Saint Evstratij Petsjerskij

Eustratius of the Kiev Caves (Eustratius the Faster; died March 28 (April 10), 1097, Chersonesus, Byzantine Empire) was a saint of the Russian Orthodox Church and a venerable martyr. His feast day is celebrated on March 28 (April 10). According to his hagiography, the "Word on the Blessed Eustratius the Faster," in the spring of 1097, a Jewish merchant in Chersonesus purchased a group of captives from the Polovtsians who had been seized near Kiev. Among them was the Kiev Caves Lavra monk Eustratius the Faster, who soon died in captivity—according to the hagiography, he was killed by his master for refusing to renounce Christ. This event resulted in the execution of the city governor and the merchant, as well as the expulsion of all Jewish merchants from the city and the confiscation of their property. The Church canonized Eustratius as a saint. He is considered one of those "martyred at Easter by Jews." Assessments of Eustratius's death remain a subject of disagreement in both religious and academic circles due to the overtly anti-Judaic stance of the saint's hagiography. A number of researchers believe that the hagiography reflects a blood libel against Jews.