982 baptism of Russia. Baptism of Russia

A pig is an animal from the mammals class, the artiodactyl order, the non-ruminant suborder, the pig family (Latin Suidae). Most likely, the pig got its name for its exceptional fertility. According to authoritative scientists, the basis of the Latin name goes back to the ancient word sunus - "son", acquiring the meaning of "birth", "fruiting".

Pig - description, characteristics and photos.

The strong, slightly elongated body of a pig can reach a length of more than one and a half meters. The pig's skin is covered with sparse, rough, bristly hair. The elongated muzzle of a pig with a movable nose-proboscis ends in a cartilaginous disc “patch” that allows the animal to dig food out of the ground. The pig has 44 teeth, 4 of them have well-developed canines. The upper canines are curved.

The weight of a pig, depending on the species, ranges from 45 to 400 kg. The legs are short, four-toed, with well-developed lateral toes. The tail is curved in a corkscrew. The pig's ears are big, but the eyes are small. From their wild ancestor, the wild boar, the pigs inherited weak eyesight, but a very keen sense of smell and excellent hearing.

The impressive size and short legs do not prevent the pig from being a fairly agile animal. The running pig's speed reaches 17 km / h. If necessary, these seemingly clumsy animals swim well.

Contrary to popular belief, most often pigs are not pink, but gray. Less common are individuals of white, brown, spotted and absolutely black colors.

Under decent conditions in captivity, the life expectancy of a pig is 10-15 years. Among large breeds, there are long-lived individuals: a healthy animal with quality care can live up to 35 years.

In the wild, a pig lives on average 7-8 years. Females are more vulnerable due to the large number of offspring and the need to constantly be near the offspring. Warlike boars often live to be 12-15 years old.

Types of pigs. Where do pigs live?

There are more than 20 species of wild pigs in the world, from which more than 100 breeds have been bred by breeders. Moreover, pigs live everywhere except Antarctica.

From the point of view of scientists, the following are considered the most interesting and studied species:

• babirussa ( lat. Babyrousa babynissa) is a rare pig species listed in the Red Book. Single pigs with an atypical appearance for the family: long, thin legs, an arched back and an almost naked body, only sometimes covered with sparse nap. A specific difference is the powerful growths on the muzzle in the form of numerous fangs. Live in Indonesia, on the island of Sulawesi, forming 4 subspecies;

• big forest pig(Latin Hylochoerus meinertzhageni) is the largest species with a body reaching 2 meters in length. Individuals are distinguished by long dark hair and large, pronounced warts covering the snout. Habitat - tropical forests of equatorial Africa;

• african warthog(lat.Phacochoerus africanus). A distinctive feature is the huge skin growths on the face. The neck is covered with a mane, the tail ends with a tassel. The warthog population includes 7 subspecies inhabiting the African savannah;

• boar(Latin Sus scrofa), boar, wild pig - a common species with over 25 subspecies. The ancestor of the domestic pig, but with a rather long legs and developed canines. They live in the forests of mainland Europe, the Mediterranean, North and Central America, in the mountains of Central Asia, in the Far East;

• bearded pig(Latin Sus barbatus) - slightly smaller than a wild boar, but with rather long legs. The snout is covered with light, long hair. A feature of the species is the bifurcated tassel at the tip of the tail. There are 6 subspecies inhabiting Southeast Asia;

• pygmy pig(Latin Sus salvanius, Porcula salvania Hodgson) is a small, endangered species protected by Greenpeace. The height of an adult is not more than 35 cm, on the muzzle there are distinctive shreds of white wool. They live in Nepal, at the foot and on the slopes of the Himalayan massif;

• brush-eared pig(lat. Potamochoerus porcus) - the most variegatedly colored species. Black muzzle with white circles around the eyes, a reddish brown body and a white stripe along the spine. This pig species has long sideburns and distinctive black and white ear hair.

How to feed the pigs? Pig diet.

A pig is an omnivore, it eats absolutely everything. In the wild, the main food is what can be dug in the ground: plant roots, worms, insect larvae, as well as tree bark, young shoots of plants, grass. Acorns, nuts and mushrooms are considered a special delicacy. Food of animal origin, in addition to worms and larvae, can be fish, molluscs, birds, rodents, and carrion.

At home, pigs need high quality food:

• a combination of beneficial herbs such as alfalfa;
• vegetables (sugar beet, pumpkin,);
• cereals and cereals (peas, barley, millet);
• dairy products and meat waste;
• feed concentrates;
• nutritional supplements containing vitamins and minerals.

In fact, Christianization took place over several centuries and was primarily due to political reasons ... Kiev merchants who traded with Byzantium, soldiers who visited Christian countries became Christians. Christianity was adopted by the princes of Kiev Askold and Olga.

In the X century. was a strong feudal state with a high level of crafts and trade, spiritual and material culture. Further development required the consolidation of forces within the country, and this was difficult to do in conditions when different cities worship to different gods. A unifying idea of ​​one God was needed... International relations also demanded the adoption of Christianity, since Russia maintained constant contacts with the Christian countries of Western Europe and Byzantium. To strengthen these contacts, a common ideological platform was needed.

