1) so-called. the first (Photi or Askold) baptism in the 860s, which is usually associated with the names of the Kiev princes Askold and Dir; it co-pro-in-f-yes-elk creates-yes-ni-em in Rus-si epi-sko-pii (or ar-hi-epi-sko-pii), in the next-st-vii- gib-necks;

2) personal baptism Kievan princess Olga in Constantinople in 946 or 957;

3) the baptism of Russia by Vladimir;

4) active church construction and measures for the organization of the Church, the expansion of the eparchy -al-noy and pri-khod-sky structure-tour, pre-pri-ni-mav-shie-sya at the Kiev book. Yaro-glory-ve Vla-di-mi-ro-vi-che Mu-drome and with his pre-em-no-kah.

Background and reasons

According to the combination of data from historical sources, the baptism of Russia appears as a goal-le-on-right-len-ny choice of books. Vla-di-mira, conditioned by his personal religious quests and a complex of internal and external -chin (not-satisfactory-le-two-ryon-nost language-che-ski-mi cul-ta-mi in ka-che-st-ve on-tsio-nal-no-kon-so-li-di- ruyu-sche-th fact-ra, not-about-ho-di-bridge of the entry-p-le-tion of the Old Russian state into the number of world powers, etc.).

According to ancient Russian tradition, Vladimir and his squad in the late 980s. decided to change their faith after a long discussion and negotiations with countries belonging to different faiths. In the let-to-pi-si, a legend about the “is-py-ta-nii of faith” of the book was preserved. Vla-di-mi-rum. It says-ve-st-vu-et about in-salt-st-wah in Ki-ev from from the Volga Bulgar-ria, from the Latin Za-pa-da, from iu-dai-zi-ro- van-nyh ha-zars and from By-zan-tia, who had killed the princes to accept their faith. Vla-di-world from-prav-vil own-st-ven-nye-salt-st-va “in bol-ga-ry”, “in it-tsy”, “in Greek”, whatever "experience their service." After the return of the embassies, he os-ta-no-vil his choice on christi-an-st-ve of the Byzantine ob-rya-yes, in-raziv- she-th in-words of the beauty-so-that god-of-service.

The decision to accept Christianity in its Eastern, Orthodox version from Constantinople was associated not only with this, but also with the desire to preserve the important ties established with Byzantium in previous years. No less important was the prestige of the Byzantine Empire, which at that time was at the zenith of power.

The baptism of Vladimir and the squad

In relation to the circumstances and the time of the baptism of the book. Vla-di-mi-ra in ancient Russian sources there is no single-st-va. According to the “Kor-sun-sky le-gen-de” - pre-da-nyu, someone from the turn of the XI-XII centuries. went into the old Russian summer-pi-sa-nie, and then into the Life of St. Vla-di-mira, the prince was baptized in the city of Kor-sun, the center of the Byzantine authorities in Crimea, in 988 g. (one-to-fak-ti-che-ski taking Kor-su-ni pro-isosh-lo, ve-ro-yat-her everything, in 989); in the same place there was a bra-ko-so-che-ta-nie Vla-di-mi-ra with se-st-swarm of the Byzantine im-pe-ra-to-ditch Va-si-liya II Bol -ga-ro-fighters and Kon-stan-ti-on VIII An-noy. Su-shche-st-vu-et and another tradition, for-fic-si-ro-van-naya also already in the 11th century, someone-paradise with-uro-chi-va- there is a christening of Vla-di-mir-ra to Kiev and by the time two years before the capture of Kor-su-ni.

Baptism of Russian cities and the establishment of a church organization in Russia

For the christening of the prince and his friends after-before-wa-lo or-ga-ni-zo-van-noe state power mass-so-voe -tion of the inhabitants of the largest cities, pre-zh-de of all Kiev and Nov-go-ro-yes. For the first years after baptism (not later than 997), there is an apprenticeship in the Old Russian state of mi-tro-po-lyi with a center in Kiev, under-chi-nyon-noy Kon-stan-ti-no-pol-sko-mu pat-ri-ar-ha-tu. One-but-time-men-but with mit-ro-po-li-her it was-lo uch-re-zh-de-but no less than three dioceses: in New-go-ro-de , in Bel-go-ro-de Ki-ev-sky, as well as, ve-ro-yat-but, in Po-lots-ke and / or Cher-no-go-ve. Per-you-mi epi-sko-pa-mi would be Greeks. In conjunction with the church tra-di-qi-she (for-kre-beer-she not earlier than the 16th century) the first mi-tro-po- Li-tom Ki-ev-skim pri-nya consider St. Mi-hai-la, one-on-ko, Byzantine sources give the basis of the pre-la-gat that the first mi-tro-po- whether it was Feo-fi-lact, re-re-ve-den-ny to Russia from Se-va-sty-sky mi-tro-po-lea (se-ve-ro-east-current of Asia Minor ).

Since the 990s in Rus-si, once-in-ra-chi-va-et-sya de-re-vyannoe temple-build-tel-st-vo. According to “In-praise-le-prince Vla-di-mi-ru” (1040s), on-pi-san-noy future metropolitan Ila-rio-nom, with Vla-di-mi-re arose-nick-whether and the first mo-on-sta-ri. In 995-996. in Kiev there would be-la os-vya-sche-on the first stone-man-naya De-sya-tin-naya church, ve-ro-yat-but serving the prince courtyard-tso-vym so-bo-rum. With the os-vya-shche-ni-em of this church, the ancient Russian sources of connection-zy-va-yut measures of state power according to ma-te-ri-al-no-mu provide ne-che-ny church-kov-noy or-ga-ni-za-tion: on her well-zh-dy should-la from-number-lyat-sya de-sya-th part from co-in -kup-nyh prince-skih-do-ho-dov - de-sya-ti-na, someone-paradise co-bi-ra-lased at the De-sya-tin-nom temple. The next step of the baptism of Russia in the-to-but-da-tel-noy region-las-ti became-lo-de-le-nie according to the Byzantine model of the prince and the church (mi-tro-in-lich-her, episcop-sky) juris-diction, some old Russian. tra-di-tion is also from-but-sit to the time of rights-le-niya. Vla-di-mi-ra Holy-sla-vi-cha. In the sphere of the church-of-no-go-right-va-eye-for-marriage-but-se-me-nye from-no-she-niya, pre-stu-p-le-niya against morality st-ven-no-sti, the trial of kli-ri-ka-mi and members of their families, etc. princely moustaches of the X-XII centuries. The most important thing for-yes-whose became the provision of co-born and parish churches with Russian priests-shchen-but-serve-te-la-mi (for something children know on-strong-st-ven-but from-bi-ra-li “for book teaching”), as well as bo-go-service- us-mi books-ha-mi.

Christianity in the XI-XII centuries.

The basics of the rights of the christia-ni-za-tion of the go-su-dar-st-va and the general-st-va, denoting-chiv-shie-sya in ho -de the baptism of Russia, would it be continued in the XI-XII centuries. The eparchy-al-naya structure became more fractional, the number of dioceses grew to twelve. It is difficult for us to judge the development of this period in this period of the parish system because of the data; ve-ro-yat-but, it follows-to-va-lo for the time-vi-ti-em of the state-administrative. structures, because the parish temple is usually located in the administrative center (according to the state). So-ver-shen-st-in-va-moose church-kov-but-state vzai-mo-dey-st-vie in the region of su-da. Increasing-ra-tav-shie-need-to-sti in god-service-books provided-ne-chi-wa-li-creak-to-riya-mi, action-in- vav-shi-mi at large monasteries and, ve-ro-yat-no, at episcopal cathedrals. All this had a trace of st-vi-em and a more active christ-stia-ni-za-tion of the rural on-se-le-tion. The last information about the language-stu-p-le-ni-yah in large cities (Nov-go-rod, Ros-tov, Yaroslavl ) from-but-syat-Xia to the 1070s. From this time on, language-che-st-in as a social factor is no longer traced.

