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Mykola Zharkikh (Kyiv)

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The relics of St. Barbara in Kyiv

Nicholas Zharkikh

So, at the end of the 16th century whole body of "st. Barbara" suddenly come to the surface in Kyiv, at St. Michael's Cathedral.

To find out when and how it happened, does not need skills of Sherlock Holmes – enough to have common sense and compare following evidence of sources.

Now summarize our observations on the development of views on Kyiv relics. These views passed several stages: local girl Barbara – princess – st. Barbara of Heliopol. Since last look arised under domination of atheism and rationalism, it was necessary to give a rational explanation for the appearance of these relics in Kyiv. This legend has passed through three stages:

in 1655 – the relics were transferred in 988 at marriage of prince Volodymyr and princess Anne;

in 1669 – the relics were transferred in 1108 to prince Svjatopolk;

in 1695 – the relics were transferred in 1108 by Byzantine princess Barbara, daughter of Emperor Alexius Comnenus, who married Prince Svjatopolk.

All these mutually exclusive legends meet state of 17-century historical knowledge and does not contain even one bit of real historical data. They should be treated as product of pure imagination of Kyiv writers.