Biography
Simeon of Polotsk and Tver
About Simeon of Polotsk and Tver
Simeon came from the princely family of Polotsk and became bishop there before serving as the first bishop of Tver. The church account connects his move with warfare, conflict with Lithuanian princes, and the killing of a princely relative in 1263. It remembers him as attentive to poor and oppressed people, as well as to clergy and monks.
A reported conversation with Prince Constantine expresses the moral force of that ministry. When the prince tried to separate himself from the injustices of his courts, Simeon insisted that rulers remained answerable for the counselors they appointed and the treatment of widows and orphans. The story condemns corruption and the excuse that a ruler bears no responsibility for subordinates. The notice also attributes medical learning and scriptural knowledge to him through the Nikon Chronicle. He died on February 3, 1289.
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