Who and why baptized Russia. Who baptized Rus? Why the Greeks were against the canonization of Prince Vladimir

Not so long ago, namely on July 28, the feast of the Baptism of Rus was celebrated in Russia. I dare to assume that everyone knows that this festival is associated with a very significant event, namely the adoption of Christianity as a state religion by Prince Vladimir, who is popularly nicknamed the Red Sun.

Before the adoption of Christianity, Russia was a collection of fragmented peoples, leading to constant enmity. For a long time, the eastern half of present-day European Russia was inhabited by the peoples of the Chud and Turkic tribes, and in the western half, in addition to the peoples of the Lithuanian and Chud tribes, who adjoined the Baltic coast with their settlements, the Slavs lived under various local names, keeping to the banks of the rivers: Western Dvina, Volkhov, Dnieper, Pripyat, Sozh, Goryn, Styr, Sluch, Bug, Dniester, Sula, Desna, Oka with their tributaries (the territory of the modern Baltic countries, Belarus, Ukraine, western regions of modern Russia). Virtually no data on the life of that period has survived, for the chronicles date from, at the earliest, from the second half of the 11th century.

About the events that took place in this territory in the 9th and 10th centuries, with the exception of a few written Greek news, there are no other sources, except for oral folk legends, which were subject to fiction and changes. With a certain degree of certainty, we can say that there was no talk of the state structure as such. Slavic-Russian tribes lived in communities concentrated in fortified points, such as a city; had an uncomplicated life, directly connected with the territory of residence, however, metal forging was already in progress, commodity-money relations appeared. Their religion was very primitive and represented the worship of nature, they did not have priests, and, therefore, did not have those who could support these primitive religious beliefs in one form or another. Idols were cut out of the tree, there was a belief in a burial world and in the magical power of words. As for the rest of the representation of the gods, each nation put forward versions in its own way. The tribes were ruled by their princelings and waged wars among themselves. Each tribe had its own autonomous life.

In the middle of the 9th century, the Russians, after an unsuccessful campaign against Byzantium, when a storm destroyed their ships, were baptized, but after that paganism again prevailed in the country; however, even after that, many of the Russians served in the service of the Byzantine emperors in Greece, adopted Christianity there and brought it to their homeland. In the middle of the 10th century, the Kiev princess Olga, the grandmother of Prince Vladimir, was baptized. The princes of Rurik's house were absolute barbarians, they gathered squads and organized raids on the nearest settlements. There could be no talk of any ideological influence. Their main goal was to make a profit and profit. Barbarians, they are barbarians, what to take from them ?!

However, with the adoption of Christianity, formations, ideas about statehood and much more come to Russia, thanks to which it becomes an integral state.

The fateful decision for Russia was made by Prince Vladimir (reigned from 980 to 1015). He was the son of the warlike Svyatoslav (son of Olga, a pagan), the Kiev prince, who undertook a campaign against the Khazars who ruled in southeastern Russia and won many glorious victories, but was killed by the Pechenegs (the people of the Turkic tribe). As a child, Vladimir was called to reign in Novgorod. However, after the death of Svyatoslav, civil strife began between his children (and he had enough children from different wives). The Kiev prince Yaropolk killed his brother, the Drevlyane prince Oleg.

Vladimir fled to Sweden with his uncle and returned to Novgorod with a foreign army. The enmity between them and Yaropolk arose because the daughter of the Polotsk prince Rogned, whom Vladimir asked for her hand, refused him with these words: “I don’t want to take off the slave’s son (the groom’s shoes are a wedding ceremony),” reproaching him for his low mother’s descent, and was going to marry Yaropolka.

Vladimir conquered Polotsk, killed Rogvolod, the prince of Polotsk, and forcibly married Rogneda. Following this, he took possession of Kiev and killed his brother Yaropolk. Gradually, the territories under the control of Prince Vladimir grew and expanded. In general, in the Tale of Bygone Years, the Pagan Grand Duke is presented as a bloodthirsty woman-lover who loves feasts, festivities and battles. However, in 988, Vladimir converted to Christianity. The question arises: what could have contributed to the adoption of such a decision? There are several versions of this, but we will focus on only one of them.

By the end of the 10th century, the Christian faith was already partially spread in Russia. However, most of the population adhered to pagan customs. But the customs of each tribe had their own, which greatly hindered their unification. In order to create a single state, it was necessary to create a single connecting link. Russia at that time was subjected to raids and persecutions from all sides, which significantly hampered its development. Looking around at his closest neighbors, it became clear to Vladimir that religion is the best suited to the role of that very link. And then he began to choose a religion, and for this he sent messengers to scout out what actually neighbors from nearby empires could offer him. So the choice was made in favor of Christianity, the divine service of which struck the ambassadors of Vladimir with its beauty.

