He was born in 1261, the fourth son of the holy great prince Alexander Nevsky. He was distinguished by piety, meekness, and peaceableness. In his life, no one inflicted harm on his state, and he did not seek to acquire foreign lands by violence, giving thanks to God for the heritage given to him – the state of the glorious city of Moscow.
Since 1302, the Moscow principality increased through the peaceful annexation of the Pereyaslav principality. The holy prince did not indulge in a love of power, but, guarding himself with the fear of God, excelled in brotherly love.
While ruling within the bounds of Moscow, the holy prince built a monastery beyond the Moskva River, which came to be called the Danilov Monastery in his name. In this monastery, he took monastic vows and, having accepted the schema, peacefully departed to the Lord on March 4, 1303. On August 30, 1652, his relics were found incorrupt.
