Boris and Gleb, Christian names Roman and David, respectively, were the first saints canonized in Kievan Rus' after the Christianization of the country.
According to the two 11th century Lives of Boris and Gleb (ascribed to Nestor the Chronicler and Jacob the Monk), they were children of Vladimir the Great, who liked them more than his other children. Both were murdered during the internecine wars of 1015–1019 and glorified (canonized) by the Orthodox church in Rus' in 1071. They were interred at the Vyshhorod Cathedral, which was reconsecrated in their name; many other Ukrainian and Russian churches were later named after them. Their feast day is observed on July 24 (August 6).