Vladimir Svyatoslavovich will forever remain in the memory of the Russian people. Most of us know him as the baptist of Rus'. His monument rises on Borovitsky Hill, and so many honors have never been given to any monument before. The President of Russia, the Mayor of Moscow and Patriarch of All Rus' Kirill came to its opening.
What else do Russian people know about this man? Most likely nothing. The film “Viking” does not count, since the image created in the film is questionable among some historians.
If you're not a history buff, you probably won't remember a single detail from your school course. Still, the personality of Vladimir Svyatoslavovich deserves respect.
We invite you to familiarize yourself with the most interesting facts about Prince Vladimir.
He was the third son of Svyatoslav (by seniority)
Vladimir is the illegitimate son of Prince Svyatoslav Igorevich, who entered into a relationship with the housekeeper Malusha . Svyatoslav’s mother was very angry with her son’s act and sent Malusha to the village of Budutino. There are several versions about the location of the village and Vladimir’s birthplace. It is unknown what the fate of the housekeeper was.
Little Vladimir was returned to Kyiv. There he met his older brothers. Historians suggest that their mother was Princess Predslava. However, Vladimir had the same rights as his brothers. According to pagan customs, his father could leave him an inheritance.
Seized the Kyiv throne in 978
Svyatoslav distributed the principalities according to seniority: Yaropolk - Kyiv, Oleg - the Drevlyansky region, and Vladimir - Novgorod. After the death of Svyatoslav, the brothers began to compete. A struggle for power, an internecine war, you can call it whatever you like.
Oleg died, Yaroslav took possession of his lands. Soon he became interested in the Novgorod region. Vladimir was not ready to fight back his brother, so he fled to Scandinavia. There he was supported by his Varangian friends.
Yaropolk enjoyed power, but after two years Vladimir returned with a large army. He recaptured his possessions and Oleg's former lands. Vladimir used less than honest methods to achieve his goal. He deceived Yaropolk, killed him and became the sole ruler of All Russia .
Through tyranny to the stars
The future prince - the son of Svyatoslav Igorevich and Malusha - was probably born no later than 963, since in 978-979 he already had a wife.
Some experts suggest that Vladimir was a bastard whose rights were recognized by his father. Thus, Prince Svyatoslav placed his “recognized” son on the throne in Novgorod. This happened in 970. Here, on his behalf, Vladimir’s maternal uncle, Dobrynya, ruled, since the prince himself might have been too young for this.
Svyatoslav died in 972, and five years later - in 977 - the sons of the late prince “started” civil strife. Vladimir and his uncle fled from Novgorod, “out of harm’s way,” and went to Norway (or Sweden), where they were “accepted.” There the young prince was married and given a detachment of Vikings.
After this, a period of successful events for Vladimir begins. In 980, he, together with Dobrynya and his detachment, returned and occupied Novgorod. After this, he begins to fight against the Polotsk prince Rogvolod, an ally of Yaropolk, who then ruled Kiev.
Sources report “unflattering” things about the future saint. So, Vladimir, after the capture of Polotsk, also took by force Rogvolod’s daughter, Rognida, wooed to Yaropolk. To be more precise, Rognida was raped in front of her father and brothers. Later she became Vladimir's wife. Thus, the annexation of the Principality of Polotsk was “legalized”.
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Mazepa and his beloved women: someone else's wife, middle-aged bride and goddaughter Later, Vladimir reached Kyiv and besieged it. Yaropolk was afraid of being stabbed among the local residents and fled to the town of Rodnya. However, his brother found him here and forced him to start negotiations. True, they ended before they really began - two Varangians sent by the future Kyiv prince kill Yaropolk.
No less interesting is the dating of the events described. According to the text of the Tale of Bygone Years, Vladimir occupied Kyiv in 980. However, at first he was perceived by local residents as a stranger.
In the “Life of Vladimir the Monk Jacob” (“Memory and Praise to Prince Vladimir”) this event is dated June 11, 6484 from the creation of the world (978). The text says that Prince Vladimir received the Kiev table “in the eighth” summer after the death of his father Svyatoslav. It is also likely that “into” summer means “into”, that is, the “seventh” summer.
Converted to Christianity according to the Greek rite
Vladimir was a pagan. His lifestyle could not be called righteous. The prince justified his behavior by religion. The far-sighted politician soon realized that paganism was becoming an obstacle to the development of Rus'. He thought for a long time and consulted with nobles before he decided to accept Christianity.
He chose Orthodoxy for geopolitical reasons; the country acquired an influential ally - Byzantium. To strengthen ties, the prince decided to enter into a legal marriage with the sister of the rulers of Constantinople, Anna of Byzantium. The emperors set a condition - the prince must accept their faith.
Vladimir became a Christian according to the Greek rite (Eastern liturgical rite) . There is a legend that the prince almost lost his sight, but during his baptism he regained his sight.
Made Christianity the state religion of Rus'
After baptism, Vladimir felt God’s grace and immediately baptized his squad. Upon returning home, he continued his good work; his sons also converted to Christianity.
Soon he called all the residents to the banks of the Dnieper. The residents of Kyiv did not object; they adopted Christianity, while in Novgorod they suppressed the uprising and baptized people by force. Christianity became the state religion of Russia . Pagan idols were destroyed and churches began to be built.
Capture of Korsun and baptism
The version that Vladimir captured Korsun and threatened to do the same with Constantinople if Anna was not given to him cannot be considered valid. It has been proven that at that time Russian soldiers already helped Vasily the Second in the fight against internal enemies. Most likely, military support was provided to the Byzantines in exchange for consent to the marriage between Vladimir and Anna.
According to legend, the wedding flotilla with the princess arrived in Korsun. However, the prince refused to be baptized. The Lord punished him for breaking his word, and Vladimir became blind. Anna persuaded him not to resist, and during the ceremony the prince’s sight returned. God's grace descended on Vladimir, who took the Christian name Vasily. He ordered the boyars and squad to follow his example, and then married Princess Anna.
Actively spread literacy in Rus'
Rus' was christened, but now it had a great need for literate people. In newly opened churches it was necessary to conduct services according to the statutory books.
Vladimir was illiterate, and his warriors were also not very talented. Greeks from Korsun were called for the services, but there were few of them.
Vladimir tried to open a school, but people did not want to study and prevented this. Then he ordered to catch the “deliberate children” and forcibly teach them to read and write . Surprisingly, the mothers of these children cried for them as if they were dead.
The prince also ordered his sons to study. It is known that they read the Holy Scripture, which means that all of Vladimir’s attempts were not in vain. The Byzantines and Bulgarians acted as teachers.
Semi-legendary prince
Karatsuba:
Prince Vladimir is a historical figure. Of course, there are completely legendary figures, such as Rurik. We still know more about Vladimir. But everything we say about him must be accompanied by an incredible number of caveats. We do not know the date and place of his birth. We don't know where or when he was baptized. Yes, most likely, it really is near Kiev, but who really knows? We can guess about the motives for his adoption of Christianity, about the degree of awareness, about whether this was caused by spiritual reasons or a purely political situation, when the loose conglomerate of Slavic, Finno-Ugric and other tribes under the auspices of Kiev was simply falling apart, and a stronger belt was needed , rather than the pantheon of six or seven pagan gods that Vladimir erected during the first religious reform.
And why, if he is such a devout Christian, did the prince remain in history and was canonized with a pagan name, and not with the Christian name Vasily? Yes, the same thing happened with his grandmother, she was Elena after baptism, and this is also somehow strange. We also don’t know when he was canonized. Yes, maybe at the end of the 13th century, or maybe later. Yes, he converted to Christianity, baptized a small number of Kievites, and then Dobrynya baptized the Novgorodians with well-known consequences. This religion became the basis of the spiritual life of Rus' only in the 14th century.
We were talking about light here - that’s right, there was light, but there was also a lot of other things. Such sayings arose as: “Whoever learns Latin has fallen into heresy,” “Do not honor too many books, lest you fall into heresy.” We love and honor Saints Cyril and Methodius, but as a result of the translation of the Gospel and services into the Slavic language, we have isolated ourselves from the Western world. Seven Ecumenical Councils were good, but there was no scholasticism with theology, no heated debate, no development of theological thought until the 19th century. A lot of things didn't work out. And at the origins of all this is Prince Vladimir. But, naturally, it was, is and will be in any school textbook, in any university course.
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V. Perov. The first Christians in Kyiv
He was generous to the squad and residents of Kyiv
Prince Vladimir was a very generous man. He spared no expense for his squad . He believed that you couldn’t buy warriors with money, but with them you could get “silver and gold.”
Every Sunday he organized a feast, which any resident of Kyiv could come to. People who were unable to come to the feast for health reasons were not deprived. Food was transported around the city on carts. The prince did not forget about anyone. That is why for the people he remained “affectionate Prince Vladimir.”
