"Hristos voistinu voskrese! If I may be so bold as to reply for Daniel, the Harold you are inquiring about is probably one you and your wife know well by another name: St. Mstislav-Harold (in baptism, Theodore). He was half-English (by his mother, Gytha, the daughter of Harold II, the last
Orthodox king of England, who was slain at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 A.D.) and a quarter Slav and a quarter Greek (by his father, Vladimir Monomach, Grand Prince of Kiev). His racial origins really ought to be symbolic for us, and his generosity, courage, love of peace, and encouragement of church-building ought to be an inspiration for all English-speaking Orthodox. He reposed in Kiev in 1132/3 and his memory is kept on April 15/28."162 |