And then it started running. Vladimir himself is baptized in the Greek city of Chersonesos (Crimea). But with the condition that he would marry Anna, the sister of the Byzantine emperors: Basil and Constantine. The very way of life of the Grand Duke changes dramatically, from a bloodthirsty polygamist he turns into a peace-loving practically ascetic. The entire squad, following the prince, receives Baptism, the people also follow the princely exhortations (especially since, as indicated above, no one could openly oppose the renunciation of the paternal gods, since the institution of priesthood did not exist in Russia) and is baptized in the Dnieper. The struggle of paganism with Christianity was expressed in the continued observance of pagan methods of life and the preservation of pagan superstitions; such a struggle took place many centuries after Vladimir: but it did not prevent the Russian people from accepting baptism, in which at first he did not see anything contrary, because he did not understand its meaning. Only gradually and for a few did the light of the new teaching really open up.

Vladimir was actively involved in spreading the faith, baptizing the people in the lands under his control, building churches, and appointing clergy. To firmly strengthen the newly accepted faith, Vladimir set out to spread book education and for this purpose in Kiev and in other cities he ordered to recruit children from significant householders and send them to literacy training.

For twenty years Russia has become unrecognizable.

Alexandra Vakulinskaya

Russian history is full of riddles and secrets, the secret of the baptism of Russia among them is perhaps the most secret, researchers of the past do not speak about it, as if it does not exist. Taboo! It would seem why? Although a lot has been said about the event: the 1000th anniversary of baptism was celebrated, then delegations from other Churches came to the celebrations, conferences were held, books and collections of theologians dedicated to the memorable date were published ... all the points seemed to be dotted, what else is needed?
Truth! She was not there. And no.

After all, for Russia this is an important issue - baptism. It is important, of course, not for a discussion of the "was - was not" type, but for understanding the present and future of the country, it is the point of coordinates of the Russian historical and cultural space, where, in my opinion, the source of knowledge about oneself, about one's country, about the essence Russian consciousness - what is it all the same, Western, Eastern or other, Eurasian? Here I looked for and found the answer why Russia became Russia, in it I saw the most exciting thing - how long it will remain Russia.

This is really a painful point of History, I touched on it in my last books and on the site http://www.adji.ru.

Russian science admits that it has no information about the baptism of Kievan Rus, it has only indirect data. Absolutely everything is unknown here: the date and place of baptism, patriarchs and dioceses, in what language the service was conducted, according to what rite it was conducted. It is not surprising that in the 18th century a detachment of Jesuits invited to Moscow by Peter I laid down the myth of the baptism of Rus, linking it with the Greeks and Prince Vladimir Krasnoe Solnyshko. That is why information about baptism seems to be there and not - they are unreliable.
That Jesuit myth is known to everyone from school. We follow it in reasoning about the past, forgetting that the reality was completely different, very, very far from the one that these politicians painted for us from science.
To realize that the past of Russia was invented, of course, is not an easy task, but it must be done, because it is known that as soon as a person takes a lie for truth, he becomes different - not feeling the darkness in which he lives. So, not looking for light! That is why the imposed lie is dangerous, it made slaves of free Russian people, slaves of other people's interests. Or - the Slavs (slave), to use the terminology of the Jesuits themselves.
I confess that I clearly understood this while working on a new book "The Turks and the World: Secret History". Reading Nikolai Mikhailovich Karamzin, I noticed that the son of Vladimir Krasnoe Solnyshko, Yaroslav the Wise, was married to a Catholic woman, the daughter of Olav the Holy. Yaroslav the Wise's sister, Maria, was married off to a Polish king, daughter Elizabeth to Norwegian, daughter Anastasia to Hungarian, daughter Anna became the wife of the French king Henry I ... Why? Interfaith marriages were prohibited by the Church. Then the thought came to me, what was baptism in Kievan Rus really like, if Catholics began to rule in it ?!
There is a distortion of the beginning of Russian history ... A false message.
Having become interested in the topic, he soon noticed in it the Jesuit handwriting, which is distinguished by cautious omissions. Slightly unsaid. Modified slightly. It turns out that the biography of Prince Vladimir in Russia is not known, other details of it are not noticed. And he is a saint of the Roman Church! For the baptism of Russia he received the title "king" from the Pope. His name is Valdemar, the Catholics brought the prince to power in Kiev ... There is something to think about, isn't it? After all, they also brought the Romanovs to the kingdom, the Catholics, who organized the Troubles and the Schism in Muscovite Russia.
The story of the Kiev princess Olga, too, turned out to be unsaid. A little. The heroine's name was Helga. And she was a Catholic, as the same list of the saints of the Roman Church told about. It turns out that the Byzantine voyage of the princess was invented: in real life, she had a relationship with the German emperor Otto I the Great, which follows from the biography of the emperor. The confessor of the Kiev princess after her baptism was the Magdeburg bishop Adalbert.
Olga had no need to go to Constantinople and be baptized there, they were waiting for her in the West to share the marriage bed ... And faith!
It should be noted that the Byzantine Church for a long time opposed the canonization of Helga-Olga-Helena to the canon of Orthodox saints. As well as Vladimir and other Russian princes, also Catholics. It turns out that the protest was not accidental. Actually, the data of the world, and not Russian, science testify that the Greeks were not involved in baptism, the events in Kiev did not proceed according to their scenario. So, in the XI century, the Greeks (for example, the writer and philosopher Psellus) called Russia a pagan country.
Knowing this, I had a different attitude to the legend of Andrew the First-Called. Here is the same, unsaid, which radically changes the idea of ​​the Russian past. Eusebius of Caesarea, the most authoritative author of the early Middle Ages, wrote about the act of the Apostle Andrew in his "History ...", and he wrote, referring to Origen and other earlier authors. The apostle, of course, did not travel along the Dnieper to the Slavs. The mythical journey, in the words of the author of the book "The Baptism of Rus", the German historian L. Müller, is a historical anecdote that has long been walking across Russia. Only permissiveness inspired his creators, the Jesuits, who asserted their theory of Slavism in Russia.
Kievan Rus was not part of the Greek Church, it was a stranger to the Byzantines, as the documents report. It is difficult to reject them. In the history of the Greek Church, there is no information at all about the baptism of Rus, it was the work of Catholic bishops ... The penetration of Catholics into Kiev followed a path familiar to Rome - through dynastic marriage and subsequent introduction into the aristocratic strata of society. It was a practiced technique, he brought the Roman Church into the leaders of spiritual life, first in the countries of Western Europe, then in Eastern.
The West asserted itself in a surprisingly monotonous manner. But very productive. Kievan Rus fell due to civil strife, because the rulers professed some spiritual values, the people - others. This disunity was the result of baptism, or rather, no, not baptism, the enslavement of the people of a foreign country by the Catholics with ideological weapons. And this is not advertised, and therefore the legends about the Slavs, about the "Greek" baptism of Russia were needed.

