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Iulianiya VyazemskayaThe wife of Prince Simeon Mstislavich Vyazemsky, daughter of boyar Maxim Danilov
Date of Birth: .
Country:  Dive |
Content:
- Juliania of Vyazma: A Saintly Martyr
- A Tragic Fate
- A Miraculous Discovery
- Relics and Controversy
- A Century of Uncertainty
Juliania of Vyazma: A Saintly Martyr
Juliania of Vyazma was the wife of Prince Simeon Mstislavich Vyazemsky and the daughter of Boyar Maxim Danilov. She is revered as a saint in the Russian Orthodox Church. Her feast days are celebrated on December 21 (January 3) and June 2 (15), the day her relics were found.
A Tragic Fate
Prince Yuri Svyatoslavich of Smolensk, captivated by Juliania's beauty, murdered her husband during a feast and attempted to force himself upon her. Defending her honor, Juliania stabbed him with a knife, enraging Yuri. In retaliation, he severed her hands and feet with a sword and ordered her body to be thrown into the Tvertsa River on December 21, 1406.
A Miraculous Discovery
In the spring of 1407, Juliania's body was found floating against the current of the Tvertsa River. According to legend, a voice from heaven commanded a sick peasant to gather the clergy and bury her body at the southern doors of the Cathedral of the Transfiguration in Torzhok. Over the centuries, numerous miracles were attributed to her relics.
Relics and Controversy
In 1815, during renovations, Juliania's tomb was opened. Her relics were placed in a reliquary in a chapel built in her honor (consecrated on June 2, 1819). After the cathedral was closed in 1918, her relics were transferred to the Church of the Archangel Michael until 1930. Their fate after that remains unknown.
A Century of Uncertainty
On February 19, 1919, the reliquary containing Juliania's relics was opened by Soviet authorities. According to their report, bones of hands were found among others, which contradicts her hagiography. The mystery surrounding the whereabouts of her relics remains unsolved.
