ALESSANDRO JAROSLAVIČ NEVSKI. — Born in 1220 (?), died in 1263. While still a young prince, he served as lieutenant in Novgorod and as such defeated the Swedes on the Neva River in 1240, a victory that for centuries determined the limits of Nordic influence. In 1242, he defeated the Teutonic Knights on Lake Peipus, thus liberating northern Russia from Western domination, and consciously submitted to Tatar power. For a century, the Byzantine Church remained the only link between Europe and Russia. In the early 18th century, Peter the Great had the relics of A. transferred to a monastery in St. Petersburg, where he was honored as a saint and national hero.
BIBL.: A. M. Ammann, Storia della Chiesa russa, Torino 1948. Alberto M. Ammann