And Christianity came to Moscow Russia through dynastic marriage, but later. It is a mistake, as if the Russian Church has a thousand-year history. Orthodoxy does not have such an ancient tradition! His tradition is young and inexperienced, so the secular authorities have repeatedly broken it ... Recall the split and mockery of the Russian Orthodox Church, recall serfdom, where the clergy played the role of a gendarme ... Here, in this mistake, there is still the same trace of Rome, it indicates the scale of Western policy on disinformation. Or - according to the composition of legends.
So, the marriage of the Moscow prince Ivan III and the Greek princess Sophia Palaeologus took place, as you know, in 1472. However, few people know that Pope Paul II initiated it. There is a story here, you can understand it only by understanding what kind of religion was in Muscovite Russia before the arrival of the Greek princess ... Karamzin helped me to sort out that tangled tangle.
According to the "official" version, there was a Greek church authority in Moscow. Only it is not so. Not the Greeks, but the Horde Khan acted as the defender of the Russian Church. For example, in 1313, its Metropolitan Peter traveled to the Horde and received a label from Khan Uzbek for the right to conduct church affairs. Such labels were received by all the former metropolitans, about that the text of the document: “as the former Tsars gave them labels and granted them; and we along the same path and the same labels favor them, but God favors us ”, Karamzin quotes his text, saying that the khan forbade the Rurikovichs to take tribute from the Church. Muscovy was a colony of the Horde, paid tribute, therefore, its policy was led by the khan. And no one else. The Russian prince and the clergy were accountable to him.
But Rome also remembered about Muscovy, whose power extended to Western Ukraine, the one that fell to the Catholics after the collapse of Kievan Rus. Not all the population of Russia adopted Christianity, and with it the power of the Pope. Those who accepted were later called Slavs, or Ukrainians, finally confusing everything. This is how the people of Kievan Rus were divided - on a religious basis, in order to rule over it. Since then, there has been a mutual, well-known rejection of "Ukrainians" and "katsapov".
Having finished the redistribution of Kievan Rus, Rome launched a new attack to the east, but the invasion of Western Europe by Batu's troops prevented. Only chance saved then the power of the Pope ... Having licked his wounds, the West continued to attack: the Pope sent his emissary to Moscow through Cardinal Vissarion (a Greek who converted to Catholicism), the purpose of the visit was a bride.
In Rome, in the papal palace, the niece of the former Byzantine emperor Zoya Palaeologus was sitting, the ambassador was taking her portrait to the Moscow prince, a widower, but he explained the main thing in words. The bride is assigned, they say, to another, but the marriage party of the prince can take place. It was a long-established method of the Catholic clergy to introduce the rulers of the Turkic countries to the Church through women. It happened with the Lombards, with the Burgundians, with the British. True, they sent beauties, but here it was not a beauty who looked from the portrait - the puffy face of an old maid. Her appearance was disgusting. Like a frog. But nothing stopped Moscow, which had long wanted independence from the Horde.
The prince liked the proposal to intermarry with the Paleologues, although it demanded that formalities be observed - the ruler of Muscovite Rus was not a Christian! In a response letter, he agreed to place the Latin archbishop, create conditions for him, and agreed to benefits for the Templar Order, whose people would come to Russia under the guise of merchants. In the letter, he declared his complete "obedience to the Roman Church."
On June 1, 1472, in Rome, in the Basilica of Peter and Paul, that dynastic marriage took place. True, in absentia. The groom at the wedding ceremony was replaced by a Russian ambassador. For a whole month there were congratulations from the capitals of Western Europe, then the bride was taken to Moscow. And here the unexpected happened, the niece of the Byzantine emperor violated the instructions of the pope. She was sent to Moscow as an ambassador of the Church, a spy for Rome, but she did not become one. I betrayed Christianity! She was baptized according to a ceremony that her husband insisted on. That faith is now called the Old Believers, or - Old Orthodoxy. In a word, Zoya Paleologue left Rome, Sophia Paleologue came to Moscow.
After baptism, the newlyweds were reunited.
What was it - was it a game, a planned policy? It is difficult to answer, but together with Sophia, whose lot was power and only power, Greeks and clergy went to Moscow. After the fall of Byzantium, it turned out to be out of work, the Greek Church was going through its dark days ... This is how Moscow got acquainted with Christianity. Not accepting it! Greeks were not allowed to serve in Russian churches. And they began to build their temples.
The situation in those years was described in great detail by Fyodor Ivanovich Uspensky, an authoritative and, in my opinion, the only eminent Russian historian who managed to save face. According to him, the influx of Greeks (metropolitans, bishops, archimandrites, abbots) was great; they, rejected in their homeland, were looking for titles and rewards in Russia. And they found them. This is the black force that stood behind the back of Sophia Palaeologus, the ruler of Moscow. The force that called itself Russian, Christian, began to stifle the old faith. Under the rule of his wife, the prince began to "collect" Russia in a new manner.
"People from outside" promoted the Greek Church, its superiority.
... Under the feeble-minded Tsar Fedor, when all power passed into the hands of Boris Godunov, the Russian Orthodox Church was established. Then the Muscovites became Christians, in 1589 this most important event in the history of the country happened. Not earlier and not later. And it was like this.
In 1586 Godunov invited the Antiochian Patriarch Joachim, the second in rank in the Greek Church, to Moscow, this was the first visit to Russia of such a distinguished person. And open bargaining began. The Kremlin wanted to create a branch of the Greek Church in Russia, while the Greek was looking only for personal gain. A year later, the Greek Patriarch Jeremiah came to Moscow, the reason for the visit was insignificant: receiving alms from the Russian Tsar for the construction of a temple and a house in Istanbul. The Greek Church, figuratively speaking, served in the open air. She, a beggar, homeless, was bought by the Russians, for whom it was important to enter the Christian family of Europe. But not through the Latin gate!
A series of negotiations followed, and Moscow bought the only product that the Greeks had - the name. And Russia became Christian, that is, Russia. On January 26, 1589, the first Russian patriarch, Job, a nominee of Boris Godunov, was elected in the Kremlin. He was the fifth and last in rank in the hierarchy of the patriarchs of the Greek Church.
There are two interesting details here. First, the Greeks signed the act of his election without reading the papers, which indicates the haste and indifference with which they were creating the new Church. The documents were not even translated into Greek! The second is that the list of the main persons of the Greek Church does not include the Patriarch of Kievan Rus, who, according to official Russian history, was baptized by the Greeks in the 10th century. There was Constantinople, Antioch, Alexandria, Jerusalem and the fifth, newly elected Russian patriarch. Everything.

