The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom

You can learn about the life and love of the saints Peter and Fevronia by reading “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom.” This is a literary adaptation of a legend beloved by the Russian people, made at the order of Metropolitan Makary by the writer and publicist Yermolai-Erasmus for the Moscow Church Council of 1547. At that council, the saintly spouses of Murom were canonized.

“The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom,” which tells the story of Prince Peter and his wife, Princess Fevronia, became a hymn to marital love and fidelity. The Russian people loved reading about the miracle-working saints of Murom—its popularity is evidenced by hundreds of copies of Yermolai-Erasmus’s work in the 16th–17th centuries. But this love story is also interesting to our contemporary readers, especially now, when in Russia the Day of Peter and Fevronia of Murom (July 8) has been celebrated since 2008 as the Day of Family, Love, and Fidelity.