Receiving baptism from Byzantium was also not accidental. Kievan Rus was connected with Byzantium by closer trade and cultural ties than with other countries. The subordination of the church to the state, characteristic of Byzantium, also appealed to the princely power. The adoption of Christianity from Byzantium made it possible to perform divine services in their native language. It was also advantageous for Byzantium to baptize Rus, since it received an ally in the struggle to expand its influence.

The year of the baptism of Russia

The act of baptism in Kiev and Novgorod, performed in 988, has not yet exhausted the adoption of Christianity by an entire people. This the process stretched for centuries.

The prince and his retinue were baptized in Korsun (Chersonesos). The baptism was supported by the marriage of the prince with the sister of the Visaite tsar Vasily III. Upon the return of Prince Vladimir with his retinue and the newly-minted princess to Kiev, he gave the order to overthrow the old gods and the need to gather the entire population of Kiev on a certain day and hour to the banks of the Dnieper, where baptism was performed. The baptism of Novgorod was a more difficult task, since Novgorod constantly showed separatist tendencies and perceived baptism as an attempt to subordinate it to the will of Kiev. Therefore, in the annals you can read that "Putyatya baptized Novgorodians with fire, and Dobrynya with a sword", i.e. Novgorodians put up fierce resistance to baptism.

Consequences of the baptism of Rus

During the XI century. at different ends Kievan Rus pockets of resistance to Christianization arose. They had not so much religious as social and political meaning; were directed against the oppression and spread of the power of the Kiev prince. At the head of the popular indignation, as a rule, were Magi.

After the adoption of Christianity, already under Yaroslav the Wise, a metropolitanate was created in Kiev, headed by a sent Greek metropolitan. The metropolis was divided into dioceses headed by bishops - mainly Greeks. Before the Tatar-Mongol invasion, the Russian Orthodox Church consisted of 16 dioceses. From 988 to 1447, the church was under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, its primates were appointed in Constantinople. There are only two known cases of appointment as primates of the Russians - Hilarion(XI century) and Clement Smalyatich(XII century). Already under Vladimir, the church began to receive tithes and soon turned into a major feudal lord. Monasteries appeared, performing defensive, educational, charitable functions. Monasteries were founded during the reign of Yaroslav St. George (christian name Yaroslav) and St. Irina(heavenly patroness of Yaroslav's wife). In the 50s. XI century the most significant of the ancient Russian monasteries appears - Kiev-Pechersky, founded by Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves, the founders of Russian monasticism. At the beginning of the XII century. this monastery received the status laurel. By the time of the Tatar-Mongol invasion, there were monasteries in almost every city.

Thanks to the financial support of the princes, churches are being built. The cathedral was founded in 1037 St. Sofia- the main cathedral church in Kiev, built on the model of Constantinople. In 1050 the eponymous cathedral was built in Novgorod.

In the conditions of feudal fragmentation, the church found itself in a difficult situation. She had to play the role of a mediator in settling disputes and contradictions, the role of a conciliator of warring princes. The princes often interfered in the affairs of the church, solving them from the point of view of their own benefit.

Since the end of the 30s. XIII century Russian lands were enslaved. The church characterized this disaster as a punishment for sins, for lack of religious zeal, and called for renewal. By the time of the invasion of Russia, the Tatar-Mongols practiced primitive polydemonism. They belonged to ministers Orthodox Church as people associated with demons who can damage them. This danger, in their opinion, could have been prevented or neutralized by good treatment of the ministers of Orthodoxy. Even when the Tatar-Mongols accepted in 1313, this attitude did not change.

In this article, we provide historical facts Baptism of Rus by Prince Vladimir from Vladislav Petrushko's lecture on the history of the Russian Church.

Baptism of Russia by Prince Vladimir - facts: how did Orthodoxy come to Russia?

After the victory over Yaropolk, Vladimir began to reign in Kiev. And again, as once under Oleg the Mesh, paganism triumphs over Christianity. True, not for long: its days are numbered, it has outlived its usefulness. But in its death throes, paganism is strongly activated. And not without the decisive influence of Vladimir himself, who came to power precisely as the leader of a pagan party. As the chronicler says, never before has there been such a "vile idolatry" on the Russian land as at the beginning of Vladimir's reign.

However, it must be said that Vladimir, as a man of great intelligence, remarkable intuition and deep religiosity, understood that paganism in its former forms was already untenable. Like the Roman emperor-zealous paganism - Julian the Apostate - he makes an attempt to reform polytheism. Having united the Russian tribes under his sovereign rule, Vladimir realized the need for religious unity. Vladimir understood that it was impossible to create this unity on anything other than religion. You can, of course, try to unite everyone by violence, but such a power will only exist for a very short time. Vladimir understood this perfectly. Therefore, he tried to achieve unity in a different way.

