Archaeologists excavating a medieval neighbourhood in the Russian city of Vladimir have uncovered a rare group of lead seals that have been identified as belonging to Princess Maria Vsevolzha, wife of Grand Prince Vsevolod III “the Big Nest” and one of the most influential women in pre-Mongol Rus’.
The discoveries were made during excavations conducted by the Institute of Archaeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences on Volodarsky Street, where construction is planned for a new hotel. The excavation exposed approximately 400 square metres of a well-preserved cultural layer dating from the late 12th and early 13th centuries, revealing residential estates, streets, storage pits and numerous artefacts associated with daily life in medieval Vladimir.
Among the finds were two exceptionally rare lead bullae—pendent seals once attached to official documents that have long since perished. Researchers say the seals provide the strongest evidence yet that this particular seal type belonged to Princess Maria Vsevolzha.
Each seal bears the image of Saint Mary on one side and Saint Demetrius on the other. The figure of Saint Mary is accompanied by a Greek inscription identifying the saint, while Saint Demetrius, depicted carrying a spear and shield, represents the baptismal patron of Maria’s husband, Prince Vsevolod III, whose Christian name was Demetrius.
The identification is supported by the discovery of a seal that belongs directly to Vsevolod in the same excavation. His seal shows Saint Demetrius with Saint George, in line with the traditional design of princely seals in medieval Rus’, usually with the patron saints of the ruler and his father.
Archaeologists report more than 1,000 princely seals from the Rurik dynasty are in existence, but seals belonging to women are very rare. Only about 20 different types attributed to princesses have been identified, and it is often hard to assign them to historical figures as ancient chronicles often referred to royal women by their fathers or husbands instead of their own names.
Five examples of the Saint Mary–Saint Demetrius seal are now known, four of which originate from northeastern Rus’. Two have been found in Vladimir itself—the political centre of Vsevolod’s principality—strengthening the attribution to Maria Vsevolzha.
The excavation also produced a wide range of everyday artefacts, including fragments of imported amphorae, glass vessels, jewellery, glass bracelets, metal ornaments, knives, spindle whorls and a stone cross, providing a detailed picture of urban life in Vladimir during the decades before the Mongol invasion.
Maria Vsevolzha, who married Vsevolod no later than 1175, was the mother of twelve children and matriarch of the branch of the Rurik dynasty from which the princes of Moscow later emerged. Historians believe she may have been of Alanian (Ossetian) origin, based on medieval chronicle references to her younger sister.
She is also remembered as the founder of the Princess’s Assumption Monastery (Knyaginin Monastery), established around AD 1200, which became the burial place of several members of the ruling family, including Maria herself after her death in 1206. Contemporary chronicles portray her as a deeply respected figure known for her religious devotion, charitable works and patronage of the clergy.
Researchers say the newly identified seals reinforce this historical portrait by demonstrating that Maria participated directly in the administration of princely affairs. The use of her own official seal suggests she played an active role in issuing legal and administrative documents—an unusual level of authority for a royal woman in medieval Rus’.
The discovery offers rare archaeological evidence of the political influence exercised by one of the most prominent women of northeastern Rus’ on the eve of the Mongol conquest.
Sources : Russian Academy of Sciences
