Venerable (Monastic)13th century

Saint Oleg Prince of Briansk

c. 1250s – 1285

Also known as Leontius

Grandson of Saint Michael of Chernigov who left princely life to become a monk, remembered for piety and renunciation.

September 20New Calendar

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Commemorated as

Our Venerable Father Oleg, Prince of Briansk

Life

Saint Oleg, Prince of Briansk (baptismal name Leontius), was a thirteenth-century Rus' prince of the Olgovichi clan who abandoned his princely station to enter monastic life. He was the grandson of the holy martyr Prince Michael of Chernigov and the son of Prince Roman Mikhailovich of Briansk.

After taking part in a military campaign against Lithuania in 1274 alongside his father, Oleg renounced his rule and entered the monastery of Saints Peter and Paul in Briansk, which he had founded with his own resources. There he received the monastic name Basil and lived as a strict ascetic until his death in 1285. He is commemorated on September 20.

Kontakion & Troparion2 hymnsReadHide

KontakionTone 2

(Podoben: “You sought the heights...”) Having divinely armed yourself with the purity of your soul,
and firmly grasping unceasing prayer as a spear, you pierced the armies of demons.
Therefore, we beseech you, O our Father Basil,
always intercede for us who honor you.

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

TroparionTone 8

In you the image was preserved with exactness, O Father,
for taking up your cross, you followed after Christ.
By so doing, you taught us to disregard the flesh, for it passes away,
but to care instead for the soul, since it is immortal.
Therefore, most venerable Father Basil your spirit rejoices with the Angels.

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

Timeline3 momentsReadHide

1274Campaign against LithuaniaPrince Oleg takes part in a military campaign against Lithuania together with his father, Prince Roman Mikhailovich of Briansk.
After 1274Renunciation and tonsureOleg abandons his princely position and enters the monastery of Saints Peter and Paul in Briansk, which he had founded, receiving the monastic name Basil.
1285ReposeHe dies at the Briansk monastery, where he had lived as a strict ascetic, and is buried in the monastery church.

Contributions & Legacy

3 contributionsReadHide

Renunciation and Monastic Life

Oleg Romanovich belonged to the line of the princes of Chernigov and Briansk. In 1274 he joined his father, Prince Roman Mikhailovich, in a war against Lithuania. Following this campaign he gave up his princely position to embrace the monastic life.

He entered the monastery of Saints Peter and Paul in Briansk, a community he had himself funded. Receiving the monastic name Basil, he lived there as a strict ascetic until his repose in 1285, and was buried in the monastery church.

Family and Lineage

Saint Oleg stood in a three-generation princely line of the Olgovichi clan. His grandfather was Saint Michael of Chernigov (c. 1185–1246), Grand Prince of Kiev and Prince of Chernigov, who was executed on the order of Batu Khan in 1246 for refusing to perform pagan obeisance at the shrine of Chingis Khan, considering it incompatible with the Christian faith.

His father was Prince Roman Mikhailovich the Old (c. 1218 – after 1288), Prince of Briansk. Oleg's siblings included Mikhail Romanovich and a sister, Olga (also called Elena) Romanovna, who married Prince Vsevolod Vasilkovich of Volhynia.

Sources and Veneration

The saint is relatively obscure outside Russian-language sources, and the OCA synaxarion is the primary accessible English-language account of his life. No dedicated article appears on OrthodoxWiki, and there is no English Wikipedia article under the title Oleg Romanovich of Bryansk.

The OCA identifies him as a saint but records no specific date of formal glorification or canonization proceedings, and provides no information about the present location or status of his relics. He is listed in the OCA calendar for September 20 as a distinct commemoration alongside the Afterfeast of the Elevation of the Cross, Greatmartyr Eustathios Placidas, the martyrs Michael and Theodore of Chernigov, and the monastic-martyr Hilarion of Mount Athos.

Family1 relativeShowHide

His grandfather, Prince Michael of Chernigov, martyred at the Golden Horde in 1246 for refusing pagan obeisance.

Martyrs Michael and Theodoreof Chernigov

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