The meaning of the baptism of Russia

The adoption of Christianity had significant political consequences. It contributed to the strengthening of the international prestige of Russia, the further strengthening and expansion of the already traditional ties with Byzantium, the expansion of contacts with the South Slavic world and Western countries.

The baptism of Russia was also important for the social life of ancient Russian society. The most important postulate of Christianity proceeded from the principle of the divine nature of supreme power. The postulate of Orthodoxy about the “symphony of authorities” turned the church into a strong support of power, making it possible for the spiritual unification of the entire state and the consecration of the entire system of social relations. The adoption of Christianity contributed to the rapid strengthening of state institutions.

The baptism of Russia led to national consolidation and to the development of culture. It contributed to the development of architecture and painting in its medieval forms, the penetration of Byzantine culture as the heir to the ancient tradition. The spread of Cyrillic writing and the book tradition was especially important: it was after the baptism of Russia that the first monuments of ancient Russian written culture arose.

Literature

Priselkov M.D. Essays on the ecclesiastical and political history of Kievan Rus in the 10th-12th centuries. SPb., 1913.

Rapov O.M. Russian Church in the 9th - the first third of the 12th century. Acceptance of Christianity. M., 1988.

Froyanov I.Ya. Ancient Russia of the 9th-13th centuries. Popular movements. Princely and veche power. M., 2012.

Scha-pov Ya. N. Go-su-dar-st-vo and the church of Ancient Rus X-XIII centuries. M., 1989.

According to the Tale of Bygone Years, Russia was baptized under Prince Vladimir in 986-988 AD. In 986, ambassadors from different lands came to Vladimir, offering him to accept their faith. Thus began preparations for the baptism of Russia. The year of the baptism of Russia, according to the Tale of Bygone Years, is 988.

It is said that only since that time did a Christian church hierarchy appear in Russia, and initially it consisted of foreign Greeks. And only a few decades later, under Yaroslav the Wise, the first Russian metropolitan appeared, and church books were translated from Greek into Slavic. All this tells us the Romanov version of Russian history, created in the 17th-18th centuries. This is the version we are used to.

However, let's see how the baptism of Russia is described in the canonical church books of the first half of XVII century. Let us take the Great Catechism printed in Moscow under Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov and Patriarch Filaret in 1627. This book has a special section "On the baptism of the Russian people", sheets 27-29.

In what year was the baptism of Russia?

It turns out that the baptism of Russia is described here COMPLETELY DIFFERENT than we used to think. The Great Catechism does not unequivocally indicate the year of the baptism of Russia. He claims that there was FOUR baptism of Russia.

FIRST- from the Apostle Andrew.

SECOND baptism - from the Patriarch Photius of Constantinople, “during the reign of the Greek king, Basil the Macedonian, and under the Grand Duke Rurik of All Russia. And under the Kiev princes under Askold and Dir ", sheet 28, turnover.

Neither for the first nor for the second baptism, the Great Catechism DOES INDICATE the year of the baptism of Russia. And this is written at the beginning of the seventeenth century!

THIRD the baptism of Russia in the Great Catechism is dated. It happened, according to the Catechism, under Grand Duchess Olga, in 6463, that is, around 955 AD. We will not discuss here why the Catechism itself translates this date into the era from the birth of Christ in a slightly different way. Namely, he indicates the year 963 AD. This is probably due to the dating of the Nativity of Christ regarding the era “from the creation of the world”, which was not yet settled at that time.

FOURTH the baptism of Russia is the famous baptism under Prince Vladimir. The year of the baptism of Russia by Vladimir is dated in the Great Catechism to the year 6497, that is, about 989 AD. (and we have accepted 988!). Here is what the Catechism says: “So commanded that all the land of Ruste be baptized. in the summer, six thousand UCHZ (that is, 496 in Slavic notation for numbers - Auth.). from the saints, the patriarch, from NIKOLA HRUSOVERTA, or from SISINIUS. or from Sergius, Archbishop of Novgorod, under Mikhail Metropolitan of Kiev, sheet 29.

Today this description sounds extremely strange. How so? After all, we seem to “know” that before the baptism, Russia was Pagan. We are assured that no Russian church hierarchy existed. Prince Vladimir allegedly had to bring the first Christian priests from abroad. And the Great Catechism of the seventeenth century declares that the baptism of Russia takes place under Archbishop Sergius of Novgorod and Metropolitan Michael of Kiev.

New information from an old book

This means that at least the Novgorod and Kyiv church hierarchies already exist in Russia. However, as one would expect, in the Scaligerian-Romanov history there are no archbishops of Novgorod and metropolitans of Kiev under Vladimir. As we are told today, all this is “medieval fiction”. In this case, the alleged fantasies of the Greater Catechism.

But then the next question arises.

It turns out that in the seventeenth century no one really knew how Russia was baptized?

But back to the story of the Greater Catechism. It reveals new interesting facts. Let's start with the DATE OF THE BAPTISM of Russia. According to our research, the year of the baptism of Russia overlaps with the 15th century.

This is a well-known epoch of great schism in the church. According to the new chronology, it was in the 15th century that the more or less united Christian church split into several branches.

Therefore, in the epoch of the 15th century, the secular authorities REALLY HAVE THE QUESTION OF THE CHOICE OF FAITH. Note that the baptism of Russia under Prince Vladimir in the Tale of Bygone Years is described in this way. Not just like baptism, but exactly how CHOICE OF FAITH. But then it becomes clear, at first glance, a strange circumstance that Russia had to be baptized SEVERAL TIMES.

If we consider that each baptism was a transition from paganism to Christianity, then a rather strange picture emerges. At least in the history of other countries, we do not see anything like this. Who else had to be baptized four times? But if we consider the successive baptisms of Russia as a choice of faith in this or that religious schism, then the picture becomes completely natural.

Who baptized Russia?

It also becomes clear the strange, at first glance, enumeration of the hierarchs who baptized Russia. It is said that the faith was received from Nikola Khrusovert, OR from Sisinius, OR from Sergius. If here are listed the persons who DIRECTLY took part in the baptism of a pagan country, then why OR? Then it would be necessary to use the union I. And if they did not take a direct part in the actions, then why mention their names?

But if the baptism of Russia is a CHOICE OF FAITH, then everything falls into place. During the religious schism, some of the hierarchs joined one religious branch, and some joined another. Therefore, in order to indicate which particular faith, branch was chosen, it was necessary to name the main church leaders of this particular chosen branch. There could have been several. And since they all agreed with each other, then the use of the union OR was justified here.

Faith was accepted from that, OR from that, OR from that. Which is basically the same thing. Thus, the use of the union OR here by the Great Catechism indirectly alludes to the situation of the CHURCH SCIENCE.

Let's take a closer look at the year of the baptism of Russia, at the date itself, at how it is recorded. It contains the Slavic letter U, meaning FOUR Hundred. But it is known that in many old texts the letter U was written almost indistinguishably from the letter C. The difference in the spelling of U and C was reduced to subtle details. So, that is, almost coinciding, these letters were written in most of the old texts. Many examples of such a very similar spelling of U and C can be seen, for example, in the numerous illustrations given in the book.

True, when these letters were encountered in the text, the letter U in this form, as a rule, was written in tandem with the letter O. That is, they wrote OU, but read it as U. Therefore, the indistinguishability of the form U and C usually did not lead to confusion when READING TEXT. But when using the letters U and C as a NUMBERS, confusion immediately began. Since there was no additional letter O written here. And in their form, the letters U and C practically did not differ.
And they belonged to the same category, namely, to the category of hundreds.

1000 years of the baptism of Russia or 500 years

In connection with such confusion, the year of the baptism of Russia is obviously erroneously determined to be exactly FIVE HUNDRED years. The fact is that the letter C meant 900, and the letter U meant 400. It was worth taking the letter C for the letter U, as the date immediately became older by FIVE HUNDRED years. And there was nothing to confuse them. Thus, if in some Slavic date hundreds are indicated by the letter U, then this date could well be in the original old document FIVE HUNDRED years later. Because in the old, original document there could be the letter C. Mistakenly taken by a later scribe for the letter U.

