the National medical university named after A. A. Bogomolets. One of the main scientific sensations was the results of the study of the remains of Ilya Muromets.

Let's give the floor to Boris Valentinovich: “Let's remember the epics. There he is described as a man of heroic physique. We check. Body length, that is, height, -177 cm. For that period of time, he was a tall man, because the bulk of the population was lower. For example, the height of other saints from the Lavra is -160-165 cm. Further, the so-called tuberosities are very well developed on the bones of the mummy. And we know that the better a person’s muscles are developed during life, the more these tuberosities will be. That is, he had a well-developed muscular system. In addition, an X-ray examination of the skull revealed changes in the part of the brain called the "Turkish saddle". These changes are characteristic of acromegaly, an acromegaloid accent. People with acromegaly have disproportionately large body parts. At all times there are people with such symptoms, they say about them - "oblique sazhen in the shoulders", in Ukrainian they are called "flint". They have large limbs, a large head, that is, a heroic appearance. matches appearance with a description from epics? Of course!
Let's look further. According to the epics, he lay on the stove for 33 years, then some passers-by came, who healed him, and he went to defend the Russian land. According to X-ray studies, he had a disease - spondyloarthrosis.

The description of the radiologists states: “flattening of the body of the fifth lumbar vertebra, the presence of osteophytes on the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae, as well as the arcuate joints of the processes of the fifth and fourth lumbar vertebrae, suggest that this person suffered from spondyloarthrosis during his lifetime.” In terms of symptoms, this disease is similar to sciatica, and in this condition people have limited mobility. For some period of time, a person does not move or partially does not move. 33 years, which are mentioned in epics, are most likely hyperbole. But the fact that he did not move for some time is for sure. And then these grandfathers came, apparently - chiropractors. And then he got up.

And one more argument is the age of the burial, dating back to the 11th or 12th century. Taking into account all these parameters, we may well assume that these relics really belong to Ilya Muromets.
In ancient books, Ilya is called differently: either Muromets, then Muravlenin, then Murovlin. Candidate geographical sciences Sergey Khvedchenya, who wrote a book about Ilya Muromets, explains the difference in the nicknames of the holy hero by the fact that Ilya actually does not come from Murom, but from the Chernigov principality - from the city of Moroviysk (which was first mentioned in chronicles in 1139).
By the way, in the Kozeletsky district of the current Chernihiv region, the village of Morovsk still exists today. Sergey Khvedchenya recalls that in some epics Ilya listens to matins in the church of his native city, and vespers in the capital city of Kyiv. The distance from modern Morovsk to Kyiv is about 90 kilometers, while from Murom it is about 1,500 kilometers. According to this logic, Ilya was most likely born on the territory of the modern Chernihiv region.

However, such a hypothesis about the homeland of Elijah is not shared by all historians.
Khvedchenya remarks on this: the honor of being the birthplace of our Hercules is disputed different cities, as in the case of the Greek hero himself.
Much in the life of Ilya Muromets is still a mystery. For example, it is very difficult to determine the exact years of the life of an ancient Russian hero. According to the testimony of Athanasius Kalnofoysky, Muromets died 450 years before Athanasius published his book in 1638. Therefore, historians simply subtracted 450 years from 1638 and got 1188. If this date is true, then what prince Vladimir is mentioned by epics, because Vladimir the Baptist died in 1015, and Vladimir Monomakh - in 1125?

Many other questions remain open. More precisely, one can speak not about the life of the hero, but about his death. Professor Mikhailichenko believes that Ilya died during the battle. “He has a wound in the area of ​​the projection of the heart, penetrating into the chest cavity. He most likely died from this wound. In addition, his right collarbone was fractured. The second and third ribs were also broken, radiologists found calluses. That is, these fractures were obtained while still alive, in some battles, and then healed. It is in such cases that calluses are formed. You can clearly see the wound on the palm, apparently, also from some cold weapon - a flat-piercing object.
The scarcity of reliable information has never been the basis for the Church's skepticism about this or that saint.

