Prayer for the holiday of the Baptism of Rus'. Prayer singing on the feast of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir - memories of the Baptism of Rus'

“O great servant of God, God-chosen and God-glorified, equal to the apostles Prince Vladimir! You rejected pagan evil and wickedness, you believed in the One True Trinitarian God and, having received Holy Baptism, you enlightened the entire Russian country with the light of Divine faith and piety. Glorifying and giving thanks to our Most Merciful Creator and Savior, we glorify, thank you, our Enlightener and Father, for by you we have known the saving faith of Christ and have been baptized in the Name of the Most Holy and Divine Trinity: by that faith we have been delivered from the righteous condemnation of God, the eternal slavery of the devil and the torment of hell : by that faith I received the grace of sonship with God and the hope of inheriting Heavenly bliss. You are our first leader to the Author and Finisher of our eternal salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ; You are a warm prayer book and intercessor for the Russian country, for the army and for all people. Our language cannot depict the greatness and height of the blessings you poured out on our land, on our fathers and forefathers and on us, unworthy. O all-merciful father and our enlightener! Look at our weaknesses and beg the most merciful King of Heaven, may He not be very angry with us, as through our infirmities we sin all day long, may He not destroy us with our iniquities, but may He have mercy and save us, by His mercy, may He plant us in our hearts May His saving fear enlighten our minds with His grace, so that we may understand the ways of the Lord, leave the paths of wickedness and error, and strive in the paths of salvation and truth, unwavering fulfillment of the commandments of God and the statutes of the Holy Church. Pray, merciful Lord, to the Lover of Mankind, that He may add His great mercy to us, that He may deliver us from the invasion of foreigners, from internal disorder, rebellion and strife, from famine, deadly diseases and from all evil, that He may give us the prosperity of the air and the fruitfulness of the earth, that He may give us the shepherds are zeal for the salvation of their flock, but all people have the haste to diligently correct their services, have love among themselves and like-mindedness, and strive faithfully for the good of the Fatherland and the Holy Church, so that the light of saving faith may shine in our country at all ends of it, so that all heresies and schisms, so having lived in peace on earth, we will be worthy of eternal bliss with you, praising and exalting God forever and ever. Amen."

Extended prayer to Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir of Kyiv

“O great and glorious servant of God, God-chosen and God-glorified, Equal-to-the-Apostles to Prince Vladimir, holy and magnificent instrument of the all-good Providence for the salvation of the Russian people! You have rejected pagan evil and wickedness, you have believed in the One True Trinitarian God and, having accepted holy baptism You have enlightened the Russian country with the light of Divine faith and piety. Glorifying and giving thanks to our Most Merciful Creator and Savior, we glorify and thank you, great shepherd and our father, for by you we have known the saving faith of Christ and were baptized in the Name of the Most Holy and Divine Trinity, and by faith we have been delivered from the righteous condemnation of God, the eternal slavery of the devil and hell torture, by that faith I received the grace of sonship with God and the hope of inheriting Heavenly bliss. You are our first leader to the Head and Finisher of our eternal salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ, you are the closest primate before the Throne of the King of Kings and a warm prayer book and intercessor for our country and for all people, you are the first culprit of the blessings and mercies of God resting on us . And what else are we talking about? Our language cannot depict the greatness and height of your blessings poured out on us, unworthy. But, oh our foolishness and blindness! Having accepted so many good deeds, I impute them to nothing and take away their saving fruits. Having washed ourselves from sin in the font of Baptism and put on the clothing of purity and innocence, we have desecrated this God-given clothing with our cold deeds and thoughts. Having renounced Satan and his angels, we again become enslaved to him, serving as the idol of our passions, the world, the flesh and the evil custom of the age. Having united with Christ, we constantly offend Him with our iniquities, the manifold wounds of pride, envy, malice, slander, intemperance and contempt for Holy Church. We cling entirely to vain blessings, imagining that we will remain on earth forever, and we do not think about Heaven, about souls, about death, about Judgment, about endless eternity. For this reason, we bring upon ourselves the righteous wrath and condemnation of God, and we also insult and grieve your fatherly love and care for us, for you have enlightened us with holy Baptism, so that you can help us to receive Heavenly bliss and earthly prosperity, while we, being foolish, are evil By our will we subject ourselves to hellish torments and temporary disasters! But, O all-merciful father and our enlightener, be merciful to our weaknesses, long-suffering towards our sins and untruths, beg the Most Merciful King of Heaven, so that he will not be angry with us and will not destroy us with our iniquities, but may he have mercy and save us, which is the message destinies. May He implant His saving fear in our hearts, may He enlighten our minds with His grace, so that we may see the abyss of destruction, in our agony we strive to leave the paths of wickedness and error, and turn to the path of salvation and truth, to unswervingly fulfill the commandments of God and the statutes of the Holy Church. Pray, kind-hearted God, the Lover of Mankind, may He show us His great mercy, may He deliver us from the invasion of foreigners, from internal disorder, rebellion and strife, from famine, deadly diseases and from all evil, may He give us the prosperity of the air and the fruitfulness of the earth, may He preserve in those who judge and rule, truth and mercy, may it give to spiritual shepherds integrity of life and zeal for the salvation of their flock, and to all people zeal in the performance of their duties, mutual love and like-mindedness, striving for the good of the fatherland and the Holy Church. May the light of saving faith spread throughout our country, to all its ends, may it convert non-believers to orthodoxy, may it abolish all heresies and schisms, and, having lived in peace on earth, we will be worthy of eternal bliss with you, praising and exalting God forever and ever. Amen."