It is this situation that arises on the date of the baptism of Russia. This date 6497 contains the letter U = 400. If in the original old text there was C = 900, then the date was 6997. That is, 1489 AD. Consequently, instead of the year 989 AD that we are used to today, it is possible that in the original old document the baptism of Russia was dated 1489 AD. That is, - THE END OF THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY. And the previous baptism of Russia under Olga then moves to the MIDDLE OF THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY.

But after all, the largest reform of the Russian church dates back to the fifteenth century. Directly connected with the religious schism, the famous Council of Florence, the failed church union. This story is well known to everyone, described in numerous textbooks on the history of the church. Today, this reform is presented to us as an important, but still not a key moment in Russian church history. We are considering the version that the year of the baptism of Russia is actually directly related to the time of the split of the church.

But the CONTEMPORARIES OF THIS EVENT wrote, for example, the following interesting things. A.V. Kartashov reports:<<Симеон Суздалец в своей «Повести» уподобляет Василия Васильевича не только его прародителю СВЯТОМУ ВЛАДИМИРУ, но и самому равноапостольному великому царю КОНСТАНТИНУ, «СОТВОРИВШЕМУ ПРАВОСЛАВИЕ»>> .

Vasily Vasilyevich or Vladimir!?

Vasily Vasilyevich is Grand Duke Vasily II the Dark, who lived just in the 15th century. It turns out that it was this era that was described by the Tale of Bygone Years as the last BAPTISM OF RUSSIA UNDER PRINCE VLADIMIR. Recall, by the way, that the godfather name of St. Vladimir was just VASILY. This is well known and noted, among other things, in the Large Catechism, folio 29.

But then a natural desire arises to figure out who are Nikola Khrusovert, Sisinius and Sergius - the archbishop of Novgorod, whose faith was chosen in Russia at her baptism. In the Millerian-Romanov textbook, in the alleged 10th century, where the baptism of Russia is placed today, there is, of course, no archbishop of Novgorod Sergius. And indeed. What kind of Orthodox archdiocese can there be in "pagan Novgorod"? Novgorod "is still going to be baptized."

However, let us turn to the 15th century. And let's look for named figures in this era. It turns out that they really are here and, moreover, WELL KNOWN.

Baptists of Russia

Nikola Hrusovert

This is most likely famous Nicholas Cusan - Nicolaus Chryppfs Cusanus, who lived in the years 1401-1464. It is considered "the greatest of the German humanists ... theologian, philosopher, mathematician and church and public figure", v.2, p.212. His nickname CUSAN is believed to be derived from the VILLAGE of CUSAN, where he was from.

Although it is not very clear why the nickname Kuzansky reflected the name of an unknown VILLAGE, and not, say, the province or country where he was from. In our opinion, the nickname KUZANSKY rather meant KAZANSKY. That is, they come from the city of Kazan, famous in the fifteenth century.

It becomes clear where his name HRUSOVERT came from, which got on the pages of the Great Catechism. It turns out that Nicholas of Cusa also bore the name CHRYPPFS, see above, which in old Russian could sound like CHRUS. Where did the word VERT come from in the name HRUSO-VERT? The following explanation is possible. It turns out that Nicholas of Cusa wrote an essay on the ROTATION of the earth, in which, as it is believed, he “anticipated Copernicus by 100 years”, v.2, p.212. But then the word VERT simply refers to his discovery of the ROTATION of the Earth, from the word TURN.

That is, CHRUSOVERT is "CHRUS, who proved that the Earth SPIN". Or, even more simply, "THE CHRISTIAN who proved that the Earth TURNS". Moreover, according to the Great Catechism, he was one of the founders of the Christian Orthodox dogma of the 15th century. Therefore, his nickname CHRUS could mean CHRISTIAN, from the name of CHRIST = HORUS. As we begin to understand, it was during his time, or shortly after him, that Grand Duke Vladimir = Vasily baptized Russia.

Sisiniy

Who is Sisinius in the 15th century - the second church leader of the era of the baptism of Russia? We did not find in the encyclopedia "Christianity" any known SISYNIA in the 15th century. On the other hand, we found ZOSIMA in it, one of the most famous Russian saints, the founder of the famous Solovetsky Monastery. Zosima died in 1478. Isn't Zosima mentioned in the Large Catechism under the name Sisinius?

In addition, it turns out that it was in the year of the baptism of Russia, 1489 (according to our research), that the Moscow Metropolitan Gerontius died, and soon his successor, Metropolitan ZOSIMA, was appointed, v.1, p.387. The history of Metropolitan Zosima is complex, confusing and took place in an atmosphere of turbulent church turmoil. Its details are poorly known, v.1, p.562. It is possible that SISINY of the era of the baptism of Russia, according to the Great Catechism, is the Moscow Metropolitan ZOSIMA of the late 15th century.

Archbishop of Novgorod Sergius

What can be said about Sergius, Archbishop of Novgorod, who is also named among the persons who determined the baptism of Russia, according to the Great Catechism? Only one famous Russian saint is suitable for this role - SERGIUS OF RADONEZH. Although his death today dates back to the end of the 14th century, he was canonized in 1452, volume 2, p.553.

That is, exactly in the era of the “fourth baptism of Russia” under Prince Vladimir = Vasily. And the time of the life of Sergius of Radonezh falls into the era of the beginning of the church schism, which began, according to our reconstruction, at the end of the 14th - beginning of the 15th century.

So, the year of the baptism of Russia is 1489 from the Nativity of Christ

G.V.NOSOVSKY, A.T.FOMENKO. (C) ATMA.ru source: http://my.atma.ru/?id=184

There is a legend that the baptism of Russia began in Chersonese (in those days - Korsun). I recently visited this place, where a few years ago the Vladimir Cathedral was restored in all its glory.

One of the most important events is associated with Prince Vladimir ancient Russian history- Baptism of Russia.
Shortly before baptism, Vladimir arranged in Kyiv a large temple of the six main idols of the Slavic pantheon. But tribal cults could not create a unified state religious system, since the pagan pantheon could not unite the beliefs of all the tribes of Ancient Russia.

Perhaps the Jewish roots of Prince Vladimir and the fact that his mother was the daughter of a rabbi pushed him to the idea of ​​giving his people a new religion, and he would become a “new Moses” for the people. There are many parallels to be seen.

Vladimir understood that it was impossible to retain power by force alone, spiritual support was needed. And he found this support in Christianity. For Christianity claimed that all power was established by God, preached patience, humility, forgiveness. Monotheism contributed to the strengthening of the sole power of the prince.

Until 988, the official year of the baptism of Russia, the country was not completely pagan. At that time in many major cities already stood Christian churches. Baptism was accepted by many boyars, merchants, combatants.
Archeological data confirm the beginning of the spread of Christianity before the official act of the baptism of Russia. From the middle of the 10th century, the first pectoral crosses were found in the burials of the nobility. Pectoral crosses accompanied the burials of warriors as early as the 9th century. If we understand the "baptism of Russia" literally, then it happened a century earlier - in 867.

Orthodoxy was professed by Vladimir's grandmother, Princess Olga. Vladimir only completed the establishment of Christianity in Russia.
Prince Vladimir was baptized himself and baptized his children. But his squad remained pagan and worshiped Odin. The struggle against pagan cults continued in Russia until the 20th century.

Before the baptism of Russia, the so-called "choice of faith" took place. According to The Tale of Bygone Years, in 986, ambassadors from the Volga Bulgars arrived to Prince Vladimir, offering him to convert to Islam. They told the prince about the rituals that must be observed, including the ban on drinking wine. But "it was unloving to him: circumcision and abstinence from pork meat." Even more, Vladimir was turned away from Mohammedanism by the threat of the introduction of the “dry law”. Vladimir replied famous phrase: "Rus has fun to drink: we cannot be without it" ... "
From constant drinking, the face of Prince Vladimir was always red, for which he was nicknamed "red sun" by the people.

