Orthodoxy in Russia has more than a thousand years of history and is inextricably linked with its culture. These are wonderful architectural monuments, and the great holy ascetics and educators, who left behind priceless spiritual and cultural heritage, and Orthodox princes, tsars and emperors, who left their mark not only in Russian, but also in world history. It is known that most of the population of Russia and the Slavic countries adjacent to it professes Orthodox Christianity. But after all, in ancient times among the Slavs were widespread pagan beliefs. How did Christianity succeed in supplanting paganism without being assimilated with it? Who baptized Russia and when could this happen?
The baptism of Russia is associated, first of all, with the name of Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich. However, Christianity existed here even before the baptism of Prince Vladimir. Vladimir's grandmother Princess Olga was baptized in 944. In an agreement with Byzantium in 944, the cathedral church of the holy prophet Elijah is mentioned, at the same time, the Tale of Bygone Years testifies that many citizens of Kyiv were Christians. Her son Svyatoslav was in adulthood, when Olga was baptized, he was not baptized until the end of his life, but provided patronage to Christians. Princess Olga had a greater influence on her grandchildren, since she raised Yaropolk until the age of 13, and Vladimir from childhood.
According to church sources, Prince Vladimir was a pagan, but he tried to choose a religion that would unite all his lands. He invited various preachers to his place, but Orthodoxy attracted him most of all. His delegation, having arrived in Byzantium, attended a divine service in the St. Sophia Church. The ambassadors were struck by the beauty of the service and informed the prince that they did not know where they were: on earth or in heaven. Documentary evidence of Vladimir's choice of faith has not been preserved, but there is a high probability that many foreigners persuaded Vladimir to accept his faith, primarily for political reasons. The Khazars were defeated by his father and could offer him to accept Judaism, the Volga Bulgars were Mohammedans and wanted a single faith to help make peace with the Eastern Slavs. A delegation from the Pope, sent by the German emperor Otto, also came to Vladimir, but Prince Vladimir refused to accept the Roman religion, citing the fact that his fathers did not accept this faith. On the other hand, marriage to the Byzantine princess Anna and the adoption of Orthodoxy would raise the prestige of Kievan Rus and put it on a par with the leading world powers.
Why is the year 988 considered the date of the baptism of Russia.
Orthodoxy was not a foreign religion for Vladimir, so his choice was not accidental. Vladimir is baptized in 988, but does so without undue pomp. Therefore, the sources do not indicate in which place it happened. Nevertheless, the Church considers the year 988 the year of the Baptism of Russia, since in the Tale of Bygone Years this event is mixed with Vladimir's campaign against Korsun (Kherson). The date of the Baptism of Russia could rather be called the year 990, July 31, the day when Prince Vladimir married Princess Anna in Kherson and delivered a speech according to which anyone who is not baptized in Orthodoxy will be disgusted with him. From that time on, the Orthodox Church in Kievan Rus became a state church. In this case, speaking about who baptized Russia, we mean the establishment of Christianity as the state religion of Kyiv.
In the retinue of Princess Anna, the bishops appointed for the Russian departments in Constantinople arrive in Kyiv with escort, vestments and sacred books. Then the active process of Christianization of Russia begins.
This process was quite successful, thanks to the close ties of Kyiv with Moravia (modern Bulgaria), where there was already a written language. The Slavs of Kievan Rus got the opportunity to worship, to study the sacred books in their native Slavic language.
But in many cities, especially villages, one had to face resistance to the spread of the Christian faith, and even tough measures were taken. The process of spreading Christianity in Russia could not pass quickly, of course, it took several centuries for this. To explain some concepts, Christianity had to resort to the pagan roots of Slavic culture. For example, church holidays replace the pagan holidays that were previously common in Russia: carols, Shrovetide, bathing, introducing a completely different content into them.
The role of Prince Vladimir in the Christianization of Russia is very great, therefore, when discussing who baptized Russia, it should be noted that during his reign, Christianity in Russia assumed the status of a state religion. Meanwhile, it is also important to remember that in the Christianization of Russia there is still a huge merit of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga and the high priests who preached on this earth.
History of religions. Volume 1 Kryvelev Iosif Aronovich
"BAPTISM" OF RUSSIA (1)
"BAPTISM" OF RUSSIA (1)
Christianization should not be completely associated Eastern Slavs with that one-time act that was carried out by the Kyiv prince Vladimir around 988. The Christianization of Russia was a long and gradual process, the beginning of which dates back to earlier times than the reign of Vladimir, and the end dates back several centuries after his reign. "The Baptism of Russia" by Vladimir was only one of the episodes of this epic.
The naive notion of a one-act baptism, which allegedly began the Christianization of Russia, is also opposed by the concept that is widespread, according to which Christianity was known to the Slavs from time immemorial. Here the tendency to portray the Slavs in a halo of not only intense, but also ancient, traditional Christian piety is felt - no worse, they say, and no later than other peoples, they were enlightened by the light of Christian truth. In order to please this trend, at one time in the “Initial Code” of the chronicle of 1116, an insert was made about the Apostle Andrew, who at one time made a journey north as far as Kyiv and Novgorod, preaching Christianity 2 . Tsar Ivan the Terrible proudly declared: “... we received the Christian faith at the beginning christian church when Andrew, the brother of the Apostle Peter, came to these countries to go to Rome…” 3 The legend of Andrew preaching Christianity among the Slavs and their ancestors is, of course, completely unfounded. Suffice it to say that the apostle was forced, in accordance with it, to "go" thousands of miles away to Kyiv and Novgorod on the way from Greece to Rome.
Rejecting such an unbridled antiquity of the beginning of the Christianization of Russia, one cannot, however, fail to see that this process began long before Vladimir. The systematic raids of the Slavs on Byzantium, which took place starting from the 6th century, should inevitably acquaint them with the faith that prevailed in this state and with the customs of its inhabitants. In the same direction and, of course, even more effectively, the trade relations of the Slavs with Byzantium and with the Christianized Gothic tribes remaining in the Crimea after the Great Migration of Peoples, as well as relations with the partially Christianized Khazars, should have operated.
There is a legend that in the 60s of the IX century. adopted Christianity in Constantinople, the Kievan princes Askold and Dir. However, the evidence for this is very unreliable, and with a greater degree of probability it can be assumed that the first Russian Christian on the princely throne was Princess Olga. She accepted Christianity already at a mature age, which event was preceded by a complex diplomatic game with the Byzantine emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus. No matter how hard church historians and historians close to them try to portray Princess Olga as a pious and staunch champion of the Christian faith, the epic of her conversion looks like a frank bargaining because of quite earthly goods and interests.
The "baptism" carried out by Prince Vladimir of Kyiv around 988 4 was, nevertheless, a serious qualitative shift in the process of Christianization of Russia.
