Nestor the Chronicler or Nestor the Hagiographer (; 1056 – 1114) was a monk from the Kievan Rus who is known to have written two saints' lives: the ''Life of the Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Caves'' and the ''Account about the Life and Martyrdom of the Blessed Passion Bearers Boris and Gleb.'' Traditional historiography has also attributed to him the '' Primary Chronicle'' (PVL), the most revered chronicle of Kievan Rus', which earned him the nickname "the Chronicler". But several modern scholars have concluded he was not the author, because the ''Chronicle'' and known works of Nestor barely align, and frequently contradict each other in terms of style and contents. Given the authorship controversy, some scholars prefer calling him Nestor "the Hagiographer", to be identified with the two hagiographies which they do agree that he did write.

Biography

In 1073 AD, Nestor was a

monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

of the Monastery of the Caves in Kiev. The only other detail of his life that is reliably known is that he was commissioned with two other monks to find the

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...

s of St. Theodosius of Kiev, a mission which he fulfilled successfully. Nestor died around 1114 and was buried in the Near Caves. He has been glorified (canonized) as a

saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...

by the

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and ...

. The body of St. Nestor is among the relics preserved in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. His

feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context does n ...

is celebrated on October 27. He is also commemorated in common with other saints of the Kiev Caves Lavra on September 28 ( Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers of the Kiev Caves) and on the Second Sunday of Great Lent.

Purported authorship of the ''Primary Chronicle''

Veneration

Nestor the Chronicler was canonized by including his name in the Synaxis of all Venerable Fathers of the Kiev Caves.

Feast Day

* 27 October – main commemoration, (with: Nestor of Thessaloniki and Nestor of the Far Kiev Caves)

Fixed Feast Day ( Synaxes)

* 25 May – Synaxis of Saints of Volhynia ( Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia and

Greek Orthodox Church Greek Orthodox Church (, , ) is a term that can refer to any one of three classes of Christian Churches, each associated in some way with Christianity in Greece, Greek Christianity, Antiochian Greek Christians, Levantine Arabic-speaking Christian ...

) * 15 July – Synaxis of All Saints of Kiev ( Russian Orthodox Church - ROC) * 28 September – Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers of the Kiev Near Caves * 10 October – Synaxis of Saints of Volhynia ( ROC) * 27 October – Synaxis of All Saints of Kiev Theological Academy and Kiev Theological Seminary nowiki/>Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate)">Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate)">nowiki/> Moveable Feast Day (Synaxes)

* Synaxis of all Venerable Fathers of the Kiev Caves – movable holiday on the 2nd Sunday of the Great Lent * Synaxis of the Saints of the Kievan Caves Monastery, venerated in the near caves of Venerable Anthony – movable holiday on the 1st Saturday after Leavetaking of the Elevation of the Holy Cross">Elevation of the Cross (21 September)

Liturgical hymns

Troparion St. Nestor — Tone 4

Вели́ких князе́й ру́сских дея́ния/ и преподо́бных оте́ц Пече́рских жития́ и чудеса́ написа́вый,/ свое́ же, Богому́дре Не́сторе, мно́гих ти ра́ди доброде́телей и́мя/ напи́сано на Небеси́ стяжа́вый,// моли́ и нам написа́тися в Кни́ги Живо́тныя.

Velikikh knyazey russkikh deyaniya/ i prepodobnykh otets Pecherskikh zhitiya i chudesa napisavy,/ svoe zhe, Bogomudre Nestore, mnogikh ti radi dobrodeteley imya/ napisano na Nebesi styazhavy,// moli i nam napisatisya v Knigi Zhivotnyya.

Common Troparion St. Nestor — Tone 4

Времена́ и ле́та достопа́мятных дея́ний,/ по́двиги и труды́ Богоно́сных оте́ц,/ Не́сторе прему́дре, напису́я,/ любо́вию возгоре́лся еси́ после́довати стопа́м первонача́льных,/ с ни́миже не преста́й моли́тися Христу́ Бо́гу,// спасти́ся душа́м на́шим.

Vremena i leta dostopamyatnykh deyany,/ podvigi i trudy Bogonosnykh otets,/ Nestore premudre, napisuya,/ lyuboviyu vozgorelsya esi posledovati stopam pervonachalnykh,/ s nimizhe ne prestay molitisya Khristu Bogu,// spastisya dusham nashim.

Kontakion St. Nestor — Tone 2

Я́ко сый Богоно́снаго Феодо́сия учени́к/ и и́стинный жития́ того́ подража́тель,/ пе́рвый честны́х его́ моще́й самови́дец бы́ти сподо́бился еси́,/ я́же с про́чиими святоле́пно прене́с,/ насле́дил еси́ с те́миже Ца́рство Небе́сное,// е́же получи́ти и нам, чту́щим тя, Го́сподеви моли́ся.

Yako siy Bogonosnago Feodosiya uchenik/ i istinny zhitiya togo podrazhatel,/ pervy chestnykh ego moshchey samovidets byti spodobilsya esi,/ yazhe s prochiimi svyatolepno prenes,/ nasledil esi s temizhe Tsarstvo Nebesnoe,// ezhe poluchiti i nam, chtushchim tya, Gospodevi molisya.

Known works

* ''Life of the Venerable Theodosius of the Kiev Caves'' (1080s) * ''Chtenie'' ("Reading", "Lesson", "Legend", "Account") ''about the Life and Martyrdom of the Blessed Passion Bearers Boris and Gleb'' (late 11th or early 12th century; dating heavily disputed). ** (based on the oldest manuscript, the 14th-century Silvestrovskij sbornik) ** * (disputed) '' Primary Chronicle'', or ''The Tale of Bygone Years'' (ca. 1113)

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * (First edition published in 1930. The first 50 pages are a scholarly introduction.) * * * (assoc. ed. David J. Birnbaum (Harvard Library of Early Ukrainian Literature, vol. 10, parts 1–3) – This 2003 Ostrowski et al. edition includes an ''interlinear collation'' including the ''five main manuscript witnesses'', as well as a new ''paradosis'' ("a proposed best reading"). ** – A 2014 improved digitised version of the 2002/2003 Ostrowski et al. edition. * * * (also published at Kritika, Kyiv, 2005) *

External links

*
Venerable Nestor the Chronicler of the Kiev Near Caves
Orthodox icon and synaxarion
Visitor information for Kyiv Pechersk Lavra
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nestor the Chronicler Eastern Orthodox chroniclers 12th-century Eastern Orthodox Christians 12th-century Christian saints 12th-century historians 1050s births 1110s deaths Old Church Slavonic writers 12th-century Christian monks Primary Chronicle Writers from Kievan Rus' Monks from Kievan Rus' Eastern Orthodox saints from Kievan Rus' Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain