Legends about Saint Demetrius of Thessaloniki's intervention on behalf of the besieged town were recorded shortly after Kaloyan's death. Robert of Clari wrote before 1216 that the saint himself came to Kaloyan's tent and "struck him with a lance through the body", causing his death. Stefan Nemanjić wrote down the same legend in 1216 in his hagiography of his father, Stefan Nemanja. John Staurakios, who compiled the legends of Saint Demetrius in the late 13th century, recorded that a man riding on a white horse struck Kaloyan with a lance. Kaloyan, continued Staurakios, associated the attacker with Manastras, the commander of his mercenaries, who thus had to flee before Kaloyan's death. The legend was depicted on the walls of more than five Orthodox churches and monasteries. For instance, a fresco in the Decani Monastery depicts Saint Demetrius slaying "Tsar Skaloyan".