The Holy Prince Andrew of Smolensk, Pereyaslavsky, became famous for his humility, meekness and voluntary renunciation of earthly power in order to serve God.
Due to envy and civil strife among his relatives, Prince Andrew was forced to leave his native Smolensk. Unwilling to participate in the struggle for power and shed blood, he refused to rule and came to Pereslavl-Zalessky around 1360. Here, hiding his origin, the prince became a sexton at the church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
For thirty years, Saint Andrew humbly fulfilled church obedience, remaining to others a simple servant of the temple. After his death around 1390, a gold chain and a ring were found on his body — signs of princely dignity, as well as heavy iron chains that testified to his ascetic life. Next to it was a note in which the deceased revealed his origin and explained the reason for leaving Smolensk: "For the sake of envy and sedition from my brothers, they left my reign and house and so on."
The prince was buried at St. Nicholas Church, wrapping his body with birch bark. Soon the inhabitants of Pereslavl began to revere him as a saint, painted an icon and composed a church service. However, over time, the memory of the ascetic began to fade.
In the first half of the 16th century, St. Daniel of Pereyaslavsky helped to restore the veneration of St. Andrew. With the permission of Tsar John IV and Metropolitan Joasaph, he organized an examination of the prince's relics. At the opening of the burial, according to the hagiography, miraculous healings took place. Despite the disagreements regarding the official recognition of the prince's sanctity, his veneration in Pereslavl resumed.
In 1749, the Holy Synod approved the local celebration of the memory of the Blessed Prince Andrew. At the place of his burial there was a St. Nicholas Church, later rebuilt in stone. In Soviet times, the church was destroyed.
In 2000, the second finding of the saint's relics took place. Today they rest in the Nikolsky Convent of Pereslavl-Zalessky.
The life of the pious Prince Andrew reminds us that the true greatness of man is determined not by power and wealth, but by humility, faith and service to God.