Until now, various tribes inhabiting Russia have worshiped their local gods. The Varangians revered some, the Slavs of others, the Finns had a third. True, they often borrowed cults from each other. But there was no uniformity in pagan beliefs in Russia. Vladimir ordered to bring together all pagan gods and created a common pagan pantheon - a kind of "Russian Olympus". As the chronicler says, in Kiev he put the idols of Khors, Dazh-god, Stribog, Simargl and Mokosha on the temple. All this, henceforth, “one”, was headed by the Perun family, the god of thunder and fire, recognized as supreme. Moreover, it was a deity that most likely had a Balto-Varangian, and not Slavic origin... The reform of paganism was carried out around 983. But very soon it turned out that this reform was absolutely untenable. These gods did not have any authority to force people to recognize, along with the deities familiar to their tribe, and some new ones. In addition, this case, probably, had its own mystical side: the artificially assembled "gods" could not coexist side by side - after all, the devils also hate each other.

Yet paganism fiercely resists on the eve of its disappearance. Under Vladimir, the pagan gods are committed hitherto almost unknown in Russia human sacrifice... So, for example, after Vladimir's victorious campaign against the Yatvingians in 983, Theodore and John, two Christian Varangians, father and son, were killed, who became the first martyrs of the faith in Russia, whose names we know. They wanted to sacrifice their son to the pagan gods. The father, of course, did not allow this, and as a result, they were both killed. The paganism of Vladimir and his entourage bore such a fierce character. But the blood of the martyrs, as it has always been in the history of the Church, only brought the victory of Christianity closer. In 983, Vladimir still brought human sacrifices, and five years later he converted to Christianity.

It was the deepest revolution in the soul of the prince. From the abyss of hell, he managed to ascend to God. This is the holiness of the Equal-to-the-Apostles prince, who realized that abyss of lack of spirituality into which paganism plunges, and who managed to find a way out of this abyss, not only turning to the true God, but also bringing his entire people with him. To understand all the greatness of the feat of the holy prince Vladimir, you need to evaluate what he was like before baptism. He was essentially a fratricide, made human sacrifices. Drunken orgies are the usual pastime of the prince and his retinue. In addition, it is known how depraved his disposition was. He did not disdain to marry the Polotsk princess Rogneda, whose father he killed in front of her. Likewise, the wife of the murdered brother Yaropolk ended up in the harem of a depraved pagan. In a word, Vladimir before his baptism was the same cruel and terrible person, like all pagans.

About the pagan religion of the Slavs, in which Vladimir was brought up, we know, in particular, from the memoirs of Arab travelers who were in Russia. One of them, Ibn Fadlan, described the funeral of a noble Rus, which he observed somewhere in the Volga region. These pagan funerals were accompanied by hideous and vile ceremonies. Together with the deceased Rus, a dead horse, some objects and things were put into the grave. Together with him, his wife was forcibly sent to the afterlife. She was killed in the most savage way, having previously been raped in a ritual manner. Then everything was burned on the burial ship. Moreover, Ibn Fadlan reports that at the same time such heinous ceremonies took place that he, a Muslim Arab, cannot describe them. From this testimony alone, it is clear that paganism is a very terrible thing and far from being as romantic as many are trying to present today in various kinds of popular publications. The pagan cult is a terrible, satanic in its essence phenomenon, even if it comes much more civilized Hellenic paganism. It is no coincidence that idols have always been considered the dwelling place of demons, and after the baptism of the people, they always tried to destroy them. The terrible reality of serving demons always stands behind any paganism. And today, when some people are trying to revive paganism, it turns out in the most tragic way. It all begins with the Kupala round dances, and ends with the most overt Satanism with ritual fornication and human sacrifice, which, alas, is already encountered today.

Prince Vladimir was exactly the same before his baptism. The future baptist of Russia, at the time of his paganism, truly knew the depths of Satan. But something happened in his soul, similar to what had once happened to Olga. Undoubtedly, it was a deep inner rebirth. When Vladimir saw that nothing was coming out of his reformed paganism, this obviously became for him not only a political, but also a personal spiritual and moral problem. Undoubtedly, Vladimir's doubts about paganism arose not only due to the fact that religious unity could not be achieved.

Paganism could not satisfy the prince. The extremes of pagan immorality probably reinforced the impression of a spiritual impasse. This is felt in the words of Vladimir himself, spoken by him after his baptism. They are led by St. Nestor the Chronicler: "like a beast byah, do a lot of evil in abominations live, like cattle, nago." Not only and not so much political calculation guided the prince in choosing a faith, as Marxist historians usually imagined. Personal spiritual search, of course, played a key role in the refusal of the Kiev prince from paganism. He was a religious nature seeking truth. And this was the main thing that made Vladimir look for a new faith for himself and his people.

The prince hardly experienced any satisfaction from the death of the Varangians Theodore and John. Perhaps this tragedy hastened his personal religious crisis, as happened to Olga in due time after her bloody revenge on the Drevlyans. In addition, Vladimir saw the life of the nearby Christian community. At the same time, there were also representatives of other religions. Judaism still existed on the ruins of the defeated Khazaria: Jewish merchants were not uncommon in Kiev. Muslims also lived near the borders of Rus: the Muslim Bulgarian state already existed on the Volga. Latin Christianity was already spreading nearby in the West. And therefore, the annalistic news of the dispute held at the court of Vladimir on the choice of faith has undoubtedly a historical basis. Although some historians for some reason tend to consider it a late tradition. However, in reality, the story of the Tale of Bygone Years about the choice of faith does not look implausible at all. Similar disputes at the courts of medieval rulers often took place. Suffice it to recall at least the dispute at the court of the Khazar Kagan, in which St. Constantine-Cyril. Similar disputes are known at the courts of European sovereigns. Why not arrange such a dispute at the court of the sovereign of Kievan Rus?

Ambassadors began to visit Vladimir. One of the first were the Jews. During a conversation with them, Vladimir, according to the testimony of the chronicler, asked where their homeland was. They answered him: “We have no homeland. For our sins, God scattered us. ” It was, of course, about the scattering of Jews from Palestine and their spread throughout the world. Vladimir answered the Jews that he did not want to accept the faith, which then leads to the loss of the fatherland. Moreover, the prince's answer had a double subtext: he could mean not only the fate of Israel, but also the fate of the Khazars, who lost themselves after their elite adopted Judaism. Vladimir also talked with Muslims, who obviously came from Volga Bulgaria. It is significant here that in his religious search the prince has already reached the understanding of monotheism. However, he is still childishly naive, wishing to find an easy way to God. Thus, Islam seduces the initially voluptuous prince with the possibility of polygamy and the promise of a dubious “paradise” in which the faithful are supposedly enjoying abundant benefits in the society of the Hurias. However, as the chronicler says, another passion temporarily prevailed: upon learning that the Koran prohibits the use of wine, Vladimir utters the historical phrase: "Russia is joyful piti."

Interestingly, Vladimir's conversation with Western Christians was much shorter. Obviously, Vladimir was repulsed by the already fully formed ideology of papism with the demand for vassal subordination to the Roman high priest as the earthly ruler of the Christian world. Vladimir answered the papal envoys that his ancestors did not accept the Latin faith. It would seem that it is not a completely logical statement when it comes to choosing a new faith. However, Vladimir probably remembers how, under Olga, the Latin bishop Adalbert came to Russia on a mission, whom the Kievites soon expelled with indignation. There is some information about the unsuccessful negotiations with the Latins, which took place under Yaropolk. For Prince Vladimir, obviously, the rejection of the wise Olga from Western Christianity and the acceptance of baptism from Orthodox Greeks meant a lot.

At the same time, Vladimir was in no hurry to choose his faith. The most interesting moment in the story of St. Nestor is a conversation between the prince and a philosopher monk who came from Byzantium. This missionary, unknown to us by name, showed Vladimir the icon Of the Last Judgment, and thus clearly demonstrated to him the Christian eschatology and the posthumous fate of sinners and righteous. It can be assumed that this episode is the most lively and truthful in the story of the choice of faith. Because the icon is a testimony of the Incarnate God, “speculation in paints”. We have before us an interesting historical example of how the icon was used for preaching purposes. This is a purely Orthodox argument from an artistic image - an icon. In general, it is very typical for the Orthodox culture of Ancient Rus that Russians perceived Orthodoxy more at the level of an artistic image. In the Middle Ages, Russia knew few outstanding theologians, but created the greatest icon painting. Prince Vladimir received a strong emotional impression from the sermon of the Greek monk and from the icon, favorable, unlike other religions. But it was still far from the final choice. The prince strove to make it deliberately and carefully.

Then Vladimir sent ambassadors to different countries and these ambassadors confirmed his impression. The chronicle tells us about the stunned state of the ambassadors of Vladimir after the service in the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople. Undoubtedly, this story is very true. Again we have before us an amazing example of the impact of church art on the souls of Russian people who are in a spiritual quest. It must be said that the Byzantines often used the beauty of divine services on such occasions. And the bringing of the ambassadors of Vladimir to serve in the temple of St. Sophia was not a special act on the part of the emperor. This was the usual way to impress barbarians. The Tale of Bygone Years tells how the Greeks tried to influence Oleg and his warriors in a similar way, who were even shown the greatest relics - evidence of the Passion of the Lord and holy relics. But then there was no success - Oleg did not differ in spiritual searches.
However, even after a positive response from the ambassadors, which coincided with the reaction of Vladimir himself to Orthodoxy, Vladimir is still in no hurry to be baptized. The reason for this now is most likely the complex political relationship between Russia and Byzantium. But this is, as it were, an external outline of events, behind which there is some kind of gigantic spiritual struggle for the soul of the prince himself, for the fate of his state. Therefore, the process of converting Vladimir was very difficult. The transformation of a wild barbarian who brought human sacrifices into a meek lamb, a saint, of course, required special circumstances, a special Providence of God. The events that eventually led to the baptism of Vladimir, and then of Russia, developed gradually.
The Byzantine emperors, fellow-rulers from the Macedonian dynasty Vasily II the Bolgar fighter and Constantine VIII, were going through a very difficult period. A mutiny broke out in the empire, forcing them to turn to Vladimir for military assistance. Vladimir was promised to marry the emperors' sister Anna. Of course, Prince Vladimir had to be baptized at the same time. He sent to the emperors an army of 6 thousand soldiers, which defeated the usurper Varda Foku, who threatened to overthrow the legitimate emperors from the throne. Vladimir, in exchange for military services, demanded the hand of the Byzantine princess. He was refused. Perhaps the bad reputation of the pagan prince, an immoral barbarian, played a role. But the most significant thing was that Vladimir, despite all his already fully formed striving for Christianity, had not yet been baptized by that time.

