Saint Blessed Prince Dmitry, son of Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible, was born on October 19, 1582, in Moscow. After the death of Ivan the Terrible, his elder brother Feodor Ivanovich ascended the throne, but the actual ruler became the boyar Boris Godunov, who, fearing for his power, began to act against the Tsarevich. Dmitry was sent to Uglich with his mother, the widowed Tsarina Maria Fedorovna.
Boris Godunov, wishing to rid himself of the legitimate heir, started spreading rumors about the supposed illegitimacy of Dmitry and forbade his name to be remembered during church services. Attempts to poison the Tsarevich were unsuccessful, and eventually, on May 15, 1591, he was killed by order of Boris Godunov. The murderers, after committing the crime, were punished by the people.
The Tsarevich Dmitry was buried in Uglich, and soon healings of the sick began at his tomb. On June 3, 1606, under Patriarch Hermogenes, the holy relics were found to be incorrupt and were transferred to the cathedral in honor of Archistrategos Michael in Moscow. The Russian Church reverently honors the memory of St. Tsarevich Dmitry, celebrating three feasts a year: his birth, his murder, and the transfer of his relics.
A church was built in Uglich in honor of St. Tsarevich, where a handwritten life was kept, written by Saint Dmitry, Metropolitan of Rostov. During the Patriotic War of 1812, the holy relics were saved from desecration and later solemnly transferred back to their original place.
