Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich had twelve sons from different wives. The third oldest was Svyatopolk. Svyatopolk’s mother, a nun, was tidied up and married as Yaropolk, brother of Vladimir. Vladimir killed Yaropolk and captured his wife when she was pregnant. He adopted Svyatopolk, but did not love him. And Boris and Gleb were the sons of Vladimir and his Bulgarian wife. Vladimir put his children in different lands for reign: Svyatopolk - in Pinsk, Boris - in Rostov, Gleb - in Murom.

When the days of Vladimir approached the end, the Pechenegs moved to Russia. The prince sent Boris Tot against them, but he did not meet the enemy. When Boris returned, the messenger told him about the death of his father and that Svyatopolk tried to hide his death. Listening to this story, Boris cried. He realized that Svyatopolk wants to seize power and kill him, but decided not to resist. Indeed, Svyatopolk treacherously took control of the Kiev throne. But, despite the entreaties of the squad, Boris did not want to drive his brother from reign.

Meanwhile, Svyatopolk bribed Kiev and wrote a gentle letter to Boris. But his words were false. In fact, he wanted to kill all the heirs of his father.And he began by ordering the squad consisting of the Vyshgorod men, headed by Putyn, to kill Boris.

Boris spread his camp on the Alta River. In the evening he prayed in his tent, thinking of impending death. Waking up, he ordered the priest to serve the matins. The killers sent by Svyatopolk went up to Boris’s tent and heard the words of holy prayers. And Boris, hearing a sinister whisper near the tent, he realized that they were killers. The priest and servant of Boris, seeing the sadness of his master, grieved for him.

Suddenly, Boris saw killers with arms drawn in their hands. The villains rushed to the prince and pierced him with spears. And the servant of Boris covered his master with his body. This servant was originally a Hungarian named George. The killers hit him too. Wounded by them, George jumped out of the tent. The villains wanted to inflict new blows on the prince who was still alive. But Boris began to ask that he be allowed to pray to God. After the prayer, the prince addressed his murderers with words of forgiveness and said: “Brothers, having come, finish your command.” So Boris died on the 24th of July. Many of his servants were killed, including George. His head was chopped off to remove the hryvnia from his neck.

Boris was wrapped in a tent and taken in a cart. When traveling by forest, the holy prince raised his head. And two Varangians pierced him once more with a sword in his heart. The body of Boris was laid in Vyshgorod and buried near the Church of St. Basil.

After this, Svyatopolk conceived a new crime. He sent Gleb a letter in which he wrote that his father, Vladimir, was seriously ill and was calling Gleb.

The young prince went to Kiev. When he reached the Volga, he slightly injured his leg.He stopped not far from Smolensk, on the Smyadyn River, in the boat. The news of the death of Vladimir, meanwhile, reached Yaroslav (another of the twelve sons of Vladimir Svyatoslavich), who then reigned in Novgorod. Yaroslav sent a warning to Gleb not to go to Kiev: his father died, and his brother Boris was killed. And when Gleb cried about his father and brother, suddenly the evil servants of Svyatopolk appeared before him, sent to kill him.

Holy Prince Gleb then sailed in a boat along the Smyadyn River. The killers were in a different boat, they began to row towards the prince, and Gleb thought that they wanted to greet him. But the villains began to jump into the boat of Gleb with drawn swords in their hands. The prince began to beg that they not ruin his young life. But the servants of Svyatopolk were inexorable. Then Gleb began to pray to God for his father, brothers, and even for his killer, Svyatopolk. After that, the cook Glebov, Torchin, stabbed his master. And Gleb ascended into heaven, and met there with his beloved brother. It happened on September 5th.

The killers returned to Svyatopolk and told him about the executed command. The evil prince was delighted.

Gleb’s body was thrown in a deserted place between two decks. Merchants, hunters, shepherds passing by this place saw a pillar of fire there, burning candles, heard angelic singing. But no one guessed to look for the body of the saint there.

And Yaroslav moved with his army to the fratricide Svyatopolk in order to avenge the brothers. Yaroslav was accompanied by victory. Arriving on the Altu River, he stood on the spot where Saint Boris was killed, and prayed to God for the final victory over the villain.

The whole day lasted a slash in the Alta. By evening, Yaroslav defeated, and Svyatopolk fled. Madness filled him. Svyatopolk was so weak that he was carried on a stretcher. He ordered the run even when the chase ceased. So on a stretcher carried him through Polish land. In a desert place between the Czech Republic and Poland, he died. His grave has been preserved, and a terrible stench emanates from it.

Since then, strife in the Russian land ceased. Yaroslav became the Grand Duke. He found the body of Gleb and buried him in Vyshgorod, next to his brother. Gleb’s body was incorrupt.

Many miracles began to come from the relics of the holy sufferers Boris and Gleb: the blind were seeing, the lame were walking, the hunchbacks were straightening. And in those places where the brothers were killed, churches were created in their name.