The relics of St. Peter and Fevronia are kept in the small Trinity monastery located in the center of the ancient city of Murom. In Russia they were always considered to be the patrons of Family and Marriage. The day of Peter and Fevronia, July, 8th, was celebrated as the Day of the Beloved in Russia until 1917 (then St. Valentine`s Day wasn’t celebrated).
Peter and Fevronia lived in the 13th century. According to the legend, the prince of Murom Peter once was taken ill with lepra and couldn’t be cured of it, and the heralds was able to find only one peasant girl Fevronia who agreed to heal it. In exchange for healing he promised to marry her. But having recovered Peter failed to keep his word and left her. However, the decease recurred and Peter came back to Fevronia and after the second recovery he married her.
The court nobility (boyars) of Murom didn’t accept Fevronia and forced Peter to abdicate and leave Murom. But already on the following morning they prayed them to come back, and Peter and Fevronia lived long and happy life in Murom.
When they got old, Peter and Fevronia took habit at different monasteries, but asked the God so that they died in their own cells, but at the same day and hour. This happened on July, 8th in 1228.
According to the legend, originally, they buried them at their own monasteries, but in the morning their bodies were found in the same tomb. After that no one decided to separate them. Peter and Fevronia were sanctified in 1547, and were made the patrons of Love, Marriage and Fidelity. Young married couples wanting children go to Murom to give a bow to these saints, as Russian Orthodox Church consider their relics as the miracle-working ones.
