Hermeneutics of Old Russian Literature Hermeneutics of Old Russian Literature 1607-6192 2713-2226 IWL RAS УДК 821.161.1.0 https://doi.org/10.22455/HORL.1607-6192-2025-24-516-546 Research Article Articles BATTLE OF NOVGORODIANS WITH SUZDALIANS ON FEBRUARY 25, 1170 AND MIRACLE OF THE ICON “OUR LADY OF THE SIGN” ACCORDING TO THE NOVGOROD NARRATIVE SOURCES Nesin Mikhail A. old-rus@imli.ru Podvalnov Evgeny D. old-rus@imli.ru 2025 24 516 546 Copyright © 2026, IWL RAS 2026 The authors explore the news of medieval Novgorod narrative sources about the battle of the Novgorodians with the Suzdalians and the miracle of the icon “Our Lady of the Sign” in 1170. It was the victory over Andrei Bogolyubsky that for many centuries became one of the central places in the ideological structures of the city of St. Sophia, being noted in a whole group of monuments with different genre and stylistic characteristics. Special emphasis was placed on the analysis of the development of the texts of the plot, on the change in the plot of history and the genesis of new information added by Novgorod scribes over time. First of all, this concerns the first two chronicle news — the Novgorod First Chronicle and the Brief Novgorod Chronicler, as well as the literary monument The Battle of the Novgorodians with the Suzdalians (closely related to the oral tradition of the townspeople). Agafonov, S. “Vospominanie o Znamenii Presviatoi Bogoroditsy” [“Remembrance of the Sign of the Most Holy Theotokos”]. Iazyk i tekst, vol. 3, no. 2, 2016, pp. 16–22. DOI: 10.17759/langt.2016030202 (In Russian) Agafonov, S. “‘Znamenskoe chudo’ v novgorodskikh letopisiakh: istoki stanovleniia kul’ta” [“‘The Znamenskoye Miracle’ in the Novgorod Chronicles: the Origins of the Cult]. Drevniaia Rus’. Voprosy medievistiki, no. 4 (54), 2013, pp. 5–11. (In Russian) Agafonov, S. 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