Why did Vladimir delay his baptism? Obviously, the prince had his own intent. Political considerations prevailed. Prince Vladimir was already internally quite ready to accept Orthodoxy, but from the point of view of the Byzantine theocratic idea, this would mean that Vladimir would recognize himself as a subject of the emperors, at least nominally, and introduce Russia into the political orbit of the Romei Empire. Vladimir clearly did not want this. A marriage with Anna made him equal with the emperors, made him equal to Porphyrogenites. But before marriage, you had to be baptized. The circle was closed.

Then Vladimir, with his delay in baptism, brings the situation to a stalemate and decides to act by force. He goes to war against the Greeks, now having an excuse for this: the emperors "deceived" him and did not give Anna to his wife. After a long siege, the prince takes possession of the Crimean outpost of Byzantium - Chersonesos. Vladimir demands Anna as his wife in exchange for the return of Chersonesos to Byzantium. The prince was clearly carried away by the political side of his religious affairs. Therefore, the intervention of the Providence of God was inevitable so that the crisis would be resolved, and political calculation would cease to dominate in the mind of the prince. Therefore, when Princess Anna had already arrived in Chersonesos, and Vladimir was triumphant, a miracle of enlightenment took place: Vladimir went blind. And he received his sight only when he was baptized. He received his sight physically and spiritually. And the work of his conversion was accomplished in the end not by human wisdom, but by the power of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps that is why a completely different person came out of the font to the altar for the wedding with Anna, as we see St. Vladimir, who has not retained anything from his former pagan appearance.

During his baptism, St. Vladimir received the Christian name Basil, in memory of the great Archbishop of Caesarea of ​​Cappadocia. Probably, this happened not only because he was baptized in the Vasilievsky temple of Chersonesos, as the "Tale of Bygone Years" reports. In Byzantium, there was a custom: in the event of the baptism of an important person, the emperor or empress was often his successors from the font. In this case, the newly baptized received the name of the august persons. It is quite possible that despite the absence of Emperor Basil II of the Bulgarians at the baptism of Saint Vladimir, it was he who was considered the official godfather of the Kiev prince.

Nestor the Chronicler reports the following about the return of Vladimir from Chersonesos: “Volodimer, for this reason, sing the tsarina and Nastas (that is, the presbyter Anastasiy Korsunyanin, with the help of whom the prince took possession of the city - VP) and the priests of Korsun, with the relics of St. Clement and Thebes, his disciple. We'll get church loans and icons to bless ourselves. Set up a church in Korsun on a mountain, where you stealthily poured the hail into the environment. Even the churches are worth to this day. Taking the same ida copper, two temples (that is, antique statues pagan deities- V.P.) and four horses of copper, like and now stand behind the Holy Mother of God (meaning the Church of the Tithes in Kiev - V.P.). It’s as ignorant to think that I am marbled. To give the vein to the Greek Korsun again to the queen sharing. And he himself will come to Kiev. "

It is interesting that we see again how much Saint Vladimir is not indifferent to art, although now we are talking about pagan sculpture. But, probably, the prince was gifted with a very delicate artistic flair. And he, yesterday's pagan who had just been baptized, is already able to abstract himself from the pagan basis of Hellenic art, seeing in the Korsun statues precisely artistic masterpieces, and not idols. Let us remember that the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine, having founded New Rome - Constantinople, brings masterpieces of ancient art to this new, Christian capital of the empire, at the same time decorating the city with numerous Christian churches... Vladimir's cultural outlook is striking. The hypocrisy often shown by neophytes is absolutely alien to him. He perceives the Orthodox Greek culture as a standard for Russia, even in combination with such subtle nuances as the attitude towards the ancient heritage.

The baptism of Rus was largely the merit of the prince of Kiev himself, who was completely transformed after his baptism. That is why the Church ranks Vladimir among the equal-to-the-apostles men. At the same time, one can compare the feat of Saint Vladimir with the activities of Charlemagne, who, relatively shortly before Prince Vladimir, created at the end of the 8th - beginning of the 9th centuries. v Western Europe, a huge empire. Charles also baptized many nations, and catholic church canonized. However, although Karl lived even before the schism of 1054, his veneration in our saints never took root. Most likely the reason for this is that he converted peoples to Christianity almost exclusively by force of arms. He fought bloody wars, not stopping at any cruelty in the conversion of the pagans.