“It happens that scant information reaches us about the holy ascetic. But together with them, we inherit from the past the tradition of honoring this saint of God, reflected in the monuments of writing. At the same time, we are aware that contemporaries of the birth of the tradition had more detailed data about the ascetic and did not doubt the validity of veneration,” explains Vladislav Dyatlov. And so it happened with Ilya Muromets - the tradition appeared earlier scientific explanation. But in the end, science only proved the tradition.
This opinion is also shared by Archimandrite Nestor (Somenok): “In ancient times there was a tradition of venerating Saint Ilya of Muromets. And many ancient saints did not have lives, in particular, Metropolitan Hilarion, the author of the Sermon on Law and Grace.

In addition, a serious argument in favor of holiness is the very fact that the relics of Elijah rested in the Lavra caves, where soldiers were not usually buried, no matter how outstanding their services to the Fatherland were. “The fact that he went to the monastery suggests that Ilya was no longer bound by his heroic past. His soul turned out to be stronger than his heroic body,” says Archimandrite Nestor.
But historians consider the debunking of the myth that the Church allegedly uses the authority of folk hero. “For a long time it was believed that these relics are the result of a conscious or unconscious mistake, and here it is science that proves the veracity ancient tradition”, - Vladislav Dyatlov recalls the first impressions of scientists after working in the Lavra caves.

In the Near Caves of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, the incorrupt relics of St. Elijah from the city of Murom have been carefully preserved for eight centuries. Everyone who has been here is wondering: is this the famous epic hero Ilya Muromets?

And the author of the book answers the question in the affirmative. based on rich historical material collected over many years, he substantiates his version. Despite the fact that Ilya Muromets is the most main character heroic epic and dedicated to him a large number of scientific articles, this image is still shrouded in a dense veil of secrets and mysteries. The name of the hero has not yet been found in the annals. It is not known the exact place of his birth, the time interval of his life and deeds, the time of the canonization of the Monk Elijah. To this day, the canonical life of St. Elijah of Muromets has not been written. You will find answers to all these and many other questions on the pages of Sergey Borisovich Khvedchen's book "Ilya Muromets - the holy hero": Kyiv, 2005 (With the blessing of His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir of Kyiv and All Ukraine ..)
To write it, previously unknown historical documents and sensational results of modern scientific research were used.

"I undertook this titanic work, because in my hands, by the will of fate, there were materials that had never been published anywhere before. They opened up new horizons, allowed me to take a fresh look at known facts, confirm or refute pre-existing hypotheses and versions. For my 50th birthday, I decided to publish some of the materials I collected as a separate book. In this work, I set myself the task, on the basis of a large amount of factual material, to try to restore historical biography Holy Russian hero Ilya Muromets, to create his historical portrait.
I needed to get to the bottom of the primary sources, re-read all the historical documents. It turned out that some repeatedly cited documents lost their original meaning or were severely distorted. That is why I cite in my book all the main quotations in the original language.
Sergey Khvedchenya

Bogatyrs existed in various areas Russian land, but their main focus was undoubtedly Kyiv. The glory of the epic heroes, sung in the folk epic, was born on the graves of these "God's people." They defended Holy Rus' from the filthy Steppe with their strength. The fight against the nomads began during the reign of Prince Vladimir, and therefore the epics ranked all subsequent heroes in his time. "Local saga, historical epic and religious myth appear only on the basis of history.
The epic biography of Ilya Muromets opens with "The Healing of Ilya" ("Ilya and the Passers-by Kaliki"). The personal data of the bogatyr Ilya are quite well known to a wide range of readers: by origin, he peasant son, father - Ivan Timofeevich, mother - Evfrosinya Yakovlevna (sometimes Epistimia). Only in old age did God send them a son. The joy of the appearance of the first-born in the family was overshadowed by a shadow of sadness: the son is a cripple, "he sat in his seat for thirty years." In different versions of epics, his illness is described in different ways. “I didn’t get up from the stove for 30 years”, “I was sick for 30 years, I sat on a pus”, “I sat with gray hair”. In one version of the epic, it is written that Ilya had neither arms nor legs for 33 years, thus he was punished for the sins of his grandfather. According to the Yakut tale, Ilya's father was 82 years old, and his mother was 70 years old, and Ilya himself was 19 years old at the time of healing.
The godfather of the future defender of the land of Kyiv was famous hero Samson Samoilovich (Kolyvanovich). The scene of the epic about the healing of Elijah is very often not determined or geographical names strongly distorted, the names of his parents are not named, the description of the sequence of exploits is violated. AT Belarusian fairy tale Ilya Muryvich is from the village of Karachiva, the city of Murov. Kaliki-elders, finding Ilya Muromets alone at home, asked to give them spring water to drink (vigorous beer, bread mash). Ilya replied that he did not have "walking at his feet." Kaliki ordered to stand on frisky feet: "Get up and go." The future hero carried out the order, for the first time in his life he got to his feet and brought the wanderers to drink. The elders got drunk and gave Elijah a drink. They asked him: "What do you feel?" “Great power,” the hero replied: “If there was a ring in the damp earth, I would turn the earth on a rib.” Then the elders ordered Ilya to drink from the ladle again, his strength from this decreased exactly by half. Kaliki predicted heroic deeds to Ilya Muromets: “Be you, Ilya, a warrior! Death in battle is not written for you. However, they warned him against fighting Svyatogor, Samson, the Mikulov family (Mikula Selyaninovich) and Volga Seslavich. The prophecy of the elders was not a spell, because then the meaning of his unparalleled courage would be lost. This meant that for Ilya, death in battle should not exist, he could not be afraid of it.

