Medieval Russian stories about the Theotokos as a historical source

Lives constitute an essential part of Medieval Russian literature. Their authors had as their goal, first of all, a description of the spiritual labors of the saints, their difficult path to God, the miracles that happened through their prayers. But often they contain historical information that opens up a number of additional opportunities for the researcher when studying the work. Each hagiographer introduces them into his narrative in different ways: some resort to them only to specify the period in which the events they describe happened, while others seek to point out the problems and illnesses of their time or give an ideological justification for what is happening. This article provides an overview of references in Slavic tales of the Mother of God and some other hagiographic works (primarily in the life of St. Stephen of Makhrishcha) of real events, church and state figures, as well as a description in them of the church life of that time, relationships with the authorities and society.