Russian Orthodox Church says it found the relics of Dmitry Donskoy, the medieval prince who led the Rus to defeat the Mongol Golden Horde at Kulikovo in 1380

Workers at the Kremlin’s Archangel Cathedral have unearthed the remains of Prince Dmitry Donskoy, according to Russian state news agency TASS, quoting a Russian Orthodox Church source. The excavation occurred after the flooring grew unstable and endangered existing tombstones. Engineers removed the brick tomb covers lining the cathedral’s southern wall, revealing three large white-stone sarcophagi.

Inside, the bones of Holy Right-Believing Grand Prince Dmitry Ivanovich Donskoy, Grand Prince Ivan Ivanovich the Fair, and Prince Dmitry Ivanovich Zhilka of Uglich were discovered. The examination of Donskoy’s remains, save for his left heel bone, revealed no evidence of postmortem damage and showed excellent preservation. The church plans to distribute fragments of the relics to various Russian Orthodox churches.

Dmitry Donskoy was canonized in 1988, on the 1,000th anniversary of Rus’s Christianization, for his "great service to the Church and the people of God," notably his victory at the Battle of Kulikovo in 1380, which marked a turning point against the Mongol Golden Horde. Donskoy passed away in 1389 and was buried at the Archangel Cathedral, although his burial site had never been opened until now, with his remains' authenticity never confirmed.

This story was penned by a Meduza journalist and translated from Russian using an AI model, with stringent editorial oversight to guarantee accurate and timely English-language reporting.