The question of who represented Kievan Rus in the Greek Church hangs in the air. The only possible answer is no one.
Therefore, the baptism of Rus is surrounded by innuendo, and Russia is surrounded by ignorance of its past, inability to explain it and draw conclusions. Hence the eternal reforms, which have already become akin to here, hence the troubles of the people who live as beggars in the richest country in the world. Someone who has been drinking, lying, stealing from himself for a century, and no gigantic reserves of oil, gold, forests help him, the unconscious.

Murad Adji
Moscow. July 2005

The baptism of Rus according to the Byzantine model predetermined the development of the culture and history of Russia for many centuries to come. The fateful decision of Prince Vladimir was based on deep reasons.

Ancient Russia on the eve of baptism

By the end of the 10th century, Kievan Rus was a typical semi-feudal state. The power of the Kiev prince was still not strong enough and was held solely with the help of military force.

Paganism began to hinder the further unification of the country. The strong neighbors of Ancient Russia have already decided on the choice of a national religion:

• Byzantium (Orthodoxy);
• Western states headed by Rome (Catholicism);
• Volga Bulgaria (Islam);
• Khazar Khaganate (Judaism).

Rice. 1. Map.

The problem of choosing faith

Neighboring states sought to draw Kievan Rus into the sphere of their own interests:

• Already in the 9th century, Byzantine and Roman missionaries appeared in Russia, actively preaching Christianity.
• In 985 Vladimir made a successful military campaign against the Volga Bulgarians. After the establishment of contractual relations, the Bulgarian ambassadors tried to convert the Russian prince to Islam.
• The annals contain information about the attempts of the Khazars to convert Vladimir to Judaism.

According to legend, in Islam, Vladimir did not like the rejection of alcohol: "In Russia there is fun drinking."

The reasons for the baptism of Russia

The main prerequisite for the baptism of Rus was the increase in the number of Christians among the Slavs. In 944, a peace treaty was concluded between Prince Igor and Byzantium. The document mentions "Russian Christians" and those "who were baptized."

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The baptism of Princess Olga in 955 in Constantinople was of great importance.

Rice. 2. “Saint Olga” Sketch for the mosaic by N. Roerich. 1915 g.

Briefly about the reasons for the baptism of Rus, the following needs of the Old Russian state speak:

• the need to introduce a nationwide ideology;
• increasing the authority of Kievan Rus and its separation among the pagan "barbarian" tribes;
• establishing closer and stronger contacts with Christian states.

"Byzantine choice"

Vladimir had to make a choice between Rome and Constantinople. The official division of the two branches of Christianity into Orthodoxy and Catholicism took place in 1054, but already in the 10th century there were significant differences between them.

Table "Differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism"

Vladimir did not want to obey the Pope and introduce Latin in the Slavic lands. In addition, already in the 9th century, Byzantine preachers Cyril and Methodius began to translate liturgical books into the Slavic language.

Who is Prince Prince Vladimir, and who was he really?
History in textbooks tends to turn people into bronze statues, to elevate them to sky-high heights. It seems to me that this is not entirely correct. You can understand much better the hero of antiquity if you apply to him the laws of elementary logic and ordinary human motivation. Let's start our proceedings with the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir.

Who was Vladimir really?

Prince Vladimir was certainly not a saint. At least at the beginning of his human life. Vladimir deceived and killed his brother Yaropolk, forcibly took his bride Rogneda as his wife, had a huge harem of concubines. In general, such a normal medieval ruler is strong, cunning and ruthless. He fought, intrigued, made and broke political alliances, enjoyed the power of the strong. Absolutely natural behavior for the time. It is a known fact that 800 concubines humored Vladimir Red Sun.

Why did Vladimir baptize Russia?

The question is natural. It would seem that the old Slavic gods brought Vladimir only victories and good luck. Having killed Yaropolk and seized Kiev, he destroyed the Christian church (presumably Catholic) built under his brother and began to revive pagan cults. Vladimir loved war and women. The latter are especially strong and frequent. Embracing a new faith meant the end of the beloved entertainment. At least on the same scale.
The answer is also, in general, clear. The era of religious wars began, in which the pagans had no chance. In the next couple of hundred years, monotheistic religions subjugated Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East. Paganism turned out to be uncompetitive and left the world arena. Why? First, it was old and weak. Ordinary people did not find higher meanings in him. Only initiates, wise men and other clergymen knew the secrets hidden in the ancient teachings. Secondly, the new monotheistic religions rallied the people much better, subordinating them to the central authority. The pagan gods contributed to the disunity - in one city they revered Perun more, in another Veles. Third, people were much more willing to die and kill in the name of one God. Religious intolerance has been a trump card in endless wars.
Thus, abandoning paganism in favor of a monotheistic religion was a wise political decision. If Vladimir had not baptized Russia, it could easily have collapsed into several states with different religions, which would have led to the formation of not a single Russian people, but several hostile ones. There are plenty of examples of this in the Balkans and the Indian subcontinent.
A widely known version is that Vladimir was baptized in order to receive the hand of the Byzantine princess Anna. But cause and effect are clearly confused in it. The prince wanted Anna just to create an alliance with Byzantium. In addition, he could change his faith himself, without driving the whole of Russia to baptism. Well, and, of course, he could change his mind after the wedding. This is how pagan rulers often did - having received what they wanted, they returned to the old faith.
Prince Vladimir and his henchmen baptized Rus like this:
A squad with crosses and priests came to the village, village, and ordered everyone to accept the new faith. The first on the path of baptism were the wise men, the wise men - they were immediately killed, and it is significant. Either burned or impaled. If there were intercessors, the same fate awaited them. Also, ancient sources say about forced repentance through the killing of babies, in front of everyone. After such a "baptism", many left the villages, but the bulk (women, children and hardworking men) remained. They bowed their heads and embraced the new faith. We must not forget that behind Vladimir there was a huge army, and it was simply suicidal to oppose him. The upbringing of the growth was exclusively carried out by the clergy. So a new generation appeared that sowed the Orthodox faith throughout Russia.