In the apostolic deed of Saint Vladimir, we see something completely different. And when we read in the annals that in Novgorod the envoys of the Kiev prince used military force at baptism, that “Putyata baptized with fire, and Dobrynya with the sword,” then it is enough to compare this episode of the Christianization of Rus with what was done in Western Europe to understand: for Russia, violence against Novgorodians is an exception, an absolutely atypical case, while for Western Church such methods have been almost traditional for many centuries. Moreover, the rationale behind the resistance of Novgorodians to baptism was political. For to the traditional confrontation between the capital of the former - Novgorod - and the capital of the new - Kiev - there was added discontent with Vladimir, who, having conquered Kiev with the help of pagan Novgorodians, did not justify their hopes, did not return Novgorod to its former significance.

How was the Russian Church built up? Since the Kiev community of Christians during the years of pagan reaction most likely suffered great damage, it was necessary to start almost anew. The first step of Saint Vladimir was the baptism of the Kievites, which, as most researchers believe, took place in 988 or 989, shortly after Vladimir returned from a campaign against Chersonesos. This was probably not an easy task, since in order to baptize the people of Kiev, great preparation was needed. We do not know today exactly what the population of Kiev was under Vladimir. Still, it was the capital of a mighty principality - that is, its population was many thousands. To carry out the baptism in the shortest possible time, which was undertaken, it was required to do a lot. First of all, the people of Kiev needed at least elementary publicity.

Relatives of Vladimir, that is ex-wives, sons and other, his closest advisers and other people close to Vladimir, were probably baptized in the Church of St. Basil. This originally wooden church was one of the first to be built by the Equal-to-the-Apostles prince in Kiev. It was consecrated in the name of Saint Basil the Great, whose name Saint Vladimir received at his baptism. This temple was erected on the site of the former temple of Perun, which had recently been decorated with a new idol by the order of the prince. Now the idol was cast down and shamefully, with symbolic beatings, dragged to the banks of the Dnieper and lowered downstream. Moreover, the prince ordered to see off the pagan abomination up to the rapids, pushing the idol away from the shore with poles. It is clear that in the minds of the newly baptized prince, the idol was directly associated with the repository of demons.

The rest of the thousands, or most likely tens of thousands of people, were baptized in the waters of the Dnieper, or rather its branch - the Pochayna River, which now does not exist, but merged with the main Dnieper channel. Moreover, the author of “The Life of Blessed Volodymer” reports that “people go out with joy, rejoicing and saying: if it weren’t good, the prince and the bolyar didn’t have it”. When Vladimir himself was baptized, he was significantly prepared for this important step. He talked with philosophers and preachers. In addition, in Chersonesos, he had to go through the announcement. As for the people, there was hardly any serious preparation for baptism. In the conditions of that time, this was practically unrealistic. However, the people had to trust the choice of the prince, who spoke on his behalf. This was quite in the spirit of the semi-patriarchal character that the princely power still had in Russia. At least in Kiev, it was perceived in this way: the prince acted as the father of a large family. Hence the success of the Christian mission in the capital. There is no data on the protest of the Kievites.

In other lands, however, Christianization was probably not as rapid as in Kiev. But nevertheless, it should be admitted that Russia accepted the new faith rather calmly. Of course, the first thing was baptized urban population... In the countryside, paganism lasted longer, which, however, was a ubiquitous phenomenon, both in the Christian East and in the West. It is no coincidence that the Latin term “paganus”, that is, “pagan”, literally translates as “villager”.

It can be assumed that since Vladimir receives baptism from the Greeks, with the participation of the clergy of Chersonesus, whom he brought to Russia for its baptism, the initial stage of the Christianization of Russia was associated with the Church of Constantinople. Probably, a metropolitan or archbishop was sent from Constantinople to Russia soon after the events in Chersonesos. Although the diocese "Russia" existed in Constantinople Church for about a century, most likely there was no bishop in Kiev during the years of pagan reaction. Who became the bishop under whom the baptism of Rus took place? Tradition mentions the name of St. Michael, the first Metropolitan of Kiev. Vladimirov's list Church Charter, made at the end of the 12th - beginning of the 13th centuries, calls Mikhail the metropolitan, under which Vladimir baptized Russia. However, here it is said that St. Michael was sent to Russia. Patriarch Photius is an obvious anachronism. The hierarchy of St. Michael in Kiev most likely should be attributed to the time of the Fotiev baptism of Rus. Perhaps the obliteration of the memory of the baptism of Russia under Askold and Dir from the “Initial Russian Chronicle”, undertaken to please the new Rurik dynasty, also erased the reliable memory of the first bishop of Russia. At the same time, he was not completely forgotten, but attributed to a different era.