Elijah's fight with his son. Epics give aspects personal life the hero Ilya is negligibly little attention. It would be more accurate to say that, according to epics, he had no personal life. Epic stories persistently point to the constant loneliness of the knight and his lack of a family: “I don’t have a young wife, but a beloved family.” True, as part of the Kyiv cycle of epics, there is information about Ilya's love for the Polanica-bogatyr Zlatogorka (Marinka, Latymirka, Queen of the Trans-Ordan), originally from the seashore, from the pebble Latyr. From this extramarital affair a son was born, named Sokolnik. Having matured, the son came to Rus' to take revenge on Ilya for the honor of his mother. In this episode, Ilya is shown as a merciless warrior. Sometimes he was ready to pardon enemies who surrendered (Tatars near Chernigov or forest robbers), but, having convinced himself of the incorrigible black intentions of his son, representing real threat for Rus', the father kills him with an unwavering hand. In some versions of this epic, the illegitimate daughter of Ilya acts as an avenger - "a daring meadow, originally from the land and from Talyanskaya." Then we learn that the hero served with the local king for three years.
The epic hero performed his exploits not only in Kyiv, but also far beyond its borders. He spent a lot of time outside the capital city, at the outpost of the heroic, guarding the borders of Kievan Rus. Once, at dawn, Ilya Muromets saw how an unfamiliar young man with a falcon on his arm was approaching their heroic camp. Ilya woke up the knights and sent Alyosha Popovich to meet the stranger, but he returned with nothing. Then Ilya sent Dobrynya Nikitich, his god brother. Returning, he said that an unfamiliar hero was going to conquer Kyiv. The turn came for Ilya himself to go to battle with an enemy named Sokolnik (Zhidovin, Nahvalshchik, Solovnik, Korolevich, Boriska). They fought for a long time. Numb right hand Muromets, his left leg slipped, he fell to the ground. Sokolnik sat on him, wanted to rip open the white breasts of the hero, but Ilya threw off the enemy and attacked him from above. He began to ask the vanquished what kind of tribe. It turned out that this was the illegitimate son of Ilya himself from the “woman Salygorka”. Ilya remembered how once he met a daring bogatyr (warrior) in an open field. Muromets defeated her in single combat, but did not kill her, but remained to live with her. After some time, he left her, leaving his pectoral cross for his son or a ring for his daughter. The son grew up and went to look for his father in order to avenge him for the desecrated honor of his mother. Recognizing the unfamiliar bogatyr as his son by his gift, Muromets led him to his tent, gloriously treated him and put him to bed. Late at night, Sokolnik rushed at Ilya with a spear, insidiously trying to stab him while he was sleeping, but the blade hit the pectoral cross. Ilya Muromets killed his newly found son, who was hatching a secret plan to captivate Kyiv.

