Xenia of Tarusa

Who was Xenia of Tarusa?

Xenia of Tarusa, also known as Xenia Yourjevna, was a Princess consort of Tver and Grand Princess consort of Vladimir from 1267 to 1271. She is counted among the saints of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Xenia of Tarusa was a daughter of Youri Mikhailovich, Prince of Tarusa, by conflicting sources she could have been a daughter of Citizen Youri of Novgorod. She married Yaroslav III, Prince of Tver and Grand Prince of Vladimir, the younger brother of Aleksandr Nevsky in 1265. During her marriage and the reign of her husband she was unusually influential in the affairs of the state and remained so even after Yaroslav's demise in 1271. Soon after she retired to the women's monastery in Novgorod, yet continued to play an influential role in the affairs of the principality. She died in 1312 in seclusion.