In addition, Metropolitan Leon (Leo) or Leonty is often referred to as the first Primate of the Russian Church. He is mentioned, in particular, “Chronicle Novgorod Lords”And the already mentioned list of the Church Rite of St. Vladimir. There are other assumptions about who headed the Russian Church in the early period of its history. Not so long ago, another hypothesis about who was the Metropolitan of Russia under St. Vladimir, was put forward by the Polish historian Andrzej Poppe. Based on a number of sources, Poppe came to the conclusion that the former Metropolitan of Sevastia Theophylact, a Greek native, was the Metropolitan of Russia under Vladimir. Poppe established that in Sevastia, an Armenian city located in the east of Asia Minor, almost on the threshold of the Caucasus, at the end of the 10th century, under Vasily II, there was a Russian detachment, as noted by sources. The local bishop - Theophylact, - who supported the emperor's policy, was expelled from the city by the rebels during the rebellion of Barda Phocas and fled west to Constantinople. According to Poppe, Theophylact, already familiar with the Russians from Sebastia, was sent to Kiev as a metropolitan after the baptism of Russia by St. Vladimir.

True, we do not know whether he reached the capital of Russia or whether this appointment remained a formality. Poppe's hypothesis has indirect confirmation in the mosaics and frescoes of the church of St. Sofia in Kiev. Here the Sebastian martyrs are depicted on the pillars and arches of the main dome cathedral Metropolitans of All Russia. That is, they, as conceived by the founders of the temple, are, as it were, the foundation of the Russian Church. In addition, in the Sophia Cathedral there is another image of the 40 Martyrs of Sebastia in a separate fresco. Such attention to these saints is hardly accidental. And the veneration with which the Sebastian saints have always been surrounded in Russia may also testify to the special role of the Sebastian see in the history of the Russian Church. It is possible that it was Metropolitan Theophylact who helped the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Vladimir in the enlightenment of Rus at the very initial stage.

One might think that at the first stage, the biggest problem faced by the Equal-to-the-Apostles Baptist of Russia was the lack of clergy trained for missionary activity. Already for the baptism of the people of Kiev alone, a huge number of clergy were required. Apparently, Vladimir brought the first priests from Chersonesos. They were probably Slavs by origin or knowledgeable Slavic language Korsun Greeks, who actively communicated with the Slavic world... But there weren't too many of them. Kiev, and then other cities of Russia, demanded a significant number of priests. At the same time, it was not enough just to baptize people, they needed to be churched, to explain the foundations of the doctrine, the meaning of the sacraments, to teach how to pray, at least in the most elementary form, and to explain how a Christian should live. All this was not implemented in practice in full and not immediately. And, probably, it is precisely with this in the pre-Mongol period that the presence in our Church of very serious distortions in church life is connected. The people were baptized, but not everywhere on the ground after the baptism, their full-fledged churching took place. This process stretched in some places for centuries.

How did you manage to overcome the problem of the lack of trained clerics? It can be assumed, following Priselkov and Kartashev, that Saint Vladimir decided to rely in his apostolic endeavor on the experience of Bulgaria, which had adopted Christianity more than a century earlier than Rus. For a whole century that has passed after the baptism of Bulgaria under the same Saint Photius, a full-fledged Slavic Christian culture... It was created by the disciples of Saints Equal to the Apostles Cyril and Methodius, the Slovenian Teachers. From Bulgaria, Russia could draw ready-made translations of liturgical books and patristic works. Here one could also find Slavic clergy, firstly, who spoke the same Slavic language, which was perfectly understood in Russia, and secondly, far from Hellenic disdain for “barbarians” and more suitable for missionary activity. In addition, one might think that his acquaintance with the Bulgarian Orthodoxy prompted Vladimir to think of getting rid of any attempts to interpret the baptism of Russia from the Greeks as its submission to the Empire of the Romans, humiliating for the consciousness of the Russians who had just created their powerful state. Priselkov and Kartashev believed that Vladimir, soon after the baptism of Rus, removed the Russian Church from the jurisdiction of Constantinople and reassigned it to the autocephalous Bulgarian Archdiocese of Ohrid. It is possible that the Ohrid bishop was only formally listed as the Primate of the Russian Church, which under St. Vladimir was essentially independent of anyone.

Russian and Byzantine sources, however, are silent about this. Amazingly, the Greek authors do not even mention such an epochal event as the baptism of Russia under St. Vladimir. However, the Greeks had a reason: the diocese "Russia" was formally opened a century earlier. However, if we accept the hypothesis of “Bulgarian jurisdiction”, then we can think that the real reason for this silence is most likely explained by the Greeks' resentment against the Russians for their refusal to obey the Patriarchate of Constantinople. It is believed that already in those years when the jurisdiction of Constantinople over the Russian Church was restored under Yaroslav the Wise, information about this unpleasant period for the Romans was also erased from our chronicles. Moreover, in the course of this "editing" a rather strange picture turned out: to pass over in silence the personality and activities of St. Vladimir was not allowed in Russia, but for all the praises to the holy prince in the "Primary Chronicle" there is very little factual material about the Russian Church of his time.

The first Christians in Kiev. V.G. Perov. 1880 g.