Life and death of Ilya Muromets. According to church tradition, the hero-monk Ilya Pechersky died in 1188 (according to A. Kalnofoysky). The age of the Monk Ilya Muromets, according to the results of modern scientific research, was 40-45 years old, perhaps even 55 years old. Then the year of birth of our hero falls into the interval between 1133-1148. By the way, if we take into account the rather young age of the hero (40 years old), and that he was paralyzed until the age of 33, then only 7 years remain for all his heroic and church exploits. This time is clearly not enough to become famous for centuries and be buried in the holy place of Kievan Rus. Simultaneously, Orthodox Church believes that the monastic exploits of the Monk Ilya Muromets, although hidden from us by the darkness of centuries, were nevertheless great. This is confirmed by his holy relics, which have been preserved incorruptible for many centuries.

Scientists have established that the Monk Ilya Muromets did not die of old age or illness, but died from a fatal blow to the region of the heart. On this basis, we can conclude that the hero-monk died in battle. The closest battle to 1188 for Kyiv with the ruin and destruction of the Pechersk Monastery took place in 1203. This is the year the author considers the year of death epic hero. If we subtract the age of the hero from this year, we get the time range of his birth 1148-1163.

Therefore, the life of the epic hero Ilya Muromets falls on the period from 1148 to 1203. Having determined the chronological range of the life of the Monk Elijah, let's try to restore it step by step life path against the backdrop of historical events.
Ilya Muromets was born in 1148 in the village of Karacharov, near the city of Murom, on the territory of the modern Vladimir region of Russia. His parents came from peasants. There is no doubt that Ilya Muromets suffered from a severe disease of the joints and bones from early childhood. According to legend, the illness of Ilya Muromets happened due to some sin of his grandfather. To atone for his sins, grandfather Ilya moved to Kyiv, to the monastery. Perhaps this monastery was Kiev-Pechersky, and coming there at the end of earthly life was a family tradition. Nevertheless, the epic tale about the paralysis of a hero up to 33 years old seems very doubtful. It is no coincidence that this figure coincides with the age of Jesus Christ. There is an epic version according to which Muromets got to his feet on Easter, when they sang “Christ is Risen” in the church. It is more likely to assume that the future hero was seriously ill until the age of 20, after which he received miraculous healing from folk healers. This event took place around 1168. It was then that Ilya Muromets accomplished his first feat - he freed the great trade route to Kyiv from robbers. This happened near the modern village of Nine Oaks, which is located near the city of Karachev, on the border of the modern Bryansk and Oryol regions of Russia. The further route of Ilya Muromets ran through Chernigov, where Svyatoslav Vsevolodovich (1164-1176) then reigned, and further along the Desna River to capital Kyiv.
Ilya Muromets performed his exploits on the territory of Kyiv land. It was her that he so selflessly defended throughout his life.

The year of birth of Ilya Muromets coincides with the reign of Izyaslav II on the throne of Kiev (1146-1154). His reign was filled internecine wars. After the death of Izyaslav II came Hard times. Kyiv gradually lost the importance of the capital big state, but remained a cultural and ecclesiastical center, was the object of the desire of the princes, who dreamed of taking possession of the throne of Kyiv. In a short struggle for Kyiv, Yuri Dolgoruky won, who reigned from 1154 to 1157.
During the reign of Rostislav I (1158-1167), the princely civil strife calmed down a bit, and he led the fight against the Polovtsy. In this struggle, black hoods (Karakalpaks) fought on the side of the Russian princes - Turkic-speaking tribes(Torks, Berendeys, Pechenegs), who settled on the southern border of Ukraine-Rus. Despite his high authority among the princes, Rostislav could not organize campaigns, similar topics what Vladimir Monomakh and Mstislav I ordered.
During the arrival of Ilya Muromets in Kyiv, the princely throne was occupied by Mstislav II (1167-1170). This prince continued the fight against the Polovtsy, and the hero Ilya Muromets could take a direct part in the military campaigns of the prince's squad. In 1168, Mstislav II gathered Chernigov, Volyn and Pereyaslav princes, defeated the Polovtsy near Orel and took many prisoners. The prince organized the protection of trade caravans that passed along the Iron, Salt and Greek routes, where they were mercilessly robbed by the Polovtsians. Thus, the dating of the liberation by the epic hero of the way from Murom to Kyiv (1168) is directly confirmed by historical facts.
Some researchers have tried to link the life of Ilya Muromets to the reign of Prince Vladimir Monomakh. They based their assumptions on the fact that the life of the epic hero should be inextricably linked with the name, if not Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich (980-1015), then at least Vladimir Monomakh (1113-1125). However, the date of the life of the hero according to A. Kalnofoysky (1188) and his age according to contemporary research refute this assumption. The life and deeds of the Monk Ilya Muromets did not coincide in time with any of the great Kyiv princes named Vladimir.
Ilya Muromets could not only be a witness, but also a direct participant in the dramatic events of 1169 and bravely defend the inhabitants capital city from strangers. At the beginning of that year, the son of Yuri Dolgoruky, Andrei, Prince of Suzdal and Vladimir, sent to Klyazma, led by his son Mstislav large army to Kyiv. Chernigov Olegovichi, Smolensk Rostislavichi, Gleb Pereyaslavsky and several other petty princes joined him. The forces of Kyiv were too small, the army of Mstislav went to help his son Roman in Novgorod, and only a small part of the squad remained in the city. Although without sufficient forces, Mstislav decided to defend himself. However, the betrayal of the black hoods allowed the enemy to bypass Kyiv. Mstislav left the capital and went to Volhynia.
In March 1169, troops led by Mstislav, the son of Andrei Bogolyubsky, took Kyiv “on a shield”: “Smolensk, Suzdal, Chernigov robbed Podol, Gora and monasteries, Sophia, the Tithe Mother of God and there was no mercy for anyone, nowhere: churches burned, Christians were killed and taken into captivity. In churches, the robes were stripped from icons, books and bells were taken away.” This is how the chronicler describes the sacking of Kyiv. New hike to Kyiv Andrei Bogolyubsky made in the summer of 1173. The chronicler devoted this campaign great attention, having counted more than 50 thousand soldiers in the Suzdal army. Andrew was too sure of his victory and gave the order to his governors to bring the prince of Kyiv alive. But Mstislav Rostislavovich met enemies near Vyshgorod: “There was a great battle, and the groans of the wounded, and inhuman voices. And one could see how the spears broke, hear how the weapons rattled, and from the dust it was not clear where the rider was and where the foot soldier was. The siege of Vyshgorod lasted for two whole months and ended with the defeat of the Suzdal people.
Gradually Great Kiev principality became a nominal title, devoid of real power and power. The Kyiv princes in their struggle for the throne entered into an agreement with other applicants and ceded the Kyiv lands in their favor, gave them one city after another. In the end, Kyiv was left almost without land. In particular, the Polovtsy harassed, who in 1170-1180. often attacked the Kiev region and Pereyaslav region. The princes were forced to protect trade caravans from Polovtsian raids and guard the borders from enemy attacks. Ilya Muromets carried out his main exploits in the period from 1175 to 1185. The Holy Russian hero did not fight against the Tatars, who came to Kyiv in 1240 (that is, after the death of Ilya Muromets), but against the Polovtsian invaders. At that time, Svyatoslav III Vsevolodovich (1175-1194) sat on the throne of Kiev, but almost the entire Kiev region went to Rurik Rostislavovich, so the chronicle calls both "grand princes." The princes of Kyiv fought together against the Polovtsy, and the hero Ilya Muromets did not stand aside from this struggle. At this time, there were more than twenty attacks and campaigns on both sides, the main battlefield of this military campaign was the land along the Ros River in the Kiev region and the entire Pereyaslav region. Princes Svyatoslav, Rurik Rostislavovich with his son Rostislav, Vladimir Glebovich and Igor Svyatoslavich gained fame in battles. On the Polovtsian side, Khan Kobyak, Konchak and his son opposed them.
The campaign began with Konchak's unsuccessful campaign against Ukraine-Rus in 1184. The princes captured the Polovtsian nomad camps and devastated them greatly. In July of the same year, the princes went on a campaign and defeated the Polovtsians across the Orel River, capturing a lot of booty and the Polovtsian Khan Kobyak. In the spring of 1185
Konchak moved to Pereyaslavshchina, but near the river Khorol he was defeated by the princes Svyatoslav and Rurik. The fugitives were followed by black hoods, which ravaged the Polovtsian nomad camps. The anti-Polovtsian campaign began quite successfully, and if the princes had continued to act jointly and with full consent, it would have ended. final victory. Unfortunately, each prince wished for personal glory and booty in the Polovtsian field. Igor Svyatoslavich, agreed with several princes and in April 1185 went on a campaign to the Polovtsian steppes. Luck was on Igor's side and in the first meeting he defeated the Polovtsians. But the enemies soon mobilized "the entire Polovtsian land" and blocked Igor's way on the Kayala River. Here the battle took place, which formed the basis of the pearl ancient Russian literature- "Words about Igor's regiment."