After the Bulgars came foreigners sent by the Pope. They declared that "if anyone drinks or eats, then everything is for the glory of God." However, Vladimir sent them away, saying to them: "Go back from whence you came, for even our fathers did not accept this." Vladimir did not want to recognize the supremacy of the power of the Pope.

The Khazar Jews were next, offering Vladimir to accept Judaism.
"What is your law?" Vladimir asked them. They answered: "Be circumcised, do not eat pork and hare, keep the Sabbath." Vladimir rejected them because the Jews did not have their own homeland. "If God loved you and your law, then you would not be scattered over foreign lands. Or do you want the same for us?"

Before making a final decision, Vladimir consulted with his closest boyars. It was decided to additionally test the faith by attending worship services of Muslims, Germans and Greeks. When, after visiting Constantinople, the envoys returned to Kyiv, they enthusiastically informed the prince: "They did not know where we are - in heaven or on earth."

In 6496 from the creation of the world (that is, approximately in 988 AD), Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich of Kyiv decided to be baptized by the Church of Constantinople. It was a political choice.
According to Byzantine and Arabic sources, in 987 Constantinople concludes an alliance with Russia to suppress the rebellion of Varda Foka. The condition of the prince was the hand of Princess Anna, the sister of the Emperors Basil and Constantine. Already repeatedly married, Vladimir was preparing to marry the Byzantine princess Anna for political purposes.

There is a legend that the baptism of Russia began in Chersonese (in those days - Korsun). I recently visited this place, where a few years ago the Vladimir Cathedral was restored in all its glory.

The historian Vladimir Solovyov describes the baptism of Russia by Vladimir in this way.
“Many were baptized with joy; but there were more of those who did not agree to this ... Seeing this, the prince ... sent a message throughout the city so that the next day all the unbaptized would go to the river, whoever did not appear would be an enemy to the prince. ... Some went to the river under compulsion, while some fierce adherents of the old faith, hearing the strict order of Vladimir, fled to the steppes and forests.

The Metropolitan with the bishops sent from Constantinople, with Dobrynya, Uncle Vladimirov, and with (priest) Anastas went north and baptized the people. According to the Joachim Chronicle: “When they learned in Novgorod that Dobrynya was going to be baptized, they gathered a veche and swore everyone not to let him into the city, not to give idols to overthrow; and exactly when Dobrynya came, the Novgorodians swept away the big bridge and went out against him with weapons. …
When the news of this spread, the people gathered up to 5000, surrounded Putyata and began an evil slaughter with him, and some went, swept away the Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord and began to rob the houses of Christians. …
Many went to the river on their own, and those who did not want to, the soldiers dragged them and were baptized: men above the bridge, and women below. Then the pagans, in order to depart from baptism, announced that they were baptized; for this, Joachim ordered all the baptized to put crosses on their necks, and whoever does not have a cross on himself, do not believe that he is baptized, and baptize. ... Having finished this business, Putyata went to Kyiv. That is why there is a proverb for the Novgorodians: “He baptized Putyata with a sword, and Dobrynya with fire.”

I do not dispute the cultural significance of the baptism of Russia, which made it possible to join European civilization and reach a more high level development. Although hostility has not decreased, people have not become better. Prince Vladimir the Holy managed to make war with all the neighboring states. Under Vladimir, not only the territories of the state expanded, but culture increased, Cyrillic writing came. Although before the introduction of the Cyrillic alphabet, there was its own alphabet - “Glagolitic”.

Someone else's faith among the people did not take root immediately. Before forced baptism, our people worshiped the pagan gods of nature, lived in harmony with it. All holidays were held outdoors. And what we are now, along with Christian holidays, celebrating pagan, speaks of the ineradicability of paganism in our mentality.
Pagan (which means folk) culture has not disappeared, and now exists in folk rituals, holidays, traditions (Shrovetide, carols, fortune-telling, mummers, etc.)

No, you can't choose religion the way it was in Russia. Faith must be part of the identity of the people, its history, traditions and beliefs. Faith cannot be forced, faith cannot be taught. Faith is a Revelation, it is a gift from God!

Forced baptism contradicts the very idea of ​​baptism - as a voluntary, conscious acceptance. Some believe that baptism should take place in adulthood When a person realizes the full significance of this ritual, he voluntarily assumes responsibility for all affairs and changes spiritually.

Baptism does not require bathing or washing. External rituals may not be effective if there is no transformation of the soul.
The meaning of the rite of baptism is spiritual birth". As a result, a person must be reborn as a soul, stop sinning and become a believer.

Many people do not want to be transformed in soul; it is enough for them to believe and observe the rituals. But all ritual actions mean nothing if nothing happens in the soul. As one of the pilgrims said: "If it is not God's will, no matter how much you kiss the icon, it will not help."

The meaning of baptism is not in joining the sacrament of two thousand years of history, in comprehending the sacrament of the transfiguration of the soul. Immersion in water or dousing was practiced by almost all peoples of antiquity. The symbolic meaning of ablution, expressed modern language, it's encoding! You are programming yourself for the beginning of a new – spiritual! - a life in which priority will always be given to spiritual values, not material ones.

It is believed that with the adoption of Christianity, the life of Prince Vladimir changed. He accepted new faith with all sincerity, radically reconsidering life values.
However, having already been a Christian for a long time, Vladimir actually sent his son Boris against his other son Yaroslav (who later turned out to be Wise), blessing the war of brother against brother. Yaroslav eventually killed his brothers Boris, Gleb, Svyatopolk and Svyatoslav, and he himself became the Prince of Kiev.

Is the gathering of lands into one centralized state an undeniable boon? Even if this goal requires such means as killing a brother?

For all the time of the baptism of Russia, according to rough estimates, up to a third of the country's population was slaughtered. The resistance to baptism in the vast majority of cases had a political, anti-Kyiv aspect, rather than an anti-Christian one; Moreover, the religious aspect did not play a dominant role at all.

The rulers want to have spiritual authority, but at the same time their deeds testify to the contrary. Many Christian rulers were distinguished by terrible sinfulness. The rulers who adopted Christianity often continued to persecute not Christians, but their opponents. The princes mercilessly killed those who refused to recognize Christianity, and hence the power of the prince. Emperor Constantine, who converted to Christianity in 332, interfered in the affairs of the church, using its power to strengthen personal power.

Today Moscow and Kyiv "share" the right to call themselves followers of Saint Vladimir.

They argue: Vladimir is a Ukrainian Muscovite or a Russian crest?

DILETANT magazine devoted a whole issue to answering the question, Prince Vladimir: a saint or a sinner?

I would say that Prince Vladimir is a holy sinner!

A ruler cannot be called a saint a priori. The very essence of power does not allow this. Prince Vladimir was a fratricide, a polygamist, a libertine, a hypocrite and a treacherous ruler.
Vladimir began his reign in Kyiv with the destruction of Christian churches; Perunov instructed them in their place. But when the prince decided to baptize Russia, Perunov was demolished. “Of the overthrown idols, some were cut into pieces, others were burned, and the main one, Perun, was tied to a horse by the tail and dragged from the mountain, and twelve people beat the idol with sticks ... When they dragged the idol to the Dnieper, the people wept.”

They will tell me: “Russian people should be proud of their history. And you …"

Once on the TV channel "Culture" they showed the film by Vladimir Khotinenko "Heirs". Most of the action takes place in the talk show studio, where a political scientist, historian and patriot, led by the presenter, discuss issues of Russian history.
“Our task is to teach people to be proud of their history,” the political scientist says.
– To be Russian means to stand before an invincible enemy and to stand! says the patriot.
- Yes, there was no Russian people in the 14th century, - the historian claims. - It is pointless to look for a Russian nation before the 16th century.
Who benefits from this truth of yours? - the patriot was indignant. “There are many who want to rummage through our dirty linen. But why stir up yourself? People should be proud of their past!
- Be proud of the invented past or the present? the historian wonders. - I have always believed that for our patriotic statesmen, the people are a child, and the child is mentally handicapped.
“Every power wants to be licked,” says the presenter. - And the more self-governed it is, the more lawless it is, the more it needs confirmation that all power is from God. And the church has been responding to this request for a thousand years.

