The priest spoke about the origin of the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity in Russia

The Day of Family, Love and Fidelity in Russia grew out of the local Murom tradition associated with the memory of Saints Peter and Fevronia, whom the church reveres as patrons of family and marriage. Over time, the holiday gained national status. Philip Ilyashenko, a priest and vice-rector of St. Tikhon's Orthodox University for the Humanities, told Izvestia about this.

According to him, the modern tradition of the holiday is relatively young and dates back to 2008. It was then that in Murom, where the relics of the holy spouses rest, for the first time they decided to combine the City Day with the day of their church memory.

"Over time, the initiative spread beyond one city and gained support in other regions. At the same time, the holiday acquired its official state status much later. It was officially established in 2022," Ilyashenko explained.

He added that Murom is still the main center of celebration, since it is here that the spiritual heritage associated with the Murom saints is concentrated.

The priest also recalled that the veneration of Peter and Fevronia has an earlier history: the princely couple lived around the 13th century, their lives were recorded in the "Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom", created in the 16th century. From that time, according to him, the church-wide veneration of saints also begins.

"In the 16th century, Metropolitan Macarius initiated a large—scale glorification of Russian saints - their number increased by dozens of names at once. Peter and Fevronia of Murom were among those who were glorified during this period," he explained.

Read more in the Izvestia article:

Peter and Fevronia Day – 2026: a love story that has passed through the ages