Ilya Muromets could have been a participant in the battle, which is described in the "Word". Perhaps it was then that the bogatyr received a serious wound, which forced him to come to the Caves Monastery and take the veil as a monk. The holy relics of St. Elijah testify to severe injuries (a fracture of the right collarbone and two right ribs from a terrible blow with a battle club). It is possible that Ilya Muromets even lost his left eye, for which he later received the nickname "Polyphemus", which was mentioned by A. Kalnofoysky in 1638.
Extremely unsuccessful campaign Igor Svyatoslavich, Prince of Novgorod-Seversky with Vsevolod, Prince Trubchevsky, Vladimir Putivlsky and Svyatoslav Rylsky against the Polovtsy in 1185 became the subject of the Lay. Unfortunately, it was not lucky to find direct information about Ilya Muromets in his texts. Nevertheless, they sing the courage of the princes, in particular, Buitur-Vsevolod: “Wherever he jumps, sparkling with his golden helmet, unfaithful Polovtsian heads roll everywhere.” But the heroism of the princes did not help: “From morning to evening, and from evening to dawn, red-hot arrows fly, sabers clang against helmets, damask spears crackle in an unknown field. The black arable land is pitted with hooves, sown with bones, watered with blood. They fought for a day, fought for a second, and on the third day, at noon, Igor's flags fell. The princes were unable to defeat the Polovtsians. On the Kayala River, darkness covered the light. The Polovtsy fled Kyiv land like ravenous wolves from a lair. Igor's defeat opened the way for the Polovtsy to Ukraine-Rus. Since that time, there has not been a year that the Polovtsy did not devastate Ukrainian lands. The weakened princes limited themselves only to the defense of their possessions and never dared to go into the depths of the Polovtsian steppes.
Now the last years of the life of Ilya Muromets loom before us with all evidence. After a successful military career, having been seriously wounded in a battle with the Polovtsy in 1185, Ilya Muromets decided to end his days as a monk, and took tonsure in the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery. Many note that this was a traditional step for an Orthodox warrior - to change a steel sword to a spiritual sword and spend days in battles not for earthly blessings, but for heavenly ones. Reverend Elijah is not the first and not the last warrior who did this. In this regard, we can recall the great commander, the Monk Alexander Nevsky, as well as the Orthodox soldiers of Peresvet and Oslyabya, who were novices of the Monk Sergei of Radonezh and died heroically on the Kulikovo field. In the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, in the Far Caves there is a burial of St. Titus, famous warrior 14th century He was also a brave combatant, and after being seriously wounded, he came to the Caves Monastery, where he fasted and prayed to God until the end of his days.
The hero of Muromets took the tonsure under the name of Elijah, but he did it not for the sake of his pride, but, perhaps, in honor of Elijah the Prophet. The absence of the life of St. Elijah in the Kiev-Pechersk Patericon indirectly indicates that the holy warrior managed to spend a little time in monastic deeds. Some researchers have suggested that Ilya Muromets was tonsured during the time of the abbess of Polycarp (1164-1182). Under the leadership of this great ascetic, the spiritual growth of the new warrior of Christ seemed to take place. It is known that the Monk Polycarp was highly respected by Grand Duke Rostislav Mstislavovich. During Great Lent, the prince used to invite the Archimandrite of the Pechersk together with twelve elders to his meal every Saturday and Sunday for spiritual conversations. On Lazorev Saturday, all the Pechersk elders were invited to the prince, they were generously endowed with alms. It is possible that the Monk Elijah was also present at these conversations. However, in 1168 Archimandrite Polycarp fell out of favor with the Metropolitan of Kyiv Constantine II and was sentenced to imprisonment. He was released only after the death of the metropolitan, and died in 1182.