IN MY OPINION, choosing a faith and baptizing by force contradicts the very essence of faith. Faith is a gift of God, a sacrament, a purely personal matter, spiritually intimate.
Faith is not acquired through the will of the monarch, but through the will of the Lord.
Immersion in water is not baptism unless accompanied by a spiritual change. It is necessary to be reborn, to become a different person, for whom the spiritual becomes more important than the material.

The consciousness of people is mythological, they cannot live without fairy tales and myths. People want to believe in the "good king father", to believe in the saints, to worship them. But do not deceive people, under the guise of a "myth" by pushing them with lies.

Once I saw a large queue at the temple for “holy water”. A policeman guarding the order approached the bottling and asked the attendant to pour him "holy water" for himself and his friends out of turn.

You can't ask people to have faith. Man demands proof and craves denial, and therefore he must be given the opportunity to be convinced of the truth of God's Law, first of all, from his own experience. And the point is not at all a responsibility before God for one's behavior and not a posthumous reward for good deeds. Man wants rewards in this life. It is the belief that by doing good for others, you thereby do good to your own soul - this is the earthly recompense for love.

But even if faith is the result of self-hypnosis, then those good deeds that are done by faith in love are worth living in such self-deception. After all, by and large, we have nothing but faith. Everything is based on faith, and unfolds around love.

Faith is the only way to join the Mystery, a kind of key, but not for deciphering, but rather for launching a mechanism, the purpose and principle of which we do not know. This is the LAW OF FAITH, when if you do not believe, you will not see, hear or understand anything. Faith is not an escape from reality, but rather a way to return to it, seeing the world from a different angle and realizing that everything is interconnected and there are no accidents. Faith illuminates life with joy, while unbelief is worse than blindness.”
(from my novel "Alien Strange Incomprehensible Extraordinary Stranger" on the site New Russian Literature

So what did you want to say with your post? they ask me.

Everything I want to say to people is contained in three main ideas:
1\ The purpose of life is to learn to love, to love no matter what
2\ Meaning is everywhere
3\ Love creates necessity.
EVERYTHING IS LOVE

P.S. One deputy is preparing a draft law on protection for submission to the State Duma national pride Russia, which will be offered to establish responsibility for public insults of phenomena that are treated with special respect in the country.

You can put me in jail, you can even cut off my head, but I argued and will continue to argue that baptism cannot be carried out by force, even for the sake of the unification of Russia!

And in your opinion, WHAT IS THE TRUTH OF BAPTISM AND CONFUSIONS?

© Nikolai Kofirin – New Russian Literature –

1020 years ago, on May 12, 996, the Church of the Tithes was consecrated in Kyiv. The first stone temple of Ancient Russia, erected Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir. The date is respectable and uplifting - on this occasion, we should probably expect wide festivities. Or not?

Probably not. And the reason is simple. The very existence of the Church of the Tithes is extremely inconvenient for many, many. First of all, for those who still share the established version of the baptism of Russia. She is probably known to everyone and everyone. Here, Prince Vladimir, choosing a new faith, receives ambassadors from the Byzantine Orthodox, from Roman Catholics, from Muslims and from Jews. Here he is leaning towards the Greek version. However, he does not want to change his faith just like that and gets baptism, sort of like a trophy. To begin with, he takes one of the most important cities of Byzantium, Korsun (Chersonese). Then he forces the brother-emperors, Vasily And Constantine impersonate their sister Anna, threatening otherwise to take Constantinople itself. Gets consent. Only then is he baptized. Of course, from the hands of the Greek clergy. And he inclines all Russia to baptism. It happened in 988.

"First Christians in Kyiv". V. G. Perov, 1880. The painting illustrates the secret meetings of Christians in pagan Kyiv. Source: Public Domain

Words from the wrong system

A solid, interesting, beautiful story. That's just, unfortunately, not confirmed. In any case, the act of the baptism of Russia under Vladimir was not noted in any way by Byzantine sources. At all. As if he didn't exist at all.

There is a curious observation, which has been repeatedly noticed by both scientists and those who are simply interested in the history of the Church. Theoretically, the adoption of Christianity from the hands of the Greek clergy should have been a complete package. It includes canon, rites and terminology. And with the latter we have obvious problems. A solid part of domestic church terms, and the basic ones, is extremely far from Greek. But it is very close to the Western tradition. For those who doubt, a number of the most obvious examples can be cited. Offhand:

Church

• Russia - Churches
• Greeks - Ekklesia
• West - Cyrica

"Baptism of Prince Vladimir". Fresco by V. M. Vasnetsov in Kiev Vladimir Cathedral. Late 1880s. Source: Public Domain

Cross

• Russia - Cross
• Greeks - Stavros
• West - Crux

Priest

• Rus - Pop
• Greeks - Hiereus
• West - Pope

Altar

• Russia - Altar
• Greeks - Bomos
• West - Altarium

pagan

• Rus - Pogany
• Greeks - Ethnikos
• West - Paganus

Wrong baptism?

Basically, it's just flowers. Berries begin when you understand what was going on in the church affairs of Russia half a century after such a familiar date of baptism - 988.

Arrives in Russia Metropolitan Theopempt. A Greek, placed at the head of the Russian metropolis by the Patriarch of Constantinople. 1037 year. The first thing Theopempt does is re-consecrate that same Tithe church. main temple Russia. Cathedral. Vladimir himself and his wife Anna were buried there. The relics were transferred there Princess Olga- the first of the Russian rulers who was baptized. In other words, the Church of the Tithes is the center of the holiness of the entire Russian land.

And suddenly the Greek metropolitan consecrates it anew. This is allowed only in two cases. Either the temple was defiled, or it was originally consecrated somehow incorrectly. However, nothing is known about defilement.

By the way, the Greek Church throughout its more than rich church history did not know the church tithe as a legally approved practice. And in Russia - all of a sudden - a whole cathedral, living on the principles of tithing. And these principles were established by Prince Vladimir himself.

More to the word. The canonization of Prince Vladimir took place rather late. 400 years after he baptized Russia. Constantinople opposed most fiercely the glorification of Vladimir in the face of saints.

Arrival in Kyiv of the bishop. Engraving by F. A. Bruni, 1839. Source: Public Domain

Rome - no!

However, those who decide that Roman missionaries originally baptized Russia should not rejoice at all. Firstly, the Roman chronicles also do not say anything and do not know that this very baptism took place under Vladimir. The only mission of papal preachers to Russia took place in 961-962, under Vladimir's grandmother, Princess Olga. And it ended badly. Bishop Adalbert I spent nothing in Kyiv. He left shamed: “Adalbert, consecrated as a bishop for the Russians, did not succeed in anything for which he was sent, and, seeing his work in vain, returned back. Some of his companions were killed, and he himself barely escaped."

And here a paradox arises. Prince Vladimir was baptized. It is a fact. He forced his subjects to do the same. This is another fact. Neither Rome nor Constantinople know or say anything about this. This is also a fact.

Nevertheless, the Church of the Tithes is being built and consecrated. Services are coming. In worship and church life, the terms are partly Greek, partly Germano-Roman, Western. The wife of Prince Vladimir, the Greek princess Anna, in general, does not see anything shameful in this. As well as the clergy. But half a century later, this whole well-established system begins to stagger. The tithe church is re-consecrated. And as an alternative, they are building the St. Sophia Cathedral. Two centers of holiness begin an exciting game of "who is in charge here." Sons of Prince Vladimir, martyrs Boris And Gleb, albeit with a creak, but canonize. And the baptist of Russia himself has not yet received this honor. What did he do wrong? Why are the new Greek metropolitans correcting the system he built in their own way?

The ruins of the Church of the Tithes in the drawing of 1826 (sometimes described as a copy of the work of A. van Westerfeld, which is questioned by historians).

The memory of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince, St. Vladimir, is venerated in the church on the day he passed away. Vladimir left this world on July 15, according to the old style, or on July 28, according to the new calendar.

