Hlib Volodymyrovych

Hlib Volodymyrovych [Hlib Volodymyrovyč], ca 984–1015. Saint and prince. One of 12 sons of Volodymyr the Great, in 987–9 he received from his father the city of Murom. During the internecine struggle for the throne of the Kyivan grand prince after Volodymyr's death (1015) Hlib and his brother Borys were killed in 1015 on the orders of their older brother Sviatopolk I—Hlib near Smolensk and Borys near Pereiaslav. In 1019, the bodies were ordered exhumed by their brother Yaroslav the Wise, brought to Vyshhorod, and buried there in Saint Basil's Church. Soon afterwards, both brothers were canonized by the Orthodox church. According to Omeljan Pritsak (The Origin of Rus’ , vol 1, 1981) the canonization was probably promoted by the new grand prince , Yaroslav, for the purpose of legitimizing his rule and investing his dynasty with prestige and honor. For centuries, Saints Borys and Hlib were greatly revered by the common people.