After the death of Prince Svyatoslav, one of his sons, Vladimir, won the internecine struggle with his brothers, killed his brother Yaropolk, who sat on the Kiev princely throne, and became the sole head of a large Slavic state with a center in Kyiv. One of the first acts of his activity in his new post was the establishment on a hill near his own palace of a sanctuary in honor of a group of ancient Slavic deities. The chronicle reports this event as follows: “And Vladimir began to reign in Kyiv alone, and set up idols on a hill outside the terem courtyard: a wooden Perun with a silver head and a golden mustache, then Khors, Dazhdbog, Stribog, Simargl and Mokosh. And they offered sacrifices to them, calling them gods, and brought their sons and daughters to them ... "5
To understand the meaning of the cult zeal of the young prince, one must pay attention to the fact that peripheral gods were also placed next to the idol of the central Kievan god Perun: it was supposed to establish a syncretic cult, designed to complete the political and state unity of Russia, which Vladimir managed to achieve by religious unification. To illustrate this plan, one more message from the chronicler can be cited: “Vladimir planted Dobrynya, his uncle, in Novgorod. And having come to Novgorod, Dobrynya placed an idol over the Volkhov River, and the Novgorodians offered sacrifices to him as to a god. Prior to this, Perun clearly did not enjoy general reverence, but Vladimir decided that he should make the cult of this Kievan god nationwide, not excluding the cults of local gods, but subordinating them to the central one. Before us is an example of a systematic transition from above spontaneously formed etheism to organized state supremotheism. Soon, however, Vladimir was tempted by the possibility of a more effective implementation of the idea of a single nationwide cult. In the end, this idea was carried out by the planting of Christianity.
Sources talk about this event at length, but quite confusing and contradictory. True, it should be noted that there are no Russian sources contemporary with the events described. The earliest of them, Metropolitan Hilarion's "Sermon on Law and Grace," was written between 1037 and 1050; Nestor Pechersky's “Tales of Saints Boris and Gleb” appeared to him not earlier than 1113. Somewhat closer in time to these events are foreign sources: the reports of Titmar of Merseburg, a number of Byzantine and Arabic authors, even one Armenian 8 . Let's try to reproduce the contradictory picture given by these sources.
The chronicle reports that ambassadors from peoples professing different faiths came to Vladimir, and each of them convinced him of the superiority of their own religion 9 . E. E. Golubinsky, and after him the majority of historians, consider the whole story about the competition of ambassadors unhistorical, based on the fact that in sources earlier than the chronicle there is no information about the arrival of missionaries of different faiths to Vladimir 10 .
Historians essentially unanimously came to the conclusion that it is impossible to establish an exact picture of Vladimir's baptism. SV Bakhrushin speaks of four variants of this painting 11 . E. E. Golubinsky wrote even more categorically: “Whoever loves entertaining and intricate stories, not caring about anything else, for whom a fairy tale is preferable to any real story, if only it had the indicated quality, the story of Vladimir’s baptism now transmitted should completely satisfy, for the dignity of intricacy belongs to it indisputably. But a little criticism, a little just some measure of faith - and such a miracle must immediately happen to a lengthy story that only a bare skeleton will remain of it, and then only one half of this bare skeleton will remain.
It is clear that in the late 80s of the X century. Prince Vladimir accepted the Christian faith in its Byzantine variety from the Byzantine clergy, who carried out the orders of the secular authorities of the empire. The motives that prompted both sides to act in this direction are also understandable. Byzantium sought to tie its strong and restless northern neighbor to itself with religious ties, finding in it, if not a vassal, then at least an ally in the fight against other, no less restless neighbors. Kyiv, on the other hand, needed to receive religious and ideological weapons to strengthen the principles of statehood in the emerging feudal order.
For Vladimir, his own baptism was only a prelude to the solution of a huge task that he set for himself - the Christianization of the population of the entire principality. First of all, it could be about the performance of an external act, which symbolized the acceptance of a new faith, that is, about water baptism. A turn in the religious consciousness of people, connected with the conviction of the falsity of the old faith and the truth of the new, moreover, such a turn, which would be based on knowledge of the content of the Christian dogma, could only be a matter of the distant future for the overwhelming majority of the population. Changes in everyday life associated with the rejection of the old cults and their holidays and rituals, with the spread of specifically Christian forms of worship and life, could occur extremely slowly, in fact, as we will see below, over a number of centuries. But formally, the act of conversion to a new faith was symbolized by a simple and unique rite, the fulfillment of which gave the authorities the right to consider a given subject a Christian. In this regard, the Kyiv prince developed a vigorous activity immediately after his own baptism.
First of all, he faced the task of converting the people of Kiev themselves. The chronicle contains a rather colorful story about this event. Returning from Korsun with the newly-minted Princess Anna - the sister of the Byzantine emperors and with a group of "Korsun priests with the relics of St. Clement and Thebes", as well as with icons and with "church vessels", Vladimir immediately ordered to overthrow all the idols - "cut some, and burn others ". Perun also got it: he was tied to the tail of a horse and dragged to the river, and twelve people were assigned to him "to beat him with rods." The sympathy of the population was apparently on the side of the desecrated god: "... the infidels mourned him, since they had not yet received holy baptism." Former god thrown into the Dnieper, and Vladimir ordered that his route down the river be continuously monitored in order to push him away from the bank if he molested him, and that he was left alone only after he had passed the rapids.
Immediately, an order was given to the entire population of Kyiv to gather on a certain day and hour to the banks of the Dnieper and its tributary Pochaina for baptism: "If someone does not come tomorrow to the river - be it rich or poor, or a beggar, or a slave - let there be an enemy to me" . The people obeyed this order, and the chronicler claims that they "joyfully went." On the river, there was nothing left to do but to do what was ordered: “They entered the water and stood there, some up to the neck, others up to the chest, while the young near the shore were up to the chest, some held babies, and already adults wandered, the priests prayed standing still. And joy was seen in heaven and on earth over so many souls being saved; and the devil said, groaning: “Alas for me! They are driving me away from here!..”” 13 From the Dnieper and Pochaina, the crowd, which included “people without number”, dispersed to Christian homes.
The scale of the event held by Vladimir in Kyiv is greatly exaggerated by the chronicler, so that on the specified day and hour, not “without a number”, but only a few hundred people were baptized, but this event, apparently, took place and served as the beginning of a systematic and consistent Christianization of the population of the entire Kyiv Russia.
After the people of Kiev, Vladimir had to baptize the people of Novgorod. This task was of great state importance, since Novgorod was the second center of the Eastern Slavs, competing with Kyiv and constantly showing separatist tendencies. Shortly before his baptism, Vladimir instructed his uncle Dobrynya to establish the Kievan cult of Perun in Novgorod, which followed the same line of political and ideological subordination of Novgorod to Kyiv. The Christianization of Novgorod was an even more difficult task than its "Perunization"; it was solved for a long time, moreover, with considerable difficulties.
Then it was necessary to spread the new faith to the periphery of the state. Its natural channels of distribution were waterways- along the Dnieper and Volkhov and their tributaries. Particular difficulties were caused by the Christianization of non-Slavic tribes and nationalities that inhabited the Kiev principality - Finno-Ugric and Turkic. Indeed, in addition to geographical and ethnic factors, signs of social belonging also mattered. Literary historian E. V. Anichkov speaks in this regard about the spread “from estate to estate, down and in breadth along the rock (scale. - I.K.) social relations. He claims that “nobility was baptized, first from Kyiv, then from Novgorod; only later did Christianity capture wider strata of the population and regions more and more distant from Kyiv” 14 . Formally, perhaps, the common people in Kyiv, under fear of punishment from the prince and his squad, were baptized immediately, but in essence it was the nobility that was interested in Christianization, which gained a lot as a result of that political and ideological upheaval with which the establishment of Christianity in Russia was connected. . As for the social lower classes, Christianity conquered them gradually, suppressing them at times with stubborn resistance, which was based not only and not even so much on religious factors as on the causes of the socio-political order.
E. E. Golubinsky writes about the methods of “baptizing Russia”: “The complete obedience of Russians in the matter of changing their faith to the will of the prince and the so-called peaceful spread of Christianity in Russia is nothing but an impossible invention of our immoderate patriots ... There is no doubt that the introduction of a new faith was accompanied by considerable unrest among the people, that there were open resistances and riots, although we do not know any details about them. There is a proverb about the baptism of Novgorodians that "Putyata baptized them with a sword, and Dobrynya with fire." This obviously means that in Novgorod the new faith was met with open indignation, and that the most energetic measures were required and used to suppress the latter. It is not clear how such an informed historian as E. E. Golubinsky was out of sight, the available factual data on the forced Christianization of Novgorod, but his “guess” based on the “proverb” was correct. 18th century historian V. N. Tatishchev had the opportunity to use the Joachim Chronicle, which has not survived to our time, in which the Christianization of Novgorod was described in very dramatic colors 16 .
With a new delicate assignment, Vladimir sent his uncle Dobrynya again to Novgorod together with Bishop John. The Novgorodians at the Veche decided not to let either Dobrynya or the bishop into the city and organized armed resistance. Street fighting continued until the people of Kiev set fire to the quarters in which the bulk of the rebels lived. They rushed to extinguish their houses, and this allowed the Dobrynia squad to gain the upper hand. Wooden gods were burned, and stone gods were thrown into the Volkhov. All Novgorodians were ordered to be baptized, and those who evaded were dragged to the river by force.
The resistance to Christianization in the north of the state was more stubborn and fierce than in the south, because the north gravitated more toward Novgorod than toward Kyiv.
During the XI century. in different points of Kievan Rus, there were acts of resistance of the people to Christianization.
In 1024, as the Tale of Bygone Years testifies, an uprising broke out in Suzdal 17 .
In 1071 there was a major uprising in Novgorod as well. 80 years after Dobrynya christened the Novgorodians, they did not feel sympathy for Christianity and all sided with the apologist of the old, pagan faith!
Of particular interest is the annalistic narrative of the movement raised by two wise men on the Volga and Sheksna 18 . In the conditions of another hunger strike, they accused the “best wives”, that is, representatives of the most prosperous houses, of hiding food supplies and essentials in their own body - apparently in a magical way. Accompanied by 300 people who joined them, they moved along the indicated rivers and, stopping in settlements, repaired the court and reprisals against women, “saying that this zhito hides, and this one hides honey, and this one hides fish, and this one hides furs.” Many women were killed without resistance from their relatives, and the property of the executed, according to the chronicler, was appropriated by the Magi.
From the book History. A new complete guide for schoolchildren to prepare for the exam author Nikolaev Igor Mikhailovich From the book Reconstruction of True History author4. The history of the Evangelical Magi reflects the worship of Russia-Horde to Andronicus-Christ in the XII century. The first baptism of Russia
From the book Book 2. The Secret of Russian History [New Chronology of Russia. Tatar and Arabic languages in Russia. Yaroslavl as Veliky Novgorod. ancient english history author Nosovsky Gleb Vladimirovich26. Baptism of Russia The modern reader usually imagines the history of the baptism of Russia according to the Tale of Bygone Years,. That is, as we have already shown, according to the source of the beginning of the 18th century. According to the Tale of Bygone Years, Russia was first and finally baptized under Prince
From the book Reconstruction of True History author Nosovsky Gleb Vladimirovich4, The history of the Gospel Magi reflects the worship of Russia-Horde to Andronicus-Christ in the XII century. The first baptism of Russia In the era of Christ, in the second half of the XII century, Russia adopted Christianity immediately and in full, and did not wait a thousand years, as we are assured by the Scaligerian-Romanov
From the book A Complete Course of Lectures on Russian History author Platonov Sergey FyodorovichThe Baptism of Russia Another even more powerful unification factor for Russia was Christianity. It is said above that Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich of Kyiv converted to Christianity. The baptism of the prince was immediately followed by the adoption of Christianity by all Russia and a solemn
From the book Rus and Rome. Colonization of America by Russia-Horde in the XV-XVI centuries author Nosovsky Gleb Vladimirovich48. Baptism of Russia The modern reader usually imagines the history of the baptism of Russia as it is presented in The Tale of Bygone Years. That is, as we showed in volume 2 of this edition - in the source of the beginning of the 18th century. According to the Tale, Russia for the first time and finally
From the book History of Russia from ancient times to the beginning of the 20th century author Froyanov Igor YakovlevichBaptism of Russia The beginning of this process falls on the reign of Prince Vladimir, who largely continued the policy of his predecessors (he fought twice with the Vyatichi, then with the Radimichi). But implicitly, from within, the old political relations were being destroyed. Clearly this
From the book Archaeological Evidence of Ancient History Author Cave WebsiteBaptism of Russia And here the baptism of Russia? some may ask. As it turned out, very much so. After all, baptism did not take place in a peaceful way ... Before baptism, people in Russia were educated, almost everyone knew how to read, write, count (see the article “Russian
From the book Unified textbook of the history of Russia from ancient times to 1917. With a preface by Nikolai Starikov author Platonov Sergey FyodorovichBaptism of Russia § 9. Paganism in Russia in ancient times. Around 988, Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich of Kyiv converted to Christianity. The baptism of the prince was immediately followed by the adoption of Christianity by all Russia and the solemn abolition of the pagan cult in Russia. Pagan
From the book 500 famous historical events author Karnatsevich Vladislav LeonidovichTHE BAPTISM OF RUSSIA S. Gordinsky. Baptism in Kyiv in 988Christianity in Russia was already known at the dawn of the history of the Kievan state. The first information about this religion among the Rus dates back to 860–870. In Kyiv in the X century. there was already a church of St. Elijah - a Christian twin
From the book Baptism of Kievan Rus author Kuzmin Apollon GrigorievichBaptism of Russia
From the book History of Russia from ancient times to the end of the 20th century author Nikolaev Igor MikhailovichBaptism of Russia The emergence of statehood among the Eastern Slavs was manifested not only in the economic and political life people, but also in the spiritual, which was reflected in the introduction to the world of Christian values. Religious reforms were carried out by Prince Vladimir
From the book History of Religions. Volume 1 author Kryvelev Iosif Aronovich"BAPTICIZATION" OF RUSSIA (1) One should not completely associate the Christianization of the Eastern Slavs with that one-time act that was carried out by Prince Vladimir of Kyiv around 988. The Christianization of Rus was a long and gradual process, the beginning of which
From the book Russian Chronograph. From Rurik to Nicholas II. 809–1894 author Konyaev Nikolai MikhailovichThe Baptism of Russia (809-996) In an old student joke, a professor, looking through a chapter from his graduate student's dissertation, asks simple questions along the way: - In what year did Yaroslav the Wise begin to reign in Kyiv? The answer is known to any history student - in 1019. But the graduate student
From the book The Age of Rurikovich. From ancient princes to Ivan the Terrible author Deinichenko Petr GennadievichThe Baptism of Russia The Baptism of Russia was in no way connected with the religious feeling of Vladimir himself and the population of Russia. Paganism was not suitable as a state religion, for a pagan god, even if it is supreme, is strong only when he wins. Any defeat of Vladimir or
From the book Russia and its autocrats author Anishkin Valery GeorgievichBaptism in Russia An outstanding event in the history of our state - the baptism of Russia - is associated with the name of Grand Duke Vladimir Svyatoslavich. At first, Vladimir was an ardent supporter of paganism. Having asserted his power, he placed near the terem yard, where others were already standing
Many historical events of the distant past can be interpreted in different ways. “The Tale of Bygone Years” is the earliest surviving ancient Russian chronicle of the beginning of the 12th century. Criticized due to lengthy writing, a large number editions and contradictions with the evidence of other works. But such an epoch-making event as the Baptism of Russia could not be lost in the centuries and it is still possible to form an impression of the general picture of that time.
How the Baptism of Russia took place - early attempts
Mentions of the first Christian preachers in Russia begin already at the beginning of the 8th century. There is a lot of historical data that in the years 860-869 Varangian princes Askold and Dir were baptized by the Bishop of Constantinople, keeping the city under siege. But attempts to spread the religion aroused the resistance of the people, who kept faith in the old gods. Even in 967, when Princess Olga, who officially converted to Christianity, became the ruler, Kievan Rus was a country of paganism and was perceived by neighboring states as barbaric. Prince Svyatoslav Igorevich - Olga's son and famous commander - was also a pagan. In this faith, he raised his sons, among whom was the future baptizer of Russia - Vladimir.
The future prince participated in military campaigns from an early age and had little interest in religion, especially the one that forbade adultery and rejected violence. According to legend, in each settlement he had a mistress, but the conqueror's passion was even stronger. Because of her, the most famous internecine war in Russia began. The murder of his brother Yaropolk allowed Vladimir to take the throne of Kyiv and find himself at the center of world political events.
At the end of the tenth century Byzantine emperor Basil was forced to seek help in suppressing a rebellion raised by one of the commanders. He found support in the person of Vladimir, who, together with a 6,000-strong Varangian corps, helped win the battle at Abydos in modern Turkey in 989. The friendship between Russia and Byzantium was strengthened by the opportunity promised to Vladimir to marry the emperor’s sister, Princess Anna. The promise is unheard of and all the more tempting: to join the dynasty of the Byzantine emperors - the most powerful family in the world, heir to the wealth of Rome. It was a small matter, only an Orthodox prince could become the husband of a princess.
How the Baptism of Russia took place - the search for the true path
The decision to embrace the Christian faith was not an easy one. There is evidence that Vladimir invited qadis - Muslim teachers, preachers and judges - to Kyiv. But Islamic countries waged continuous wars with Byzantium, and Baghdad, which then became the center of the Islamic world, was too far away for an alliance with it to give serious advantages. Much closer was the Khazar Khaganate - a state with a center in the city of Itil, located in the area of \u200b\u200bmodern Astrakhan. The favorable position of the Khazars allowed them to collect tribute from neighboring Slavic tribes and receive part of the booty, skipping the raids of Russian princes deep into the Arab lands. Perhaps this killed him: despite its former strength, the kaganate was plundered by Prince Svyatoslav. The Tale of Bygone Years says that the ambassadors of the kaganate could not convince Vladimir to accept Judaism, the ally looked too weak. The center of the Christian world was Byzantium with its center in Constantinople or Constantinople, as it was known from the Varangian lands in the north to the Arab lands in the south. The united faith alliance with Byzantium promised Kievan Rus' transformation into one of the main forces of the Western world.
How did the Baptism of Russia take place?
The reasons for subsequent decisions cause controversy among scientists. Some sources say that Emperor Basil, not wanting to pass off his sister as a barbarian prince, sends a maid instead of her. When the deception was revealed, Prince Vladimir seizes the capital of the Byzantine province of Chersonese and issues an ultimatum: hand over Princess Anna or Constantinople will fall next. The princess arrives with a Christian bishop, who baptizes Vladimir, now named Vasily, along with most of his squad. Before leaving, the prince built a church in Chersonese.
The legend says that upon his return to Kyiv, Vladimir sent messengers through the cities demanding to be on the banks of the Dnieper on the appointed day. There he and the priests conducted this historical procession along the river, followed by its baptism. The Day of the Baptism of Kievan Rus is a memorable date for Prince Vladimir the Holy and is celebrated annually on July 28. But the transition of the peoples of Kievan Rus to the Christian faith was not sudden and simultaneous, because Christian communities existed in Kyiv since the time of Princess Olga, spreading across the Slavic lands. Only during 988-990. all the peoples of Kievan Rus were baptized.
Unfortunately, it cannot be said that even the episode of these events was pure and peaceful. The pragmatism of the rulers is too much traced. The worldview of people did not change overnight, and therefore they faced many years of struggle for their faith. But one cannot fail to note Christianization as one of the stages in the enlightenment of the Slavic peoples. And it's hard not to appreciate her contribution along the way.
Kievan Rus became Christian on the August day of 988. Inwardly, spiritually, with all her essence, she was ready to accept Orthodoxy, and the seed of Christianity fell on fertile soil. Russian people with fear and faith plunged into sacred waters Khreshchatyk, Pochaina and Dnieper to receive holy baptism. These days marks 1020 years since the baptism of Kievan Rus, which made a conscious and final choice of faith, moving from paganism to Christianity.
The first enlighteners
Paganism - pre-Christian religion, polytheism, polytheism, when people worshiped idols. Chief among them in ancient Russia were the Sun (God forbid) and Thunder with lightning (Perun). Many lower idols were also revered - patrons of the economy, home, land, water, forests, etc. In the life of our pagan ancestors there were many superstitions, cruel customs, even human sacrifices happened. At the same time, paganism in ancient Russia did not go deep into idolatry to such an extent as to have idol temples and a caste of priests.
Already in the first century AD. Eastern Slavs (Polyans, Drevlyans, Dregovichi, Buzhans, Slovenes, Ulichi, Vyatichi, Tivertsy) gradually began to realize the need to choose Christianity as the true faith, which began to penetrate the territory of the future Russia. According to legend, at the beginning of the 1st century AD. the Eastern Slavs were visited and laid the foundations of Christianity here by the holy Apostle Andrew the First-Called. For his devotional activity, he, by lot of the apostles in Jerusalem, received Scythia - the territory north of the Black Sea and to the Baltic. Arriving in Chersonese (a Greek colony in the Crimea, dependent on Byzantium in the 4th-10th centuries), the Apostle Andrew founded the first Christian community here and built a temple.
According to ancient Greek chronicles, the Apostle Andrew came from Chersonesos to the mouth of the Dnieper and ascended to the Middle Dnieper. At the foot of the Kyiv mountains, where there were then several settlements of glades, he prophetically told his disciples: "Do you see these mountains? On these mountains the grace of God will shine, there will be a great city ..." blessed them and put a cross here... and, descending from this mountain, where Kyiv later arose, he went up the Dnieper. And he came to the Slavs, where Novgorod is now, and saw the people who lived there ... "
As evidenced by the latest historical research, Apostle Andrew sailed from Novgorod along the Volkhov River to Lake Ladoga, and then to Valaam. He blessed the mountains there with a stone cross and converted the pagans who lived on the island to the true faith. This is mentioned in the oldest manuscript "Rebuke", kept in the library of the Valaam Monastery, and in another ancient monument "Vseletnik" Metropolitan of Kyiv Hilarion (1051).
The continuer of the evangelistic labors of the Apostle Andrew in the Black Sea region was Hieromartyr Clement, Bishop of Rome. Exiled by the Roman Emperor Trojan to Chersonese, for three years (99-101) he spiritually nourished more than two thousand Crimean Christians here. St. John Chrysostom, who was exiled in one of the cities of Abkhazia in the 5th century, also carried out preaching activities. All their activities served the gradual spread of Orthodoxy throughout the Crimea, the Caucasus and the entire Black Sea region.
The first enlighteners of the Slavs, the holy equal-to-the-apostles brothers Cyril and Methodius, also took part in the baptism of Russia. They made up Slavic writing(the exact date of the creation of the Slavic alphabet and the basics of writing by the brothers is given by the authoritative source "On the Letters" of Chernorizets Brave - 855), the Holy Scripture and church books were translated into Slavic. In 861, the brothers arrived in Tauric Chersonesus and baptized two hundred people here at once. They also visited the ancient territory of present-day Transcarpathia, where Rusyns were baptized, and Saint Methodius even lived for some time in the local monastery in the settlement of Grushevo.
Askold and Dir
The whole history of the adoption of Christianity in Russia was directly connected with the process of the formation of the Orthodox Church, completed only in 842 by the establishment at the Local Council of Constantinople in Byzantium of a special celebration - the Triumph of Orthodoxy.
According to Greek sources, the Kyiv princes Askold and Dir were the first to be baptized in ancient Russia and converted to Orthodoxy in 867. They came to Kyiv with fighting squads in the middle of the 9th century. from the north, where the tribes of the Slavs (Slovenes and Krivichi together with the Finnish tribes) miraculously and completely created a solid state formation with a center in the city of Ladoga, located at the mouth of the Volkhov River, which flows into Lake Ladoga. This formation arose after the Khazar invasion of Southern and Central Russia (the most likely date for the Khazar invasion of Kyiv is around 825).
The baptism of the Kyiv princes is described as follows. According to the testimony of Patriarch Photius of Constantinople, in June 860, two hundred Russian ships led by Askold and Dir attacked Constantinople, which "almost was raised on a spear", and that "it was easy for the Russians to take it, and it was impossible for the inhabitants to defend it." But the incredible happened: the attackers suddenly began to move away, the city was saved from ruin. The reason for the retreat was a sudden storm that swept away the attacking fleet. This elemental famously was perceived by the Russians as a manifestation of divine Christian power, which gave rise to a desire to join the Orthodox faith.
After the incident, the Byzantine Emperor Macedonian concluded a peace treaty with the Russians and "arranged for them to receive Bishop Michael, who was sent to Russia by Patriarch Photius of Constantinople to spread the Orthodox faith." The divine activity of Bishop Michael gave its results - the princes Askold and Dir with the "bolyars", the elders and part of the people in Kyiv are baptized. Patriarch Photius wrote about this: “And at the present time even they have exchanged the impious teaching that they previously contained for pure and genuine Christian faith, lovingly placing themselves in the rank of subjects and friends, instead of plundering us and great insolence against us, which had shortly."
This is how the first mass baptism took place in Russia. The first all-Russian prince - Christian Askold received the name Nikolai, in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. In 867, the first Christian community appeared in Russia, headed by a bishop.
The spread of Christianity in Russia already in the 9th century. confirmed by Arabic sources. In the "Book of Ways and Countries" by the outstanding geographer Ibn Hardadveh, with reference to the data of 880, it is said: "If we talk about merchants ar-Rus, then this is one of the varieties of Slavs ... They claim that they are Christians ..." Together with meanwhile, the introduction of ancient Russian people to Christianity was not at that time wide and lasting. The real baptism of Russia took place only after more than a century.
Oleg and Igor
In the second half of the ninth century a significant part of the Eastern Slavs (Polyane, Rodimichi, Krivichi, Northerners, Dregovichi, Novgorod Slovenes) were united under the rule of Prince Oleg from Ladoga (prince reigned around 879 - early 10th century). He came with his retinue from Novgorod (back in 862, the Novgorodians, having united the northeastern Slavic tribes, drove the Varangians across the sea "and do not give them tribute, and more often Volodya themselves"), captured Kyiv (about 882) and killed Askold and Dir, who reigned there. Having united Novgorod with Kyiv, Prince Oleg laid the foundation for Kievan Rus and continued the liberation of the southeastern tribes from the Khazar Khaganate.
The time of his reign was a period of further spread and strengthening of Christianity. From the annals it is known that it was under Oleg that a special Russian diocese was created under the jurisdiction of the Greek patriarch, and soon the Christian bishopric in Russia grew into a metropolis. At the end of IX - beginning of X centuries. The Russian diocese is already on the list of Greek bishops.
When in 907 Oleg's army made a successful campaign against Constantinople, Byzantium was forced to sign a peace treaty beneficial to the Old Russian state. According to the chronicle, the Byzantine emperor invited Oleg's ambassadors to Constantinople, "put his husbands to them to show them the church beauty, the golden chambers and the riches stored in them, teaching them his faith and showing the true faith." Upon the return of the ambassadors to Kyiv, the population of the city swore allegiance to the treaty in the following way: the pagans took the oath at the idol of Perun, and the Christians - "in the church of St. Elijah, which stands over the Creek."
At the beginning of the X century. Oleg's nephew Igor (prince reigned at the beginning of the 10th century - 945) becomes the prince of Kyiv. Struggling to strengthen the Black Sea trade route, he made new campaigns against Constantinople in 941 and 944. Chronicle sources testify that under Igor there were already a significant number of Christians in Russia. So, if in Oleg’s agreement with Byzantium only Byzantines are called “Christians”, then in Igor’s agreement Russians are divided into two “categories”: those who were baptized and those who are not baptized worship Perun - “let our Russian Christians swear by their faith, but non-Christians according to their law."
When in 944 a peace treaty between Constantinople and Prince Igor was concluded, it was obvious that people in power in Kyiv were aware of the historical necessity of introducing Rus to Orthodox culture. However, Prince Igor himself was unable to overcome his attachment to paganism and sealed the agreement according to pagan custom - with an oath on swords. In the negotiations with the Greeks in 944, in addition to pagan Russians, Christian Russians also took part. Drawn up by experienced Byzantine diplomats, this agreement provided for mutual assistance and the possibility of the adoption of Christianity by the princes who remained during the negotiations in Kyiv. The final formula read: "Whether the prince transgresses from our country, or someone else, whether he is baptized, unbaptized, but they do not have help from God ...", who violated the agreement "may he be cursed from God and from Perun." However, the hopes of Byzantium for the near baptism of Russia did not come true. The adoption of Christianity turned out to be a longer matter for the Russians.
Duchess Olga
In 945, Prince Igor was killed by rebellious pagans in the Drevlyane land, and Igor's widow assumed the burden of public service - grand duchess Olga (ruled 945 - 969). Contrary to the artificial version of the "Normanists" about her Norman origin and today's "Orange" about her Ukrainian "pokhodzhenni", Princess Olga is a native of the village of Lybuty, Pskov land, the daughter of a ferryman across the Velikaya River. She was a smart and wonderful ruler, a worthy successor to the work of the Russian princes, who deserved the recognition and love of the people, who called her wise.
Princess Olga was the first of the Kievan princes who converted to Orthodoxy directly in Constantinople. According to the chronicle, in the second half of the 50s of the X century. "Olga went to the Greek land and came to Constantinople." She must have been between 28 and 32 at the time. When Olga met with the Byzantine Emperor Constantine, he, seeing "that she was very beautiful both in face and mind," said to her: "You are worthy to reign with us in our capital! Olga, understanding the meaning of this proposal, answered the emperor:" I am a pagan ; if you want to baptize me, then baptize yourself, otherwise I will not be baptized."
The political duel began between Olga and Konstantin even before their personal meeting. The princess sought recognition of the high prestige of the Russian state and her own as its ruler. She lived for more than a month in the harbor of Constantinople before her reception took place in the palace: there were long negotiations about how, with what ceremonies, the Russian princess should be received. The wise Olga decided to be baptized in Constantinople and from the patriarch himself in order to gain wide recognition of Russia in the world of powerful Christian states and to ensure the spiritual support of the Ecumenical Patriarch for her own apostolic mission on Russian soil. And the princess achieved extremely important results. She was baptized with honors in the capital of Byzantium, in the church of St. Sophia - the main cathedral church universal church of that time. At baptism, Olga received the name Helena (in honor of the mother of Constantine the Great) and a blessing for the apostolic mission in her country.
After the baptism, Emperor Constantine on October 18, 957 again met with Olga and said to her: "I want to take you as my wife." To which she replied: “How do you want to take me when you yourself baptized and called me a daughter? But Christians don’t allow this - you yourself know.” Konstantin was forced to answer: "You outwitted me, Olga, and gave her many gifts ... let her go, calling her daughter."
Imperial title "daughter" as shown modern research, put Russia in the most high rank diplomatic hierarchy of states (after Byzantium itself, of course, since no one could be equal with it). The title coincided with the Christian position of Olga-Helena as the goddaughter of the Byzantine emperor.
Returning home, Princess Olga notes: "God's will be done; if God wants to have mercy on my family and the Russian land, then he will put in their hearts the same desire to turn to God that he gave me." She persuaded her son Svyatoslav to accept Christianity, but he did not agree and remained a pagan.
Princess Olga not only prayed for her son and for people "every night and day," but she preached Christianity, crushed idols in her estates, and built churches. In Kyiv, a church was consecrated in the name of St. Sophia, and on the site of the future Pskov, she organized the construction of the Church of the Holy Trinity. From Constantinople, the princess brought many Christian shrines, in particular, eight-pointed cross made entirely of wood Life-Giving Cross Lord's. These shrines helped in the great work of enlightening the people of Kievan Rus.
After the demise Equal-to-the-Apostles Olga in 969, her son Svyatoslav (ruled until 972), although he himself was not baptized, "if anyone was going to be baptized, he did not forbid it." After the death of Svyatoslav in 972, his son Yaropolk (ruled 972 - 978) was also not baptized, but had a Christian wife. According to the Joachim and Nikon chronicles, Yaropolk "loving Christians, but he himself is not baptized for the sake of the people, but does not pretyashe" and gave great freedom to Christians.
Choice of Faith
The baptism of Kievan Rus was completed by the youngest son of Svyatoslav, the grandson of Princess Olga, Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavovich (prince 980 - 1015).
Vladimir completed the defeat of the Khazar Khaganate at the end of the 10th century and strengthened parts of the huge ancient Russian state. It was under him that Russia achieved that power that excluded the very possibility of its defeat in the struggle against any force of the then world. Arab sources testify to the "Russians" of the late 10th - early 11th centuries: "... They have an independent tsar Buladmir (Vladimir) ... They are strong and very powerful people; they go on foot to distant countries for raids, they also sail on ships along Khazar (Caspian) Sea ... and sail to Constantinople along the Pontic (Black) Sea ... Their courage and power are known, for one of them is equal to a certain number of people from another nation ... "
The first years of his reign, Vladimir was a pagan, although his mother Milusha was of the Orthodox faith, having been baptized along with Olga. But while strengthening statehood, the prince decided to strengthen the spiritual foundation of the country. Since the forms of Slavic paganism came into conflict with the growing statehood, he began to think about another, better faith.
According to the chronicle, in 986 Vladimir turned to the "study" of the main religions of Europe and Western Asia, setting himself the goal of "choosing" the most appropriate to the spiritual aspirations of his country. Having learned about this, "the Bulgarians (Volga) of the Mohammedan faith came ... then foreigners came from Rome, ... Khazar Jews, then the Greeks came to Vladimir", and everyone preached their religion. "Vladimir liked the sermons of the Greek envoy, who set forth the history of Orthodoxy and its essence. All other preachers were given a decisive refusal, including "foreigners from Rome." To their proposal to accept Catholicism, Vladimir replied: "Go back, where you came from, for our fathers did not accept this."
In 987, Vladimir gathered boyars and advisers to discuss different faiths. On their advice, the prince sent ten "good and sensible men" to many European countries to study faiths. When they arrived in Constantinople, the emperors Basil and Constantine (they ruled together) and the Patriarch of Constantinople, knowing the importance of this embassy, treated the Russians with great respect. The patriarch himself, in the presence of the Kyiv ambassadors, celebrated the Divine Liturgy in St. Sophia Cathedral with great solemnity. The splendor of the temple, the patriarchal service, the majestic singing finally convinced the Kyiv envoys of the superiority of the Greek faith.
Returning to Kyiv, they reported to the prince: “We didn’t know whether we were in heaven or on earth; for there is no such sight and beauty on earth, and we don’t know how to tell you about it; we only know that God is there with people, and the service they are better than in all other countries. We cannot forget the beauty of that, for every person, if he tastes the sweet, then does not take the bitter, so we cannot already abide here in paganism. " The boyars added to this: "If the Greek law was not good, then your grandmother Olga, the wisest of all people, would not have accepted it."
After such a detailed study of the faiths, a historic decision was made to abandon paganism and accept Greek Orthodoxy.
Vladimir and Anna
It must be emphasized that the adoption of Christianity took place not due to the influence of Byzantium (as was the case in many lands), but by the own will of Russia. By this time, internally, spiritually, she was ready to accept a new, progressive faith. The baptism of Russia was the result of the active desire of the ruling strata of ancient Russian society to find in the Byzantine Christian worldview those values, the adoption of which would help solve difficult issues that concern people.
Kievan Rus adopted Christianity under special historical conditions. Despite all the greatness of the Byzantine Empire, the ancient Russian state, which was a powerful force, patronized it, and not vice versa. Byzantium at that time found itself in very difficult conditions. In August 986, her army was defeated by the Bulgarians, and at the beginning of 987, the Byzantine commander Varda Sklir rebelled and, together with the Arabs, entered the empire. Another commander, Varda Fok, was sent to fight him, who in turn rebelled and proclaimed himself emperor. Having mastered Asia Minor, and then laid siege to Avidos and Chrysopolis, he intended to create a blockade of Constantinople.
Emperor Basil II turned to the powerful Prince Vladimir with a request for help, which was provided for by the agreement of 944 between Prince Igor and Byzantium. Vladimir decided to help the Byzantines, but on certain conditions: when signing the agreement on military assistance, the Russians put forward a demand for the extradition of the sister of Vasily II and Constantine Anna in marriage to the prince. Prior to this, the Greeks had the firm intention not to be related to the "barbarian peoples", as evidenced by the law of Constantine Porphyrogenitus: "It is indecent to marry the imperial house with them, the northern peoples - the Khazars, Turks, Russians." However, this time the Byzantines were forced to agree, saving the empire. In return, they demanded that Vladimir become a Christian. The prince accepted this condition.
Soon, the six thousandth army of Kievan Rus arrived in Byzantium, defeated the rebels in two major battles and saved Byzantium. However, the emperors were in no hurry to fulfill the terms of the agreement and refused to extradite their sister Anna in marriage to the leader of the Russians. Then Vladimir went to Chersonese, laid siege to it and soon took possession of the city. And then he sent an ultimatum to Constantinople: "If you do not give her (Anna) for me, then I will do the same to your capital as to this city." Constantinople accepted the ultimatum and sent Anna to Vladimir.
In the summer of 988, Vladimir Svyatoslavovich was baptized in Chersonese. At baptism he was named Basil in honor of St. Basil the Great. Together with the prince, his squad was also baptized.
After the baptism of Vladimir, his marriage with Anna took place, as a result of which Byzantium appropriated Kyiv prince title "caesar". It is difficult to imagine a wiser combination of the prince's baptism with the greatest spiritual and political benefit for Russia - a dynastic marriage, intermarriage with the Byzantine emperors. This was an unprecedented rise in the hierarchical rank of the state.
After the baptism took place, as noted in the ancient Russian chronicle, Prince Vladimir "took the church vessels and icons to bless himself" and, accompanied by a squad, boyars and clergy, went to Kyiv. Metropolitan Michael and six bishops sent from Byzantium also arrived here.
Upon his return to Kyiv, Vladimir first of all baptized his twelve sons in a spring called Khreshchatyk. The boyars were also baptized at the same time.
And crowded people without number ...
Vladimir appointed a mass baptism of the people of Kiev for August 1, 988. A decree was announced throughout the city: "If someone does not come tomorrow to the river, whether it be rich, or poor, or a beggar, or a slave, let it be disgusting to me!"
Hearing this, - the chronicler notes, - the people went with joy, rejoicing and saying: "If it had not been good (that is, baptism and faith), then our prince and boyars would not have accepted this." To the place where the Pochaina River flows into the Dnieper, "people without number" flocked. They entered the water and stood one up to the neck, others up to the chest, some held babies, and the baptized and those who taught the newly initiated wandered among them. Thus, an unprecedented, unique universal act of baptism took place in Russia. Priests read prayers and baptized countless Kyivans in the waters of the Dnieper and Pochaina.
At the same time, Vladimir "ordered to overturn the idols - to chop some and burn others ..." The pantheon of pagan idols in the princely court was razed to the ground. Perun with a silver head and a golden mustache was ordered to be tied to the tail of a horse, dragged to the Dnieper, thrashing with sticks for public reproach, and then escorted to the thresholds so that no one could return him. There the idol was tied with a stone around his neck and drowned. So ancient Russian paganism sunk into the water.
The Christian faith began to spread rapidly throughout Russia. At first - in the cities around Kyiv: Pereyaslavl, Chernigov, Belgorod, Vladimir, along the Desna, Vostri, Trubezh, along Sula and Stugan. “And start putting churches in the cities,” the chronicle says, “and bring priests and people to baptism in all cities and villages.” The prince himself took an active part in the spread of Orthodoxy. He ordered to "cut", that is, to build wooden churches, especially in places known to people. Thus, the wooden church of St. Basil the Great was built on the hill where Perun had recently stood.
In 989, Vladimir began to build the first majestic stone church in honor of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary. The prince decorated the church with icons and rich utensils taken in Chersonesus and appointed Anastas Korsunian and other priests who came from Chersonesus to serve in the church. He ordered that a tenth of all expenses in the country be deducted in favor of this church, after which it was called the Tithes. At the end of X - beginning of XI centuries. this church became the spiritual center of Kyiv and all of the newly enlightened Russia. In this temple, Vladimir also transferred the ashes of his grandmother, Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga.
The spread of Christianity proceeded peacefully, resistance was provided only in Novgorod and Rostov in the person of active Magi. But in 990, Metropolitan Michael arrived in Novgorod with the bishops, accompanied by Dobrynya, Vladimir's uncle. Dobrynya crushed the idol of Perun (which he himself had previously set) and threw it into the Volkhov River, where the people gathered for baptism. Then the metropolitan and the bishops went to Rostov, where they also carried out baptism, appointed presbyters and erected a church. The speed with which the resistance of the pagans was broken testifies to the fact that, despite all their adherence to ancient customs, the Russian people did not support the Magi, but followed the new, Christian faith.
In 992, Vladimir and two bishops arrived in Suzdal. The people of Suzdal were willingly baptized, and the prince, delighted by this, founded the city of his name on the banks of the Klyazma, which was built in 1008. The children of Vladimir also took care of the spread of Christianity in the destinies subject to them: Pskov, Murom, Turov, Polotsk, Smolensk, Lutsk, Tmutarakan (Old Russian principality in the Kuban) and in the land of the Drevlyansk. Dioceses were opened: Novgorod, Vladimir-Volyn, Chernigov, Pereyaslav, Belgorod, Rostov, headed by the Metropolitan, appointed Patriarch of Constantinople. Under Prince Vladimir, the metropolitans were: Michael (991), Theophylact (991 - 997), Leont (997 - 1008), John I (1008 - 1037).
Faith, society, state
The Orthodox faith had the most favorable effect on the morals, way of life and life of the Slavs. And Vladimir himself began to be more guided by the gospel commandments, the Christian principles of love and mercy. The chronicler notes that the prince "commanded every poor and wretched person to come to the prince's court and collect all the needs - drink and food" and money. On holidays, he distributed up to 300 hryvnias to the poor. He commanded to equip carts and carts with bread, meat, fish, vegetables, clothes and deliver them around the city and give to the sick and needy. He also took care of the arrangement of almshouses and hospitals for the poor. The people loved their prince as a man of boundless mercy, for which he nicknamed him "Red Sun". At the same time, Vladimir continued to be a commander, a courageous warrior, a wise head and builder of the state.
Prince Vladimir, by personal example, contributed to the final approval of monogamous marriage in Russia. He created the Church charter. Under him, the princely and ecclesiastical courts began to operate (from the bishop to the low minister, the ecclesiastical court judged, but some civilians were also subject to the ecclesiastical court for committing immoral acts).
Under Vladimir, the foundations of public education were laid, schools for teaching children to read and write began to be founded. The chronicle reports that Vladimir "sent ... to collect children from the best people and send them to book education." The priests were also being trained. The translation of liturgical and patristic books from Greek into Slavonic and their reproduction was organized. Already by the middle of the eleventh century. was created a truly great example of Christian literature "The Word of Law and Grace" by Metropolitan Hilarion of Kyiv - the oldest of the creations of Russian literature that have come down to us. There is an unprecedented increase in literacy, especially among the urban population.
Great success was achieved by church building. In Vladimir, the Assumption Cathedral was built from an oak forest. In Kyiv, a similar to the Constantinople Cathedral of St. Sophia was built, after which Sophia of Novgorod rose. The Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, the beacon of a new faith, was born already in the 11th century. who gave such people as the Monks Anthony, Theodosius, Nikon the Great, Nestor, etc.
The adoption of Christianity as a strictly monotheistic religion of the Eastern Slavs was one of the important final steps in the process of forming society and the state. For the great feat of enlightening the earth with our Orthodox faith, the Russian Church canonized Vladimir among the saints and named him Equal-to-the-Apostles.
The Baptism of Russia was a progressive phenomenon. It contributed to the unification of disparate Slavic tribes into a single state, its strengthening and spiritual flourishing. The establishment of Christianity as the true faith contributed to the strengthening of the power of the great princes, the expansion of international relations of the ancient Russian state and the establishment of peace in relations with neighboring powers. Russia got a great opportunity to get acquainted with the high Byzantine culture, to perceive the heritage of antiquity and world civilization.
A.P. Litvinov, Candidate of Historical Sciences,
member of the Transcarpathian regional society of Russian culture "Rus"
The first Christians in Kyiv. V.G. Perov. 1880
In what year was the Baptism of Russia?
The answer to the question, in what year was the Baptism of Russia, every Christian should know. The Baptism of Russia was a grandiose event, as key changes took place in a short period of time that turned the course of history.
The Baptism of Russia was in 988 by order of Prince Vladimir.
The fate of the entire people may depend on the decision of one ruler. So it was during the reign of the holy Prince Vladimir. The fact that it is necessary for his subjects to accept precisely the Orthodox faith, he did not come to such a decision immediately. He had hesitation between religious teachings that are monotheistic, that is, they recognize the existence of one God, and not many deities. The fact that Prince Vladimir was already inclined to adopt a monotheistic religion testifies to his wisdom as a ruler and desire to unite his people.
Reasons for adopting Christianity
When choosing a faith, several factors played a role at once. One of them was that the grandmother of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, Saint Olga, was an Orthodox Christian. She built churches and wanted to spread Christianity in Russia.
Akimov Ivan Akimovich "Baptism of Princess Olga in Constantinople" 1792 State Russian Museum The second reason had pragmatic goals - the prince felt that the pagan religion with its large number of gods, demons and other mythical creatures did not really correspond to his state plans. The prince sought to unite the lands around Kyiv, to centralize power. An important point in the process of centralization was a change in outlook. First, the prince decided to systematize the veneration of pagan gods, and later decided to choose one of the monotheistic religions for the state.
However, the main reason that Prince Vladimir chose the Orthodox faith is God's providence. It was by the will of the Lord Himself that many amazing events took place that led Prince Vladimir himself to sincere faith.
Deciding to accept Christianity, Vladimir, following a somewhat unusual logic, decided that he could not just become Orthodox, but must certainly win the right to this faith with weapons. Therefore, the prince went to Chersonese. Having conquered Korsun (as this city is otherwise called), the prince sent ambassadors to the Byzantine emperors Basil and Constantine. The envoys told the sovereigns that Prince Vladimir had taken Korsun and if the Byzantine emperors did not agree to marry their sister Anna to Vladimir, he would also take Constantinople.
One can imagine the horror of a girl who, in order to save her native city, had to marry a northern barbarian she did not know, and an unbaptized one at that! However, consent to the marriage was given, but on the condition that the prince was baptized. Vladimir was just waiting for this.
The Byzantine princess went to her fiancé in Korsun, and when she arrived there, the prince suddenly became blind. Vladimir began to doubt, and the wise girl explained that he was temporarily blind and solely so that the Lord would show him his indescribable glory.
The prince was baptized by the Bishop of Korsun. As soon as he laid his hand on the head of the prince and began to immerse him in the font, Vladimir received his sight. “Now I have come to know the true God,” the prince exclaimed with joy. It will forever remain a mystery what was revealed to Vladimir at the moment of baptism.
The prince's retinue and the boyars marveled at the miraculous healing of their master, and many of them, having believed, were baptized.
Shortly after his baptism, Vladimir married Anna, who was no longer afraid to become the wife of a Russian prince, seeing that God's grace was over him and over his land.
Before leaving Chersonese, the prince built a church in honor of St. Basil (he received this name at baptism)
Vladimir Cathedral in Chersonese After Vladimir regained his sight, he began to look at his past life with different eyes. A sincere desire appeared in his heart to please the Lord and spread the holy faith for the salvation of people's souls. Holy Prince Vladimir began to do many works of mercy: he helped the poor, released his concubines, spiritually instructed people.
Vladimir's choice of faith
I. E. Eggink. " Grand Duke Vladimir chooses faith. 1822. 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.
According to The Tale of Bygone Years, before the baptism of Prince Vladimir, a "test of faith" took place. In 986, ambassadors from the Volga Bulgars arrived to Prince Vladimir, offering him to convert to Islam. When they told the prince about the rituals that must be observed, including the ban on drinking wine, Vladimir replied with the famous phrase: “Rus is joy to drink,” after which he rejected the offer of the Bulgars.
After the Bulgarians came the Germans (foreigners) from Rome, sent by the Pope. They declared that they had a fast according to their strength: “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.”
The Khazar Jews were next, offering Vladimir to accept Judaism. In response to this, he, knowing that Khazaria was defeated by his father Svyatoslav, asked where their land was. The Jews were forced to admit that they did not have their own land - God scattered them to other countries. Vladimir renounced Judaism.
Then a Byzantine arrived in Russia, whom the Russian chronicler called Philosopher for his wisdom. He told the Russian prince about biblical history and the Christian faith. However, Vladimir has not yet made a final decision and 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: “We didn’t know where we are - in heaven or on earth.” As a result, Vladimir made a choice in favor of Christianity according to the Greek rite.
What was the faith before the adoption of Christianity?
Until 988, when Christianity was adopted, pagan beliefs dominated Russia. Not only the fruits of plants and animals were sacrificed to idols, but there were also human sacrifices. Many people sincerely believed that in this way they ask for mercy and deserve it.
Initially, the road to Christianity to the very heart of the Kievan principality of Russia was paved by Princess Olga, the widow of Prince Igor, who was killed by the Drevlyans. Around 955 she was baptized in Constantinople. From there she brought the Greek priests to Russia. However, Christianity was not widespread at that time. The son of Princess Olga Svyatoslav did not see the need for Christianity and continued to honor the old gods. The merit of establishing Orthodoxy in Russia belongs to one of his sons, Prince Vladimir.
However, despite the fact that Russia was baptized, simple people continued to honor Russian pagan traditions, gradually adapting them to Christian ones. Thus, Russian Orthodoxy arose - a bizarre combination of Slavic paganism and Christianity. Despite this, the Baptism of Russia continues to be one of the most significant events in the history of Russian culture.
St. Vladimir died on July 15 (28 N.S.) July 1015.
“This is the new Constantine of the great Rome; just as he was baptized himself and baptized his people, so this one did the same ... It is worthy of surprise how much good he did to the Russian land by baptizing it. But we Christians do not give him honors equal to his deeds. For if he had not baptized us, then even now we would still be in the delusion of the devil, in which our forefathers perished, ”- it is written about Vladimir in The Tale of Bygone Years.
When is the holiday celebrated
The Day of the Baptism of Russia is enshrined in the legislation of the Russian Federation "as a memorable date for an important historical event that had a significant impact on the social, spiritual and cultural development of the peoples of Russia, and on the strengthening of Russian statehood"
Celebrated annually on July 28, as "Memorial Day of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir" - the baptist of Russia (July 15 according to the Julian calendar). Like all memorable dates in Russia, the "Day of the Baptism of Russia" is not a day off.
Found an error? Select it and left click Ctrl+Enter.
Sun skirt: types and how to wear it Black sun skirt with a T-shirt how to wear
Ground bird cherry Ground bird cherry cook
Own business: production of chips
How to care for your skin in spring Face masks in spring
Seizures in the corners of the mouth: causes and treatment in adults and children