The saint library

Saint Daniel of Moscow

Prince and monk
Moscow, Russia · 13th–14th centuries
Feast day: March 4

Photograph of Daniel of Moscow’s icon in Danilov Monastery’s Trinity Cathedral; hanging lamps obscure part of the icon, and the photograph omits its outer frame. Image source: Moscow Danilov Monastery

A life of faith

Daniel was a son of Alexander Nevsky and inherited the small principality of Moscow. The received life remembers his efforts to settle disputes among his relatives without bloodshed. He established a monastery beside the Moscow River in honor of Daniel the Stylite. Near the end of his life he became a monk there and asked to be buried in the monastery cemetery like the other monks. He died in 1303.

The Eastern Orthodox Church remembers saints in prayer and commemoration. Their lives offer examples for Christians learning to live their faith.

A reflection

Approach a disagreement with the aim of understanding the other person rather than gaining honor.

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