Vladimir: who is he?

Among the significant names in the history of Russia, a place of honor is occupied by the name of Vladimir Svyatoslavovich, the prince of Kiev, who introduced Christianity during his reign. His contemporaries called him equal to the apostles, since his deed is commensurate with a feat. The light of the new faith illuminated the lands of Russia thanks to the efforts of the grandson. The year about 989 from the Nativity of Christ became fateful for the Principality of Kiev. For then the Christian faith became the official religion in the state. This event determined the fate of Kievan Rus in the international arena for years to come.

In 962, Vladimir was born into the family of Prince Svyatoslav of Kiev, son of Igor. The mother of the future baptizer of the Russian land was a simple housekeeper Malusha, who served as Vladimir's grandmother, Princess Olga. According to the annals, the princess became very angry with Malusha, sent her all to Bududina. In this remote village, the one who radically influenced the course of the history of the Russian land was born. After some time, Vladimir was transferred to Kyiv, where he was brought up at the court of the cunning Olga. The nickname "robichich", which means "son of a slave", is contemptuous, it will follow him for a long time.

In 969 the prince gathered Kyiv Svyatoslav go to the Danube finally. Then in the summer he divided his lands, defining an inheritance for each of his sons. Thus, Yaropolk, the eldest son, began to rule in Kyiv. Oleg got the Drevlyane land. And at the same time, ambassadors from Novgorod arrived at Svyatoslav. They asked for the prince. The Prince of Kyiv answered them with mockery. According to the advice of Dobrynya, who was Malusha's brother (and uncle to Vladimir), they asked the son of the housekeeper who served Olga to take their throne. The prince was not against such a decision. And with his consent, even in childhood, Vladimir began to rule in Novgorod.

After the death of Svyatoslav

In the spring of 972, Svyatoslav died. From that hour, the brothers began to rule quite independently in their own region. Soon the middle brother Oleg died. The cause of his death was the war that broke out between him and Yaropolk. It happened around 977. This turn of events frightened Vladimir. From the point of view of historians, Vladimir fled from Novgorod, entrusted to him, either to the Scandinavian lands, or to the Baltic states. After some time, the fugitive led the Varangian army, which he hired, and returned to the city he had left. But the governors of Yaropolk had already captured Novgorod by that time. These events marked the beginning of the war between the sons of Svyatoslav. The youngest of them, Vladimir, was lucky: Vladimir besieged Kyiv in the summer of 978. His elder brother Yaropolk took refuge in the city of Rodnya, located at the mouth of the Ros River, one of the many tributaries of the Dnieper. But this village was already besieged by Vladimir's army. The traitor was among Yaropolk's entourage. They called him Blud. In advance, Vladimir had a conversation with him, and so he convinced Yaropolk to surrender to his brother and no longer offer any resistance.

Vladimir decided to take his brother's life. Two Varangians cut short the life of the prince of Kiev when he entered the chambers of his younger brother. Fornication, following Yaropolk, deftly closed the door so that none of the servants could help the doomed prince. This insidious fratricide laid the foundation for the thirty-seven-year reign of Vladimir in Russia.

Before becoming a Christian

Before he became a Christian, Vladimir was very vicious. And this period of his reign is depicted in the darkest colors in the annals. Exorbitant voluptuousness, cruelty, vindictiveness and a host of others negative traits were characteristic of Vladimir. He had five legal wives. One of them was a Polotsk princess, whose name was Rogneda. Against her will, she married Vladimir. First he proposed to her, and it was rejected. Then Vladimir began a war with the father of the Polotsk princess, Rogvolod. Polotsk was captured, and Vladimir dishonored the girl in front of her parents, and then killed both. Among the wives of the prince was one of the Greek nuns, whose beauty conquered even Svyatoslav, and he brought her to Kyiv. Subsequently, she, the widow of Yaropolk, became the wife of the murderer of her husband. Vladimir had hundreds of concubines, except for legal wives. According to the chroniclers, there were 300 of them in Belgorod and Vyshgorod, and another 200 in Berestovo. Even the concubines could not satisfy the prince. The condemning lines contain chronicles that Vladimir had close relationships even with already married women.

It is worth noting that Vladimir was an opponent of his grandmother's faith, he was a faithful adherent of paganism. Some time later, upon arrival in the capital of Russia, the prince organized a pantheon of Slavic gods on a hill not far from his palace. He installed statues of Simragl and Mokosh, Khors and Dazhbog, and, of course, Perun and Stribog. According to the chronicler's notes, people worshiped these statues, brought their children to them, and made sacrifices to the old gods. The hill with the pantheon was defiled with blood and the land of Kievan Rus. By the will of Prince Vladimir, Perun became the supreme deity, and his statues were installed in other cities of other ancient Russians. Upon the return of Vladimir from a military campaign in 983, the following decision was made: on a hill with idols, nicknamed Perunov, to make human sacrifices. Once, it so happened that a certain Christian Varangian had to make his sacrifice. Then the adherents of paganism began to demand his son for sacrifice. The Varangian did not obey and did not give his son for the ritual. In order to take revenge, the pagans destroyed the entire court of the Varangian, killed him and his son. Thus died the first martyrs for the faith in Russia, whose names were Theodore and John (father and son, respectively).

Vladimir as prince

The prince did not forget about the strengthening of the state. His military campaigns both to the west and to the east are crowned with success. He conquered the Bulgarians, Volga Khazars, Poles and Yotvingians. Thanks to his campaigns, new lands join Russia. Under the rule of Kyiv were the Cherven cities (now it is Volyn) and several East Slavic tribes (Vyatichi, Radimichi). The bonds are stronger than before, uniting Kievan Rus. The fact that Vladimir established a pantheon already speaks of his desire to reform the old faith. The pantheon also included deities of various nationalities that inhabited the state, for example, the remnants of the former Iranian population, Finno-Ugric, Slavic and Baltic tribes. At that time, a single state cult of Perun dominated in Russia. And just as all deities obey Perun, the princely god, so the unity and supremacy of Kyiv and the prince of Kiev reign in the country.

Vladimir was still not satisfied with the reform, since only the appearance of the pagan deities had changed. era requirements and personal searches Faiths, as they say, coincided in time. Russia became a single integral state, which had weight in the world and European political arenas. These changes required reforms of ideology.

Looking for Faith

A very vivid and detailed story about how Olga's grandson was baptized is contained in the Lives and Chronicles. Vladimir's path to the true faith was long. According to ancient writings, Khazar Jews, Volga Bulgarians (Muslims) and Latins visited the prince. They all offered to accept their teachings. Later, a philosopher from Greece arrived in Kyiv, who told about all the virtues of Orthodoxy. After that, the prince gathered the ambassadors and sent them to different nations. The purpose of the ambassadors was to compare the way of worshiping God. The beauty of the Byzantine liturgy impressed the Kiev ambassadors most pleasantly, and they reported about it. Vladimir asked for advice from both the boyars and the elders of the city (city self-government), discussed, weighed all the facts and decided that the Byzantine faith was the best.

The story of how the prince of Kyiv chose the faith was long considered a kind of fairy tale. But all this is not fiction. In the neighborhood with the Kievan state there were states whose inhabitants were adherents of different faiths and religions. Each neighboring country sought to persuade the ruler of Russia to their faith. There are confirmations of chronicle legends: similar embassies of Vladimir are mentioned in foreign sources. (There is information about how the prince of Kyiv made an embassy to Khorezm in order to discuss the possibility of converting pagan Slavs to Islam.) Indeed, the grandson of the wise Olga seriously thought about the merits of existing religions. As a result of his reflections, the prince gave preference to faith in Christ. And this is not an accident.

In the hour when Vladimir ruled, the people had been familiar with the new faith for a long time. Czechs, Bulgarians and Poles, residents of neighboring lands, related Eastern Slavs were already Christians. The fact is that the Slavs had the opportunity to get acquainted with the Holy Letter a century before Vladimir. This book was available to them in their native language. This happened because Saints Cyril and Methodius had already translated the liturgical sacred literature into the Slavic language by that time. These first teachers of the Slavs and their disciples provided a chance for the Christian faith to take root in Kievan Rus and, over time, become truly native to the Russians.