What year was the Baptism of Rus?

Every Christian should know the answer to the question, in what year was the Baptism of Rus. The baptism of Rus was a grandiose event, as in a short period of time key changes took place that turned the course of history.

The baptism of Rus 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. That it is necessary for his subjects to accept precisely Orthodox faith, he did not come to this decision immediately. He had fluctuations 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 accept monotheistic religion, testifies to his wisdom as a ruler and desire to unite his people.

Reasons for the adoption of Christianity

Several factors played a role in the choice of faith. One of them was that the grandmother of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, Saint Olga, was Orthodox Christian. She built churches and wanted to spread Christianity in Russia.

The second reason had pragmatic goals - the prince felt that the pagan religion with its large number of gods, demons and others mythical creatures did not really correspond to his state plans. The prince strove to unite the lands around Kiev, to centralize power. An important point the process of centralization was a change in outlook. First, the prince decided to systematize the veneration of pagan gods, later he 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.

Having decided 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 a weapon. Therefore, the prince went to Chersonesos. Having conquered Korsun (as this city is called otherwise), the prince sent ambassadors to the Byzantine emperors Vasily and Constantine. The envoys conveyed to 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 take Constantinople as well.

One can imagine the horror of a girl who, in order to save her native city, had to marry a northern barbarian whom she did not know, who was also unbaptized! However, consent to the marriage was given, but on the condition that the prince be baptized. Vladimir was just waiting for this.

The Byzantine princess went to the groom in Korsun, and when she arrived there, the prince suddenly went blind. Vladimir began to doubt, and the wise girl explained that he had gone blind temporarily and solely so that the Lord would show him his ineffable glory.

The prince was baptized by the bishop of Korsun. As soon as he laid his hand on the prince's head and began to plunge him into the font, Vladimir regained his sight. “Today I have known the true God,” the prince exclaimed with joy. It will forever remain a secret that was revealed to Vladimir at the time of his baptism.

The prince's squad and boyars marveled miraculous healing their master, and many of them believed and were baptized.

Soon after his baptism, Vladimir married Anna, who was no longer afraid to become the wife of a Russian prince, seeing that God's grace rested over him and over his land.

Before leaving Chersonesos, the prince erected a church in honor of St. Basil (he received this name at baptism)

After Vladimir regained his sight, he began to look at his past life with different eyes. A sincere desire to please the Lord and to spread holy faith for the salvation of the souls of people appeared in his heart. Saint Prince Vladimir began to perform many deeds of mercy: he helped the poor, released his concubines, and spiritually instructed people.

The choice of faith by Vladimir

Tribal cults could not create a single 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 the joy of drinking", after which he rejected the proposal of the Bulgars.

After the Bulgarians came the Germans (foreigners) from Rome, sent by the Pope. Those declared that they had fasting according to power: "if anyone drinks or eats, then everything is for the glory of God." However, Vladimir sent them away, telling them: "Go where you came from, for our fathers did not receive this either."

The next were the Khazar Jews, who offered Vladimir to accept Judaism. In response to this, he, knowing that Khazaria had been 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 abandoned Judaism.

Then a Byzantine arrived in Russia, whom the Russian chronicler called a Philosopher for his wisdom. He told the Russian prince about biblical history and the Christian faith. However, Vladimir had not yet made a final decision and consulted with his closest boyars.

It was decided to additionally test the faith by attending the services of Muslims, Germans and Greeks. When, after visiting Constantinople, the envoys returned to Kiev, they enthusiastically informed the prince: "They did not know where we were - 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, Russia was dominated by pagan beliefs... Not only the fruits of plants and animals were sacrificed to idols, but also human sacrifices. Many people sincerely believed that in this way they ask for mercy and deserve it.

Initially, the path of Christianity to the very heart of the Kievan reign of Rus was paved by Princess Olga, the widow of Prince Igor, who was killed by the Drevlyans. About 955 she was baptized in Constantinople. From there she brought the Greek priests to Russia. However, Christianity did not become widespread at that time. The son of Princess Olga Svyatoslav saw no 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 the Russians pagan traditions, gradually adapting them to Christian ones. Thus, Russian Orthodoxy arose - a bizarre combination Slavic paganism and Christianity. Despite this, the Baptism of Rus continues to be one of the most significant events in the history of Russian culture.

Saint Vladimir died on 15 (28 N.S.) July 1015.

“That is the new Constantine of great Rome; as he baptized himself and baptized his people, so this one did the same ... It is worthy of wonder how much good he did to the Russian land by baptizing it. We Christians do not give him honors equal to his deed. For if he had not baptized us, then even now we would still be in the devilish delusion in which our ancestors perished ”, - it is written about Vladimir in the Tale of Bygone Years.

When the holiday is celebrated

The day of the baptism of Rus is enshrined in legislation Russian Federation“As a memorable date of 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 the "Day of Remembrance of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir" - the Baptist of Russia (July 15 to Julian calendar). Like all memorable dates in Russia, the "Day of the Baptism of Rus" is not a day off.

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