Martyrdom in early Christian Rus
Martyrdom in early Christian Rus

Summary/Abstract: Bruno of Querfurt was martyred on the border between the lands of the Rus‘ and of the Prussians in 1009, probably on 9th March. The accounts of the martyrdom and of the saint’s burial differ strongly. Thietmar of Merseburg claims that the body of the martyr was ransomed by Boleslaw Chrobry, but he does not say where it was buried. Ademar of Chabannes, however, says that the saint was buried in the lands of the Rus‘, where Peter Damian also says there was a cult of Bruno. It is, therefore, possible that, the corpses of Bruno and his companions, they were buried among the Rus‘, perhaps in Svyatopolk’s city of Turov. It is also possible that the burial and cult of Bruno influenced both the placing of the tomb of Vladimir and also the decorative scheme of the Church of Santa Sophia in Kiev, which places remarkable emphasis on the cult of the 40 martyrs of Sevaste, who were commemorated on 9th March, as was Bruno.

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