Fathered thirteen sons and ten daughters
Vladimir has always had a weakness for the opposite sex. During pagan times, he had five wives and about 1000 concubines. After his baptism he married Princess Anne. After the death of his wife, the prince married again. His chosen one was an unknown woman - “Yaroslav’s stepmother.”
In total, Vladimir had 13 sons and 10 daughters .
These are children who were born from Vladimir’s “wives” according to official data. The prince was known for his fiery temperament, so it is difficult to say how many children he actually had.
Sons of Vladimir Svyatoslavich
As already mentioned, the prince was a famous sensualist and had a large number of wives and concubines. Having adopted Christianity, he abandoned them and began to live only with Anna, recognizing her as his only wife before God.
However, Vladimir’s family idyll was overshadowed by the children’s feuds. The prince had 12 sons, each of whom owned his own lands. Vladimir's favorites were Boris and Gleb, born to the Bulgarian Milolika. Towards the end of his life, the prince decided to bequeath the throne to Boris, causing the indignation of Svyatopolk and Yaroslav, who hoped to inherit him by right of birthright.
The unexpected death of Vladimir in 1015 led to the fact that the senior heirs decided to usurp the throne. Svyatopolk seized power in Kyiv, but realizing that the people were on the side of Boris and Gleb, he ordered their death. His next victim was his brother Svyatoslav. Yaroslav, who took the throne, was able to stop Svyatopolk’s crimes.
Was going to change the principle of succession to the throne
At that time, succession to the throne was based on the principle of seniority. Vladimir had thirteen sons, he wanted to bequeath everything to his favorite Boris . It is unknown who his mother was. According to his pedigree, Boris is the son of an unknown “Bulgarian”. There is an opinion that this woman is none other than Anna of Byzantium.
Vladimir's son Svyatopolk plotted against his father. Yaropolk, who owned Novgorod, refused to pay tribute. Vladimir’s story repeated itself with his children, and the struggle for power began again. Vladimir did not have time to do anything; he died. After his death, Boris was killed by his own brothers.
Is one of the heroes of epics
The image of Vladimir is forever captured in Russian epics. It is worth noting that it is collective and distorted. The prince was credited with the traits of other Russian rulers.
In epics he goes by the name Vladimir Krasno Solnyshko. In fact, he is not at all similar to this epic hero, this is nothing more than folklore, creativity.
Interesting fact: modern authors do not forget about Vladimir. He often becomes the main character of historical novels. By the way, Vladimir Svyatoslavovich is also present in the well-known cartoons of the “Three Heroes” series.
The idol who overthrew idols
First of all, he is known as the “baptist of Rus'”. Some also view him as a talented commander who was able to “annex” new lands to his state.
He is perceived positively by many historiographers, clergy, and ordinary citizens. Moreover, this is typical for both Ukraine and Russia.
“Admirers” of the famous prince are both Ukrainian national democrats and Russian ultra-rightists, in particular neo-pagans. And this despite the fact that he is called the “Baptist of Rus'”.
A positive image of Prince Vladimir appears in his life (probably the former pagan ruler was canonized in the 14th century), in the Tale of Bygone Years, in epics and other early literary works.
Nowadays, his image continues to be used in fiction and cinema - both in animation and in films. Moreover, these works are varied in quality.
The main question is how did Vladimir the Great become the most “popular” prince of Kievan Rus? This question can be answered by a few facts from his life that are known for certain to historians.
Canonized as an Equal-to-the-Apostles
Vladimir was canonized as Equal-to-the-Apostles . True, there is no exact information about when veneration began and how the process of formal canonization took place. There is no data about these events in Russian chronicles.
The first official mentions of Prince Vladimir as Equal-to-the-Apostles date back to the 14th century. He is revered not only by Orthodox, but also by Catholics, since he lived before the schism of the church. Now the Day of Remembrance of Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir is celebrated on July 28.
For reference: since 2002, Vladimir has been considered the heavenly patron of the internal troops of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs.
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Facts and myths about a man who passed away from earthly life 1000 years ago
HERO OF EPICS AND BALLADS
“Good,” said the prince, when he listened to the evidence of the Tsargrad man, “by you, father, I am now convinced that I was the husband of so many wives, that I lived both dissolutely and dashingly.” That my god was either Perun or Veles, That I took Rogneda by force, Until now, I know, a demon was amusing himself over me, But you dispelled the darkness, and I am going to Chersonesus to be baptized, in repentance!
The significance of Vladimir’s fate was captured many centuries later by Count Alexei Konstantinovich Tolstoy in the ballad “The Song of Vladimir’s Campaign to Korsun.” His epic image attracted Pushkin in “Ruslan and Lyudmila”. And these days - filmmakers, including animators. But on screen he is very different. Here is the tragic hero of the epic “Prince Vladimir” (2006). And here is a funny pseudo-epic “prince” from the sensational “heroic cycle” of cartoons.
Politicians do not ignore Vladimir either - and not only and not so much in Russia. For example, “Kievan Rus”, born in Soviet textbooks, has become a kind of fetish for the new Ukrainian worldview. And the Baptist, who gathered Russian lands around the capital Kyiv and brought faith here from Chersonesus, turns out to be a very suitable figure for manipulation...
However, squeezing the prince into a narrowed national apartment is a pointless exercise. The reign of Vladimir is an extremely important stage in the creation of a unified state past of Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians. And each of the three nations preserves the memory of him both in scientific works and in folk tradition. This is what we have in common. But still: where do myths end and real (as far as they can be discerned between the chronicle lines) facts begin?
What do we know about Vladimir from historical sources?
BRAVE WARRIOR AND REVEER
His father, the Russian Grand Duke Svyatoslav Igorevich, did not stay long in the capital Kyiv, spending time on distant military campaigns. Mother, Malusha, was a princely slave, housekeeper of Princess Olga, the first Christian in the Rurik dynasty and mother of Svyatoslav. But condemning Svyatoslav’s paganism, she remained his faithful adviser and ruler of Kyiv until her death. That’s why she raised Vladimir, the illegitimate “Robichich,” along with her other grandchildren.
Svyatoslav died at the beginning of 972 in a battle with the Pechenegs, returning from an unsuccessful war. But three years before that, he divided his lands between his sons: the eldest Yaropolk became the prince of Kyiv, Oleg received the land of the Drevlyans, and Vladimir was sent to Novgorod with his uncle and teacher Dobrynya. And after the death of his father, internecine strife began. Yaropolk, having killed Oleg, annexed the Drevlyansky land to his possessions. Not having the strength to fight his brother, Vladimir fled from Novgorod. Yaropolk immediately sent his governors there. However, in 977, Vladimir returned from across the Baltic Sea with mercenary Varangians. The Novgorodians immediately went over to his side...
In 978, the North Russian army moved to Kyiv. Hunger forced Yaropolk to surrender. He himself was treacherously killed.
The victory was celebrated by a brave warrior and a daring reveler - you can’t erase a word from the song. Moreover, from The Tale of Bygone Years:
“Vladimir was overcome by lust. He had wives: Rogneda, whom he settled on Lybid, where the village of Predslavino is now located, from her he had four sons: Izyaslav, Mstislav, Yaroslav, Vsevolod and two daughters; from a Greek woman he had Svyatopolk, from a Czech woman - Vysheslav, and from another wife - Svyatoslav and Mstislav, and from a Bulgarian woman - Boris and Gleb, and he had three hundred concubines in Vyshgorod, three hundred in Belgorod and two hundred in Berestovo, in the village, which They call it now Berestovoe. And he was insatiable in fornication, bringing to himself married women and corrupting girls. He was as much a womanizer as Solomon, for they say that Solomon had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines.”
NEWLY MOVED POLITICIAN
By the mid-980s, almost all East Slavic lands were united by Vladimir under the direct rule of Kyiv. No Russian prince has achieved such success. In the capital, he created a sanctuary of the five highest pagan gods, led by Perun. Perhaps the pagan reform was supposed to become a symbol of the submission of the southerners to the new illegal prince. But the main thing during this period was a radical turn not in religion, but in politics.
In 985, Vladimir defeated the Volga Bulgarians. But he did not, as usual, impose an unreliable tribute on the country, but concluded an equal peace and an eternal alliance. The chronicle testifies that it was decided this way on the advice of Dobrynya’s faithful uncle and comrade-in-arms. Walking around the prisoners, he said: “I examined the convicts - everyone was wearing boots. We cannot give these tributes. Let’s go find some bast shoes for ourselves.”
The strange phrase seemed to mean a change in the entire political line of Rus'. It was no longer semi-robbery raids on neighboring lands for one-time “tribute” that came to the fore. The task was proclaimed to be a painstaking gathering of the “lapotniks” of Eastern Europe - Slavs, Balts, Finns - under the rule of the Kyiv prince. Not the ruin of foreign states, usual for the peoples of the tribal era, but the construction of our own.
It is not at all accidental that this was soon followed by the baptism of Rus'.
The plows are ready, the sails are raised, the Varangians are sailing to Chersonesus, Pomerania, where the southern flowers bloom, Scarlet soon covered the shields And the banners with Russian corvids. And the prince tells the Korsun people: “I’m here! Surrender, I humbly ask you, Otherwise, don’t demand it, I’ll knock down your arrogance And I’ll open up the whole city over stones - I definitely want to be baptized!”
BAPTIST OF Rus'
In 987-988, Vladimir negotiated with Byzantium about his baptism and marriage to Princess Anna, promising in return to provide military assistance to Emperors Vasily and Constantine. The prince kept his word, but his counterparts insidiously walked away from their obligations. Then Vladimir made a campaign against Chersonesus, the center of Greek possessions in Crimea, captured the city and took Anna as his wife. Whether he was baptized then or even before the campaign, historians differ in their opinions.
Returning to Kyiv, the prince ordered the destruction of the temple he had erected with pagan idols. All Kiev residents were ordered to gather at the confluence of the Pochayna River into the Dnieper. There the Greek priests, who arrived with Vladimir from Chersonesos, baptized the people - right in the river waters...
But how historical is the chronicle narrative, so rich in colorful details? After all, “The Tale of Bygone Years,” the most famous chronicle of Ancient Rus', was created only at the beginning of the 12th century. Behind a series of events that we see as real history, the chroniclers were looking for God's parable, the highest meaning. Under their pen, Vladimir was likened either to the biblical patriarch Jacob, or to the righteous King Solomon, or to the first Christian emperor Constantine, as if repeating their deeds in Rus'.
And, of course, to us, distant descendants, it seems not entirely possible for the miraculous transformation of a sinner into a righteous man in such a short time. But let’s try to critically analyze everything that we know about Vladimir...
QUESTIONS ABOUT PERSONAL...
WAS THE PRINCE HEALED FROM BLINDNESS BY BAPTISM?
Legends and contradictory versions inevitably appeared around Epiphany. Even the place of Vladimir’s baptism is indicated differently. According to a number of sources, he was baptized in Kyiv in 988. The same year is considered the date of the baptism of Rus'. Although, according to many scientists, the country was baptized only in 989 - it was then, according to the contemporary events of the Byzantine author Leo the Deacon, that the Rus took Chersonesos. Consequently, no earlier than this year, Vladimir had to make peace with Byzantium and marry Anna.
The fact that he fought with the Greeks already baptized is confirmed by another contemporary - the German chronicler Thietmar of Merseburg.
But, according to the chronicle legend, at the moment when Vladimir won Anna’s hand, a sudden illness happened to him - blindness. Anna, who arrived in Korsun, advised the prince to be baptized as a means of healing. Vladimir listened and was healed.
Blindness is spoken of in many ancient Russian sources reporting on the baptism of Vladimir. But what is meant is mental blindness, which is shown to readers through a physical illness that supposedly overcame the prince. Spiritual blindness passed after finding Christ and understanding faith - and on the advice of Anna, the biblical “good wife” who turns her husband to goodness and God. Thanks to her, Vladimir becomes a Christian and a wise ruler.
WAS VLADIMIR LOVING voluptuousness?
12 sons are attributed to Vladimir, and this number is not entirely obvious from the lists in the chronicle itself. Moreover, if the prince really (as stated in the same chronicle) had hundreds of concubines, then most likely there should have been more children. Meanwhile, for the chronicler in this case, what was significant was not reality, but the sacred load that was invested in the number 12. The twelve children of the Grand Duke are the twelve patriarchs, from whom will come the twelve tribes of the Christian “new Israel,” the descendants of the Russian great princes.
And although there is no reason to doubt the voluptuousness of Vladimir the pagan (Thietmar of Merseburg also speaks about this in the Chronicle, and he notes that Vladimir the Christian did not immediately abandon his vicious inclination), for the chronicler the main thing is not factual accuracy, but the parallel with Solomon. He, too, was voluptuous, and this led him away from God, while Vladimir, on the contrary, came from fornication and paganism to God through the “good wife,” Princess Anna.
DID THE PRINCE GIVE GENEROUSLY TO THE BEGGAR?
Traits of a real personality sometimes appear where, at first glance, we are talking about a literary image, a cliché. In chronicles and lives, Vladimir is especially glorified for his alms. The feasts of the “affectionate prince Vladimir”, accessible to everyone, were remembered in epics. The first Russian writer, 11th-century Metropolitan Hilarion, showed Vladimir as a generous and merciful defender of all those who suffer. Moreover, the contemporary German chronicler Thietmar, who spoke harshly of Vladimir, also speaks of him as a beggar-lover and alms-giver. This looks very much in contrast to the previous characterizations of Vladimir as a woman-lover and a persecutor of Christians.
In general, Thietmar's story about Vladimir is filled with contrasts. Just like, one must think, the true life of the prince.
ABOUT THE STATE...
DID THE PRINCE BAPTIZE Rus' WITH “FIRE AND SWORD”?
This is one of the most exciting topics. But not one of the oldest sources - neither Russian nor foreign - says a word about this. The prince threatened those who were not baptized that they would “be his enemies,” but, according to all data, there were no such people in large cities. For a pagan Slav, the prince was the highest authority in religious matters. And the fact that he destroyed the idols with impunity destroyed faith in the power of the gods. The people of Kiev mourned the broken Perun, but were baptized without any resistance and even with joy - at least outwardly. The same thing happened throughout almost the rest of Rus'.
Only in Novgorod, according to a very late legend, were there clashes. And the Novgorod governor Dobrynya allegedly had to use force. But only one source speaks about this - the so-called. Joachim's Chronicle, preserved only in the work of the 18th century historian V.N. Tatishcheva. The latter received it from his relative, Archimandrite M. Borshchov, whom he persistently asked for some ancient manuscript. The manuscript was found and, as expected, “confirmed” many of Tatishchev’s guesses about the ancient history of Rus'. There are many oddities and contradictions in the text, and Tatishchev himself wrote about the monk Veniamin, who supposedly provided the manuscript to Borshchov, that he was “made up only for closure.” So the Joachim Chronicle does not go back to the time of Vladimir, and cannot serve as a reliable source - even if it is a compilation and not a pure forgery. There is not the slightest evidence of the baptism “by fire and sword” of all Rus', even in the Joachim Chronicle.
WHAT DID CHRISTIANITY BRING TO Rus'?
She entered, as an equal, into the family of European Christian peoples. The Slavic alphabet spread in Rus'. The first books were copied - first copies of the Slavic translation of the Bible. Byzantine stone architecture and icon painting were transferred to Rus'. Christianity gradually permeated the entire emerging Russian culture.
THE MAIN THING
PRINCE VLADIMIR: DAYS OF TRUTH ARE MORE EXPENSIVE DAYS OF WAR!
The Russian Grand Duke Vladimir Svyatoslavovich died on July 15, 1015. Already his immediate descendants unanimously recognized his merits in the transformation of Rus', which turned out to be more important than past sins and political miscalculations. It was through the works of Vladimir, who continued Olga’s work, that Rus' turned into a genuine state. She united all the East Slavic tribes under her rule, becoming one of the largest and strongest powers in Europe. Vladimir ultimately showed himself to be a valiant ruler in war and wise in days of peace, caring for the welfare of all his subjects.
Leafing through the pages of ancient chronicles and scientific works, you often find it difficult to understand: how does one or another ruler become a hero of great History? No, no, and the feeling will arise: those whom we now consider heroes were almost villains for their era. But something else is also true - those whom antiquity chose as heroes and saints were children of their harsh centuries. And their contemporaries did not doubt their merits. It is our refined view that the stormy and cruel passions of the past millennia can terrify us to the point of losing our sight. Before loss, the main thing is to distinguish.
The Russian people remembered Prince Vladimir in their epics as “Vladimir the Red Sun,” the owner of a brilliant heroic court. The Russian Orthodox Church canonized Vladimir, the Baptist of Rus', in the 13th century.
Like a dream, the whole past life flashed by, The truth of the Lord was felt, And tears flowed from the eyes for the first time, And Vladimir imagined: for the first time he saw His city today. The people, recognizing their train from afar, crowded onto the shore - and many, timidly wandering without shelter and rights, Christians came from caves and oak forests, and glorified the Savior God. And his gaze fell on Vladimir’s squad: “You, friends, hitherto with me only a sword and an ax have won victories, But the time has come, and from now on we are still Strong with another strength! What was vaguely reflected in my soul, You will now understand clearly: The days of righteousness are more valuable than the days of war! Row, friends, row harder, lean harder on the oars!” The water boiled, foaming under the runner, rushed back and splashed on the shore, a line of boats quickly formed, the leading ships ran into the pier, and the sails fell with a noise. And he came ashore, reborn in soul, Vladimir for a new power, And he brought the law of mercy into Rus' - - Deeds of ancient, distant times, Traditions of unfading glory!
