Right-believing (Ruler)12th century

Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael of Kiev

c. 1110 – March 14, 1167

Also known as Rostislav of Kiev · Michael

A son of Saint Mstislav the Great, Rostislav-Michael was a Great Prince of Kiev remembered as a devout ruler who supported the Church and worked for peace among the warring princes of his day.

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Commemorated as

The Holy Right-believing Great Prince Rostislav-Michael of Kiev

Life

Rostislav-Michael (c. 1110 – 14 March 1167) was a Rurikid prince who ruled as Prince of Smolensk for over four decades and as Grand Prince of Kiev in three separate periods between 1154 and his death in 1167. A son of the Kievan Great Prince Saint Mstislav the Great and Christina Ingesdotter of Sweden, and a grandson of Vladimir Monomakh, he is venerated in the Russian Orthodox tradition as a Right-believing prince, remembered as a devout ruler who supported the Church and sought peace among the contending princes of his day.

He governed Smolensk from 1125, building up the principality with cities, churches, and monasteries, and in 1136 established it as an independent diocese. As Grand Prince of Kiev he was esteemed by contemporaries for his wisdom in civil affairs and his strict sense of justice. He became the founder of the Smolensk princely dynasty, the Rostislavichi branch of the Rurikids. He is commemorated on March 14.

Troparion1 hymnReadHide

TroparionTone 6

You became a builder of cities and churches in the land of Kiev,
O Great Prince Rostislav, you abolished turmoil and preserved unity.
Thus, the Lord sent you wisdom;
therefore, pray to Christ God for the salvation of our souls.

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

Timeline7 momentsReadHide

c. 1110BirthRostislav-Michael is born in Kiev, a son of Mstislav I of Kiev (Saint Mstislav the Great) and Christina Ingesdotter of Sweden, and a grandson of Vladimir Monomakh.
1125Granted SmolenskHis father grants him Smolensk as his inheritance; he governs it for over four decades, becoming the founder of the Smolensk princely dynasty.
1136Smolensk diocese establishedRostislav establishes an independent diocese of Smolensk under its first bishop, Manuel, with an edict guaranteeing ecclesiastical support.
1150Dormition cathedral consecratedHe rebuilds the Dormition cathedral originally built by his grandfather Vladimir Monomakh; it is consecrated on 15 August, and he cedes Cathedral Hill to the diocese.
1154Kiev and NovgorodHe briefly holds Kiev as Grand Prince in December and also serves as Prince of Novgorod.
April 12, 1159Reclaims KievRostislav reclaims Kiev and rules as Grand Prince, with interruptions, until his death.
March 14, 1167ReposeFalling ill on his return from a Novgorod campaign, he dies; his body is brought to the Theodosiev monastery in Kiev in accordance with his last wishes.

Contributions & Legacy

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Prince of Smolensk

In 1125 Rostislav's father, Saint Mstislav the Great, granted him Smolensk as his inheritance. He governed the principality for more than four decades, expanding it with new cities and villages and adorning it with churches and monasteries. Among the towns associated with his rule are Rostislavl, Mstislavl, Krichev, Propoisk, and Vasiliev. Through this work he became the founder of the Smolensk princely dynasty.

In 1136 Rostislav established an independent diocese of Smolensk, with Bishop Manuel as its first leader, issuing an edict that guaranteed ecclesiastical support; in 1150 he ceded Cathedral Hill to the diocese. He rebuilt the Dormition cathedral originally constructed by his grandfather Vladimir Monomakh, which was consecrated on 15 August 1150. His other construction projects included the Smolensk Kremlin and the Savior cathedral at the Smyadynsk monastery of Saints Boris and Gleb.

Grand Prince of Kiev

Rostislav reclaimed Kiev on 12 April 1159 and ruled as Grand Prince, with interruptions, until his death. Across his career he held Kiev in three periods: briefly in December 1154, from April 1159 to February 1161, and from March 1161 to March 1167. He also served briefly as Prince of Novgorod in 1154. Contemporaries valued his wisdom regarding the civil realm and his strict sense of justice.

In ecclesiastical matters Rostislav initially opposed the autocephaly of the Russian Church, fearing it would fragment the nation, but he later supported Metropolitan Clement Smolyatich, influenced by the Kiev Caves monastery and its Archimandrite Polycarp. He maintained a humble obedience to the ecclesiastical authority of Constantinople.

Piety and Final Days

Rostislav kept the pious custom of inviting the igumen and twelve monks to his own table on the Saturdays and Sundays of Great Lent, serving them himself. He expressed a desire to become a monk at the Caves monastery.

Returning from a campaign to Novgorod in the spring of 1167, Rostislav fell ill. He asked that, if he died on the way, he be buried at his father's monastery, and that, if he recovered, he be received into monastic tonsure. He died on 14 March 1167, and in accordance with his last wishes his body was brought to the Theodosiev monastery in Kiev.

Family3 relativesShowHide

Rostislav was a Rurikid prince, a son of Saint Mstislav the Great and a grandson of Vladimir Monomakh.

Brother; another son of Mstislav the Great, prince of Novgorod and later Pskov, glorified as a wonderworker.

Saint Vsevolod-GabrielWonderworker of Pskov

Father; Grand Prince of Kiev and son of Vladimir Monomakh, who in 1125 granted Rostislav the principality of Smolensk as his inheritance.

Right-believing Prince Mstislav-Theodorethe Great

His son, Mstislav (George), prince of Novgorod.

Saint Mstislav (George)Prince of Novgorod

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Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints