Saint Khristina Vladimirskaya

Christina of Vladimir (c. 1219–1238) was a pious princess of Vladimir, the wife of Prince Vladimir Yuryevich and daughter-in-law of Grand Prince Yuri II Vsevolodovich of Vladimir. She died during the capture of Vladimir by the forces of Batu Khan, either in a fire at the Dormition Cathedral or by being tortured at the Khan's headquarters. No authentic portraits of Christina of Vladimir have survived, nor have any icons, akathists, or hagiographies dedicated to her. The historian V. N. Tatishchev denied the historical existence of this figure, as well as that of another legendary princess, Maria of Vladimir. His *History* stated that in 1236, Grand Prince Yuri Vsevolodovich "married Vladimir to Mstislava." In this account, Christina of Vladimir is replaced by the semi-legendary Mstislava of Vladimir. However, the name Christina appears in the works of N. M. Karamzin and S. M. Solovyov. Christina of Vladimir was canonized by the Orthodox Church in 1645, 400 years after her death, as a pious princess within the Synaxis of Vladimir Saints, alongside her mother-in-law Princess Agatha Vsevolodovna, her daughter-in-law Theodora Yuryevna, and Maria of Vladimir, the wife of her husband's brother. Her feast day is celebrated on July 6 (June 23 Old Style).