How did Vladimir accept the Christian faith

It is important to note the fact that there is conflicting information about how Vladimir was baptized. As a result, we do not have enough information about such important event in the life of the Prince of Kiev. The chronicle says that the ruler of the Russian lands was baptized around 988. This event is associated with the conquest of the Byzantine city (Chersonesos), in the Crimea, by the army of Vladimir. Long time the city did not succumb to the onslaught of the prince. According to the chronicler, a certain Anastas helped Vladimir. First - the defender of the city, and after - the rector of the Church of the Tithes in Kyiv and an associate of the prince. He advised to dig up the pipes that provided Korsun with water. Vladimir made a promise: if the city falls, thanks to this advice, he will be baptized. But the prince was in no hurry to fulfill the word that he gave after the capture of Chersonesus. Vladimir sent ambassadors to the capital of the Byzantine Empire, the city of Constantinople, where he demanded from the local rulers, Basil and Constantine, marriage to their sister, the porphyry-born Anna. The brothers-emperors agree, but put a mandatory condition in return: the prince must become a Christian before the wedding. According to sources, Vladimir turned to the ambassadors from Constantinople, saying that he would be baptized because he tested the faith of the Byzantines. He likes both the Law of God and the liturgical rites, about which the ambassadors told him. The inhabitants of Chersonesos solemnly welcomed Princess Anna together with priests and close associates. A serious illness unexpectedly crippled Vladimir's health. Something happened to his eyes, and he could not see, and did not know what to do. As they say, by Divine Providence. According to Anna, only baptism can heal the prince, and there is no other way out. At the same time, the sick man orders the bishop of Korsun and the priests who arrived from Constantinople to perform a ceremony on him and baptize him. The sight returned to the prince at the moment when the bishop laid his hand on him.

All of this is chronicle. But scientists today question it. They believe that this legend synthesized data from different sources, which, moreover, contradict each other. Based on such historical records as the Life of Prince Vladimir entitled "Memory and Praises to Prince Vladimir" (the oldest known), which belongs to the pen of Jacob Mnich, and the records of foreigners, historians emphasize that the choice in favor of Christianity was strongly influenced by the foreign policy situation. They believe events unfolded differently. Their point of view is presented below.

The end of the 80s of the 10th century was marked for the Byzantine Empire by the fact that it found itself on the verge of a national catastrophe. In 986, the war with the Bulgarians was lost, and in the year 987, the commander Varda Foka revolted. Then he declared himself emperor, which forced the co-rulers, brother-emperors Constantine VIII and Basil II (later Vasily the Bulgar-Slayer) to resort to military assistance from Vladimir, Prince of Kiev. (These circumstances corresponded to the terms of the agreement concluded by Svyatoslav with Byzantium.) The prince agreed to help the brothers in exchange for marriage to their sister Anna. It was a humiliating and unheard of demand. But the proud rulers of the Christian empire had to agree. True, in response, they put forward a condition for the prince: he must depart from the pagan faith and be baptized. Either in 987, or at the dawn of 988, probably, Vladimir was baptized in the capital of Russia. He was named Vasily at baptism. It is assumed that the name was chosen in honor of the brother of the future wife, Vasily II. When the Russian army, consisting of six thousand soldiers, arrived in Constantinople, the rebellion was crushed. The army of Varda Foka was defeated, and it was Vladimir's squad that played the decisive role here. The illustrious commander and rebel himself died in 989, in April. Constantine and Vasily were in no hurry to fulfill their part of the contract and give Anna as a wife to their savior. Then the prince became angry, he captured Korsun. Only when the city was in his power, the Byzantines were forced to submit. This place became significant for Vladimir: here he got married, and here, quite possibly, he was baptized, as well as many of his combatants and boyars. The relics of St. Clement of Rome and his disciple Thebe, icons and vessels, as well as many other shrines and church utensils, were taken by the newly converted ruler to the capital when he left Korsun. He brought a quadriga of copper horses and ancient sculptures to Kyiv and installed it not far from the Church of the Tithes. Priests from Korsun, whom he took with him, served in this church. Most likely, the significant role of this city in the Christianization of Kievan Rus contributed to the creation of the legend about Vladimir's acceptance of baptism in Korsun. (It is important to note that the chain of events that led to the baptism of the prince has options. There are several options for reconstructing this time period.)

Baptism of Russia

Vladimir returned to Kyiv in 989. At the same time, the beginning of the baptism of the Russians was laid. In the annals there are legends about the overthrow of the idols of the old gods by the newly converted prince, which he himself established some time ago. Some he ordered to chop, others to burn. The statue of the god Perun was tied to the tail of a horse and dragged from the Mountain. 12 people beat the idol with rods, and then they dragged it to the Dnieper River. The unbaptized people mourned the Slavic Thunderer. At the command of the prince, they released the idol down the river and watched so that it would not be washed ashore until such time as it crossed the rapids of the Dnieper. Such was the parting with the main pagan gods. At the same time, the inhabitants of Kyiv were baptized. Vladimir's appeal to his subjects at that hour was preserved in chronicle sources. It was said that anyone who did not come to the river tomorrow would become an enemy of the prince. In the blue of the Pochaina (one of the tributaries of the Dnieper), the subjects of the prince were baptized. But, according to the Life of Vladimir, the sacrament was performed in the waters of the Dnieper. The ceremony was performed by priests from Korsun and from Byzantium (those who came with Anna). Soon, Vladimir erected on the site where there was once a sanctuary of the pagan gods, a church named after St. Basil, his heavenly patron. Some time later, architects from Greece built a temple in the capital Holy Mother of God. This church was called the Tithes, and in 996, on May 12, it was consecrated. It became the main temple in Kievan Rus during the reign of Vladimir. The introduction of church tithes became the main church-administrative reform of Vladimir, which is associated with this church.

The introduction of Christianity lasted for decades. The religion originally brought by the prince took root in several princely cities and in the Dnieper region. Resistance to the new faith was not uncommon among the inhabitants of Russia. For example, cruel and bloody clashes between the local population and representatives of the princely administration took place in Novgorod (according to later sources). And in the North-Eastern region of Kievskaya, to all appearances, they began to preach the Word of God only in the 11th century.

Having become a Christian, the Prince of Kyiv changed a lot. There is absolutely no doubt that Vladimir accepted the new faith with all his heart. He became merciful, did not have an aversion to begging, according to the Life and chronicles. After he heard from the fact that the merciful will have mercy (words from the Bible), he began to do good deeds. Money, food and drinks, according to his decree, were supplied to the poor who came to the palace, and those who were unable to get there on their own due to health reasons were brought food. These events are described in the annals. It says that Prince Vladimir ordered to load carts with food (fish, bread, vegetables, meat, honey and kvass in barrels). The princely ambassadors took them around the city, asking the people where there were beggars or sick people who were unable to walk. Wagons were sent there, and everything they needed was distributed to the needy. According to the writings of Jacob, in all the villages, both cities and villages, of the Russian land, Vladimir did good deeds. He gave clothes to the naked, water and food to the thirsty and hungry, travelers and churchmen with his grace, what the sick, the lame, the blind, orphans, the poor and widows needed, he gave. He helped everyone and did good and alms everywhere. This is what the author of "In Memory and Praise to Prince Vladimir" says.