Why Orthodoxy?

To answer, we need a political map of that time.
let's take a look at it from the point of view of the main religions:

Judaism - there are no strong powers. The Khazar Kaganate is confidently moving towards the fall and is not considered by the Russian princes as a superior force.
Islam is still very far away.
Catholicism - Holy Roman Empire, constant aggression directed at the Slavic lands.
Orthodoxy is the Eastern Roman Empire, aka Byzantium. There is no common border. Does not actively expand.
This list clarifies the situation well. In addition, it should be borne in mind that Vladimir lived in an era of active rivalry between the two Romes. The old present - Byzantium. And a new one, which was created by the Gothic and Frankish tribes on the ruins of the Western Roman Empire. At the same time, the Franco-Germans were actively seizing the Slavic lands. In such a situation, the adoption of Orthodoxy and an alliance with Byzantium was practically the only possible strategy. All the jokes about the fact that the choice of Orthodoxy was dictated by a softer system of prohibitions are groundless. Vladimir was first and foremost a politician, and secondly a reveler. The way the baptism of Rus was carried out - quickly and violently, suggests that this decision is precisely political and extremely important.
And why is it still not Catholic?
Vladimir chose a strategic ally for himself. The Romans looked much more favored than the "Europeans." They had much more cultural and scientific capital. At the same time, they did not actively expand (especially on the territory of Russia). Catholics in those days were unwashed, aggressive and deceitful. The close proximity to the territory of Rus meant a future conflict.

How did Russia avoid the global invasion of its neighbors?

Having renounced the faith of their ancestors, Russia received a ticket to a new life. True, everything did not go quite the way Vladimir wanted. Byzantium was too old and not aggressive. She found herself between the Catholic and Muslim worlds, as between a rock and a hard place. As a result, it quickly weakened and did not become a powerful ally of Russia. And in general, they did not particularly want to have allies of the barbarians.

Two hundred and fifty years later, hard times came in Russia - the Golden Horde rose in the east. From the West, the Poles and the Teutonic Order were pressing. In this Byzantium lay in ruins after the Fourth Crusade. Russia was fragmented, surrounded by enemies and deprived of allies, but she survived and, against her will, became the new Orthodox Rome. Someone had to lead the Orthodox world in the era of religious wars, when Constantinople fell. Thus, Vladimir can be compared to Columbus. He just wanted to get to India - to get a strong ally in a new difficult time. The ally turned out to be useless, but Russia raised his banner and began to move towards becoming another world center of power.

Holy or not?

In general, holiness is a very controversial issue. How can a person be recognized as a saint? Even if, according to the concepts of the Orthodox Church, we are already born in sin? And a saint is an absolutely pure person. And is it a man? What, well, not entirely impossible to say about Vladimir. We can say about him that he was a strong and strategically thinking politician and stop there. In the Baptism of Rus, one can easily read a sober calculation, an intelligent politician.
But what happened next when the prince's stormy pagan youth was left behind? For the last 27 years of his life, Vladimir, apparently, was a real Christian. He abandoned the harem, supported the church in every possible way, and distributed food and money to those in need every Sunday.
Best of all, the late Vladimir is characterized by the conspiracy of Svyatopolk. The prince forgave the conspirators. In general, this was not supposed to be done. There are a lot of Rurik people in Russia. The main method of political struggle was murder. The ruler, who showed weakness, risked immediately getting a dozen applicants for his throne. It turns out that Vladimir was able to cross the chasm between a pragmatic pagan and a believing Christian. That is not enough - the majority of people on Earth, and after a thousand years, continue to live according to the laws of the jungle.

The personality of Prince Vladimir has always interested religious scholars, historians and diplomats. The Baptist of Russia, a bright politician and reformer, a wise commander, a good prince, popularly nicknamed the Red Sun and a Christian saint - all these characteristics relate to one and the same person. On July 28, the Orthodox Church celebrates the day of his memory.