Ilya Muromets came to the monastery under hegumen Vasily (1182-1198), which is mentioned in Kyiv Chronicle under 1184 and 1197 Basil from the church on Shchekavitsa was appointed hegumen in 1182. He was tonsured by Metropolitan Nikifor in the presence of Bishops Lavrenty of Turov and Nikolai Polotsky. During the time of Abbess Vasily, the Caves Monastery was fenced on all sides with high stone walls. This was done in accordance with the monastic charter to protect the monastery from attacks by non-believers and the temptations of secular life. From the very beginning of its existence, the Kiev-Pechersky Monastery was surrounded by a wooden palisade. However, the location of the monastery rather far from the fortified city and the constant Polovtsian threat required the quickest construction of stone walls. AT late XII in. a large number of structures were concentrated on the upper territory of the monastery, which were in dire need of protection in the form of stone walls. The first mention of them is found in the message of Bishop Kirill of Turov to Archimandrite Vasily: "God granted you to build a stone wall around the Lavra, where the dwellings of the saints, the cells of the reverends." "Kyiv synopsis" reported that "the monastery around with stone walls was surrounded by two shooting ranges, but the thickness or width of the stone wall was about a sazhen, and the gates are stone hedgehog, where is now the Church of the Holy Trinity." In confirmation of these words, in 1951, in the old monastery garden, they discovered the remains of the foundations of the fortress wall, destroyed Tatar-Mongol invasion in 1240 the Wall was explored for 135 m, its width was 2.2 m.
In the humble monastery, the Monk Ilya prayed, led a measured, ascetic lifestyle. This is confirmed by the entry in the manuscript of 1667: “Here lie the relics of the Monk Elijah of Muromets, a hero and a great warrior, who, later coming to his senses, remembered to himself that the army is an unsaved craft ... took the monastic vows, if someone comforted him only anyhow I cried, I confessed - I shed a lot of innocent blood, requiring her to be swept away with tears ”(History of Russian literature. - M., 1902. Vol. III. - P. 103.).
However, he failed to completely renounce the world, since enemy attacks on capital Kyiv at the end of the 12th century. were quite common. The monks more than once had to defend their monastery and city with weapons in their hands. The heroic strength did not leave the Monk Ilya until last day. An example of this is the feat recorded by E. Lasota, for which Muromets received Chobotka. This is not the first time Ilya has defended himself like this. unusual weapons. In one of the epics, he grabbed a hat (helmet) from his head and smashed the robbers without number with it: And then he began to wave his helmet, As he waved to the side - so here is the street, As he waves to the other - so here is the alley. The Monk Ilya Muromets died in 1203 during the attack of the combined troops of Rurik Rostislavich and the Polovtsy on capital Kyiv.
The epic hero faithfully served the Kyiv prince, gave his life for the capital city of Kyiv, for his native monastery. His last feat is another proof of his boundless devotion to the Orthodox faith, his people, his native city. It is hard to imagine that the people's memory left only epic tales about him and did not record the name of the hero in toponymy. ancient city. K. Aksakov (Collected Works. Vol. 1. - P. 336.) wrote that the memory of the heroes of the Vladimir cycle was preserved in the names of the island of Muromets on the Dnieper and the tract Churilovshchina near Kyiv. Confirmation of the respect of past generations of Kyivans for the image of Ilya Muromets can be found on ancient and modern maps Kyiv. A whole island and a tract on it was named after him. Now it is a favorite vacation spot for the people of Kiev.
The Monk Ilya Muromets died more than 800 years ago, but his memory lives on to this day in the vast expanses of the Orthodox world. In Ukraine and Russia you will not find a single person who has not heard of the Holy Russian hero, he is known to both old and young. Another recognition of the merits of St. Ilya Muromets before Orthodoxy was the establishment of a church order named after him.

Up there, the passions of the 21st century are raging; here, under the thickness of the earth's rocks, time has stopped forever. The 12th century, the golden age of Kievan Rus, rules here. That's the purpose of my visit to the catacombs of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. Again I stop in front of the tomb, the inscription at the head of which reads: "Ilya from the city of Murom." The image of a mighty epic knight, painfully familiar from childhood, instantly arises in the brain. There are no more doubts, there is only a firm certainty that in front of me is the same Holy Russian hero Ilya Muromets.