Acts of a Christian Prince

Vladimir the Red Sun or Vladimir the Holy, this is how the prince of Kyiv, the son of Svyatoslav, the grandson of the great Equal-to-the-Apostles Olga, entered world history. In the memory of the people, he remained a legendary ruler. It was he, according to the epics, that all the heroes of the Russian land served. He cared about the defense of the state in the same way as about his people. For his good deeds and vigilant care, his people fell in love. At the turn of the 10th and 11th centuries, the prince had to take on a heavy burden. At that hour, the fate fell to him to defend Kievan Rus from the Pechenegs, the worst enemies of the Russians. Cities, a kind of fortress, Vladimir puts on the southern borders of the country: along such rivers as the Sula, Trubezh, Stugon, Desna and Ostr. Later, these fortifications were called the notch line. A powerful shaft of earth united these fortresses. The most famous fortress was Belgorod, which Vadimir erected on the Irpen, a river that flowed in the depths of the Stugnin defensive line. The best, from the point of view of the ruler, people from different regions Kievan lands settled in these cities. Slovenes, Krivichi, Vyatichi, Chuds and Novgorodians began to live on the southern border now. All tribes, Slavs and non-Slavs, united for the defense of their country. In truth, the cause of state held the Russians together. It is important to pay attention to the fact that such state decisions of the prince caused significant damage to the pre-existing tribal system of Kievan Rus.

Vladimir sent his sons to reign in the most important centers of the country. He entrusted Novgorod to his eldest son, Vysheslav, Polotsk was occupied by Izyaslav, Svyatopolk, Vladimir's nephew (the son of Yaropolk, the elder brother of the prince), received Turov on Pripyat, and Yaroslav remained in Rostov. Around 1010, Vysheslav dies. Yaroslav was sent in his place. At the same time, Vladimir put Boris in Rostov, and Gleb - in Murom. Vsevolod went to Vladimir-on-Volyn. Vladimir Svyatoslav sent to reign to the Drevlyans, and Mstislav - to Tmutorokan. Stanislav ruled on behalf of his father in Smolensk, and Sudislav led Pskov. The prince had 12 sons in all. Most of the cities listed above had the status of tribal centers. And only with light hand Prince of Kiev, power in the regions passed directly to his children. These were innovative reforms at the time.

Almost the entire period when Vladimir was on the throne was overshadowed by periodic wars with the Pechenegs. Battles broke out from time to time, but the Russians had only varying success. Vladimir had to accept defeat. It happened one day that he only miraculously escaped captivity: he managed to hide under a bridge near the city of Vasilev. Then the enemy forces left the battlefield, because they could not capture the prince, but they did not harm the Russian land then either. This event took place on the day of the Transfiguration of the Lord. This is a great holiday that was celebrated on August 6, and a miraculous deliverance took place in 996. The prince promised in Vasilevo to build the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior. The saved man kept his word, and soon the inhabitants of the city saw a new temple.

Some folk legends about the wars with the Pechenegs have survived to this day in the chronicle "The Tale of Bygone Years". These ancient records contain a lot of legends. In one of them in question about a kozhemyak boy who, near the banks of the Trubezh River, defeated a mighty Pecheneg warrior. In order to remember this event, in his honor, as the chronicle source says, the city of Pereyaslavl-Yuzhny was founded. Another legend says how Belgorod resisted the siege of the enemy army. It is also known as a legend about "Belgorod jelly". It tells how an old man from the city, using his resourcefulness and life experience, taught the inhabitants of Belgorod how to outwit the Pechenegs and force them to leave home with nothing. Around the beginning of the 11th century (according to historians, in 1007-1008), the German Bruno of Querfurt visited the lands of the Slavs. He was a missionary and tried to convert the Pechenegs to Christianity. However, his missionary work was not particularly successful. Thanks to the fact that this man agreed to become a mediator, Vladimir was able to negotiate a truce with nomadic tribes. To consolidate the agreement, the prince left one of their sons as a hostage. Chronicle sources dating from later years contain legends about the adoption of Orthodoxy by some Pecheneg princes. They decided to serve the Kiev sovereign, and he himself preferred to baptize them.

Prince Vladimir did not disregard the border in the west. He was engaged in strengthening these lines too. The year 992 was marked by the conquest of the tribe of Croats, Slavs from the east. Vladimir the Great also concluded peace treaties with Western neighbors. The rulers of Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic, according to the chronicle, signed the agreement. But soon the Poles violated it. Boleslav, the prince of a neighboring state, united with the Pechenegs and in 1013 attacked Kievan Rus. Vladimir successfully defeated the enemies. Historians believe that in order to consolidate the signed agreement, Boleslav had to marry his daughter to Svyatopolk, the stepson of the Kiev prince.

The last years of Vladimir's life

A lot of worries and strong unrest in Vladimir arose in last years. His sons were the cause. Already after the wedding with the Polish princess, Svyatopolk organized a conspiracy against Vladimir. According to foreign sources, Prince Boleslav, the Polish ruler, and Bishop Rhineburn, the spiritual mentor of Svyatopolk's wife, were actively involved in organizing this conspiracy. But the plot was uncovered. Stepson Vladimir with his wife and her confessor were arrested. The bishop died in prison. Svyatopolk and his wife were in custody until their death. Another rebel was Yaroslav, who reigned in Novgorod. He did not want to pay tribute to Kyiv anymore. After all, every year his city paid the capital 2,000 hryvnias. Yaroslav's father was very angry. And so he announced that he would make a trip to Novgorod. These events took place in 1014, and Yaroslav will become known as Yaroslav the Wise.

But God did not allow the son and father to fight. Vladimir had already become old, and illnesses did not leave him. It was precisely because of the illness that the prince of Kyiv could not make a campaign against his rebel son. Vladimir thought for a long time about which of his sons to transfer the throne. Boris, the favorite son of the prince, was called to the capital. But, to the great grief, again the restless Pechenegs attacked Russia. The Grand Duke was saddened that he himself could not become the head of his army to protect the state. He sent Boris with his soldiers to drive out the Pechenegs. The son of Vladimir went in search of the enemy, but they had already managed to escape into the steppe, as soon as they found out about the approach of the prince's squad. Unfortunately, it was not given to Vladimir to find out how his last war with the nomads ended. He died in the summer, July 15, 1015 in the village of Berestovo, not far from Kyiv. When Boris was absent, Kyiv was captured by Svyatopolk. By that time, he had been released from custody. He wanted to conceal the death of his father. But this event could not remain unnoticed, since this world was left by the ruler, who did a lot for his state, brought glory to his city. Many attended the funeral of the prince, and his body rested in the Church of the Tithes, built by his decree. The people of Kiev, great and small, the boyars and the poor, bitterly mourned their breadwinner and protector.

The memory of the prince

Honoring the memory of their Baptist in Russia began already in the 11th century. But the official canonization of Vladimir the Great took place only two centuries later. There were no clear reasons for such a delay. This fact was partially explained by the fact that the relics of the prince were not miraculous. This was mentioned in the most ancient Life of the Prince. The author of this scripture says that there is nothing surprising in the fact that the relics of the deceased do not work miracles. Since many of the righteous did not perform a miracle during their lifetime, and they are ranked among the saints. The author of the Life referred to John Chrysostom, saying that a man is made a saint by his deeds. The 13th century was marked in church life by the fact that Prince Vladimir was canonized as a saint. Perhaps another circumstance had a strong influence on these events. After all, it was on the day of honoring the memory of Vladimir the Great (this is the day of his death, July 15) that the Swedish army on the Neva was severely defeated. Then the army of Alexander Yaroslavich, a descendant of Vladimir, won a glorious victory. Alexander himself was nicknamed Nevsky.

A tragic fate befell the relics of the holy prince in the same way as the relics of his grandmother, the great Olga. In 1240 the Tatars destroyed the Church of the Tithes. For more than one century, the tomb of Vladimir was under the ruins of the temple. And in the year 1635 Peter Mogila, Metropolitan of Kyiv, allegedly did greatest discovery: he discovered two sarcophagi. According to his assumption, the relics of Vladimir rested in one of them. The metropolitan removed his right hand (hand) and head from the coffin. As a result, the head ended up in the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (the main church of the Kiev Caves Monastery), and the brush went to the Kiev Cathedral of St. Sophia. In the Moscow Cathedral of the Assumption, there was also a part of the relics of the Prince of Kiev. In conclusion, it is important to say that modern researchers doubt the authenticity of the 17th-century find made by Peter Mohyla.