Despite the many sources about the life of the Baptist of Russia, it becomes more and more difficult to find objective information about this outstanding political and religious figure. Let's try to turn to various data and look at this person through the eyes of a contemporary.

The price of the Kiev throne is murder and violence

Prince Vladimir was born between 958 and 963. He was the illegitimate son of the Kiev prince Svyatoslav from Malusha, the housekeeper in the courtyard of Princess Olga.

After the death of Svyatoslav in 972, Vladimir, as the youngest and even an illegitimate son, got the Novgorod throne, and the eldest Yaropolk got the Kiev throne.

But Vladimir claimed Kiev. For this, he collected funds for six years, recruited vigilantes and sought help from the Varangians. During this time, he managed to marry a certain Varyazh Olova.

In 978, the prince managed to achieve his goal. But for this he had to go to war with his brother, persuade his advisers to betray, and then cunningly kill Yaropolk himself.

This makes the modern reader uncomfortable. But the Russians were not particularly surprised: civil strife and murder among the princes were not uncommon.

And the list of deadly sins of Prince Vladimir is not limited to the murder of Yaropolk.

Five wives and hundreds of concubines

On the way to Kiev, he stops in Novgorod, where he liked the daughter of the local ruler Rogvolod. Rogneda, that was the name of the girl, did not want to marry a prince with a far from impeccable pedigree. According to one version, she was generally the bride of Yaropolk. But Vladimir did not accept the refusal: he killed Rogvolod, his sons and forcibly took Rogneda as his wife, who became the mother of Yaroslav the Wise and other sons.

Prince Vladimir did not stop at Rogneda: in total he had five wives and twelve sons.

The chronicler colorfully depicts the prodigal passion of the ruler, besides the wives, calling also the concubines:

... and he had 300 concubines in Vyshgorod, 300 in Belgorod and 200 in Berestovo, in the village that is now called Berestovoye. And he was insatiable in fornication, bringing married women to him and corrupting girls ...

Pagan way

Once in Kiev, still a very young prince, and he was then somewhere about 20 years old, begins to carry out reforms.

The task of paramount importance for him was the unification of the Slavic tribes. For this, he carries out a religious reform, believing that one people should have the same gods, erects a pagan temple, erects a wooden Perun and other idols in the capital.

Some historians are generally inclined to believe that there was another reason for this behavior. Allegedly, Yaropolk was a Christian and even partially confirmed this faith in Russia. When Vladimir came, he wanted to erase from the memory of the people everything that his older brother was striving for. If this is true, then Prince Vladimir did not succeed in destroying anything. In any case, with Christianity.

Until 987, the ambitious ruler, together with the squad, actively expanded the borders of his state and replenished the budget thanks to successful campaigns. Particularly successful deals or truces were sealed by the prince by marriages. So he had two more wives.

But the fateful decision for the ruler and all of Russia - the adoption of Christianity - came in 988, and it was associated with Byzantium.

Why did Prince Vladimir decide to be baptized?

The Byzantine Empire, which had flourished earlier, was not going through its best period. One of the Byzantine commanders claimed the throne, which at that time was ruled by the brothers Constantine and Basil. In order not to lose power, the emperors turned to the Kiev prince for help.

For his "services" he asked for the hand of their sister, Princess Anne. For Prince Vladimir, this was the usual method of establishing diplomacy. But Princess Anne had no intention of marrying the "barbaric" ruler. Dark, unenlightened Russia and developed Byzantium with a rich cultural and religious heritage looked too contrasted. And Anna herself was a bride, as they say, "not a miss." She even managed to reject two offers - from the German and French rulers.

But the brothers, afraid of losing the throne, accepted the conditions of the Kiev prince, demanding only one thing from him - baptism in Christianity.

In fact, Christianity was by no means exotic for him. Askold and Dir were Christians, and his grandmother, Princess Olga, who also influenced the upbringing of her grandson, was baptized. In addition, his mother Malusha was probably a Christian too.

Therefore, Vladimir agrees to be baptized and help out the Byzantine rulers.

Different sources describe the context of this event in their own way.

• According to one version, Vladimir was first baptized, and then helped the Byzantine emperors.
• According to the other, the prince agreed to be baptized and help, but in reality he fulfilled only the second part. The allies did not forget about the agreement and, together with the dowry, sent him Princess Anna. But suddenly Vladimir went blind. Anna, seeing in this the providence of God, advised him to convert to Christianity. Only after baptism did the prince not only receive his sight bodily, but also spiritually.
• According to the third version, the Kiev ruler agreed to help the Byzantines, but on condition that they give him Princess Anna. The emperors were in no hurry to fulfill the conditions. Therefore, the impatient Prince Vladimir has to turn to his tried-and-true method of conquest and submission. He reaches Chersonesos - today Sevastopol is located in this place - and takes the city. The Byzantine emperors have no choice but to marry their sister to the Kiev prince. But this was not possible due to religious differences. That is why the Kiev ruler was asked to be baptized. In that very Korsun, he converted to Christianity.

The path of change: from a pagan prince to Saint Vladimir

Usually historians point to political motives for baptism. It’s just surprising that after the adoption of Christianity with the ambitious prince, changes really take place.

At first , he released his concubines and lived with only one wife, Anna.

Secondly , abolished the death penalty for a while. Yes, the same Vladimir, who before the baptism killed Rogneda's relatives and "removed" Yaropolk.

Thirdly , helped the needy, nourished the poor, and often organized charity dinners.

Fourth , the prince decides to baptize all the people. It is to Saint Vladimir that we owe the fact that we belong to the Orthodox Church.

And it is no coincidence that on the day of memory of the holy prince, July 28, in our time, another holiday was established - baptism of Rus.

Eastern Christianity for Russia - Divine Providence or Calculation?

In the annals you can find an interesting story about how the Kiev prince sent ambassadors to different countries to choose the right religion for his state. Before that, both Jews and Muslims, envoys from the Pope and the Patriarch of Constantinople, come to him.

At this time, the Christian Church had not yet divided, therefore, they had not yet officially spoken about Orthodoxy and Catholicism. But nevertheless, East and West were already different.

The Christianity of the Eastern rite, as the chronicler says, is liked by Prince Vladimir both in liturgical and moral terms. When the ambassadors return from Constantinople's Sophia, the ruler is even more convinced of his sympathies, because the boyars sent out admire the beauty of oriental singing, architecture, and service. After the words “We do not know whether they were in heaven or earth,” the Grand Duke decided to baptize the entire people.

Historians say that the colorfulness of this story is the work of the chronicler, but in fact the ruler was familiar with the culture and religion of many prosperous countries of that time.

Even without being a convinced Christian, the prince realized that paganism is a step backward. The people of the advanced states of that time believed in one God, developed culturally, had a written language and established diplomatic relations. Pagan Rus such a prospect was closed.

Therefore, following the example of Byzantium, Vladimir chose the Christianity of the Eastern rite for Russia. The very religion that Askold and Dir and his grandmother Olga had already chosen before him.

Baptism of Rus - the path to God and enlightenment

In 988, a mass baptism of the Kievites took place in the Dnieper waters. Before this, the prince announced:

If someone does not come to the river tomorrow - rich or poor, beggar or slave - I will be my enemy.

Nobody wanted to be an enemy to the ruler, so many came to be baptized, not yet realizing the meaning of the new faith - at that time no catechesis was carried out.

If in Kiev everything happened more or less peacefully, but incomprehensible to the people, then in Novgorod the governor's assistants repeatedly used violence.

It was not yet clear to many why it was Vladimir who wanted to say goodbye to wooden idols. For some, the only proof of the "correctness" of the new religion was that, thrown from a steep into the waters of the Dnieper, Perun did not come out.

Another 200 years must pass until the people realize the meaning, beauty and truth of the new faith. Therefore, we can say that Saint Vladimir - and in a few centuries the Church will commemorate him precisely as a saint - foresaw a lot in advance.

During his lifetime, he "gave a tenth of his income to God" - this is how the first stone temple appeared, called Church of the Tithes... After some time, the Russian chronicle was born under her.

Through the efforts of the prince, many temples and monasteries were erected. In addition, Saint Vladimir also cared about how to educate people. For this, together with the first Kiev Metropolitan Michael, they created schools.

And the ruler also had a special gift - he knew how to communicate with his people, to be close to ordinary people. On Sundays and holidays, he arranged feasts not for those close to him, but for everyone. Here they fed all those in need, invited pilgrims to perform epics and spiritual songs. It was a kind of preaching of the Gospel. And as you know, in Orthodoxy, Prince Vladimir is revered as an equal to the apostles - following the example of the apostles, he led many to the faith and baptized.

In addition, through the efforts of the prince, not only commoners were baptized, but also many noble foreigners. We find references to them in the annals.

Can a fornicator and murderer become a saint?

It is for all these merits - from its own change and ending with the baptism and enlightenment of Russia - that the church honors Vladimir as a saint. This is reflected in the Life and Akathist of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince.

For every person who only comes to faith, his example becomes an edification. He shows that the Lord is ready to forgive and accept even the most terrible fornicator and murderer, thirsting for power and enrichment, yesterday's pagan. What matters to God is not who you were yesterday, but who you can become today. Become consciously, sincerely, with understanding and a desire to change.

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