Prayer to Saint Prince Vladimir for the health of loved ones

“O great servant of God, equal to the apostles to Prince Vladimir! Look at our weaknesses and beg the Most Merciful King of Heaven, may he not be very angry with us and may he not destroy us with our iniquities, but may he have mercy and save us by His mercy, may he implant repentance and the saving fear of God in our hearts, may he enlighten us with His grace Our mind is to leave us the paths of wickedness and turn to the path of salvation, and unswervingly keep the commandments of God and keep the statutes of the Holy Church. Pray, kind-hearted God, the Lover of Mankind, that He may show us His great mercy: may He deliver us from deadly diseases and from all evil, may He preserve and save the servants of God (names) from all the snares and slander of the enemy, and may we all be worthy of eternal bliss with you, praising and exalting God forever and ever.”

Prayer to Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir the Baptist of Rus' for protection

“How can we praise you, most courageous among earthly rulers, Vladimir? What kind of thanks shall we give to you, since by your knowledge of the Lord and the flattery of idols has been banished, since by your command Christ is glorified throughout the whole earth? How did you believe? How did you seek Christ? Tell us, your servants, where can I smell the stench of the Holy Spirit from? You have not seen Christ, nor walked on Him, how can you find His disciple? You did not see the apostle come to your land, you did not see him casting out demons in the Name of Christ, healing the sick, raising the dead. Amazing miracle! Other kings and rulers, seeing all this, coming from the saints, did not believe, but rather gave them up to passions and torments, but you, O blessed one, without seeing or hearing all of these, you flocked to Christ, realizing that there is One Creator of invisible and visible, heavenly and earthly, and as an ambassador to the world, for our salvation, His Beloved Son. And having thought this, you entered the holy font.

And now, thousands of years have passed since the Baptism of Rus', look upon your land and see your children. See how your people live, how they preserve their essence by the Lord, how they preserve their faith according to your tradition, how they glorify Christ, how they worship His Name. See the cities, shining with majesty, see the blooming churches, see the growing Christianity, see your city Kyiv, so many saints of God, resting in incorruption, shining, and fragrant with incense, and proclaiming the praises and divine songs of the saints. And having seen all this, rejoice and be glad and praise the Good God, the Builder of all.

Seeing that your faithful sowing, through your intercession and intercession, was not quickly dried up by the heat of unbelief, but by the rain of God’s haste, it was disposed to become abundantly fruitful, Rejoice in spirit, in the lords of the Apostle, not resurrecting the dead body, but resurrecting us in soul, the dead! Rejoice, our comforter and teacher of good faith! You are, O honest leader, a garment for the naked, a feeder for the greedy, a refreshment for the wombs thirsty, a helper for widows, a strange resting place, a protector for the offended, an enrichment for the wretched.

Having received retribution from this good deed in Heaven and being satisfied with the sight of the sweet face of God, do not stop praying for your land and for your children, in whom the dominion is blessed, so that orthodoxy may be glorified in our land and may the Lord not forsake us, even if we still wander, so much century has passed, and yet we still sin against our Lord and Master, like the new purchase of a slave, displeasing our master in everything. We raise our hands to you and pray to you: pray to the Lady of all, may he extend, to the utmost, peace, His mercy on our fatherland and His people, driving away the military, establishing peace, serving the famine, scattering the cities, growing His Church, preserving His property, men , saving both wives and babies, and bearing His mercy, in the unity of faith together we cheerfully and joyfully glorify our Lord Jesus Christ, with the Father and with Holy Spirit, the Indivisible Trinity, One and Only Divine, reigning in Heaven and on earth, now and ever, and forever and ever. Amen."

Only a single spiritual life could do Ancient Rus' state - after all, in pagan times, different tribes and regions recognized different gods as their patrons, which is why even armed conflicts arose. It was Prince Vladimir who essentially united Rus' for the first time, creating a strong country with the help of spiritual bonds.

The Baptism of Rus' is only symbolically named by the same name as the Sacrament of Baptism, which is performed on a person. This process can be called active missionary work in Rus' and the personal preaching of Prince Vladimir, who was baptized independently and baptized Rus'. Also, as a result of Baptism, the Orthodox Church became state institute Kievan Rus.

The beginning of Orthodoxy in Rus'

Christianity in Rus' was almost not oppressed only thanks to the holy princess Olga, the grandmother of Prince Vladimir. Knowing about the power of the Byzantine Empire, the stronghold of Christianity, the future saint set off on the Russian fleet she had already created to Constantinople on a diplomatic mission. Having learned about Christian teachings and seeing the prosperity of the Christian empire, she was baptized by Patriarch Theophylact of Constantinople. Her godfather was Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus himself - according to legend, he invited her to become his wife, and she wisely offered to become her successor from the baptismal font. A godfather cannot marry his daughter - this is exactly how Saint Olga once again remained faithful to the memory of her husband without a quarrel with a powerful state dangerous for Rus'.

Returning to Rus' with icons and liturgical books, the saint began to preach Christianity. There were Christians on Russian lands before, but the pagans periodically persecuted them: this is how the first Christians who reigned in the city of Kyiv, Askold and Dir, were killed. Over their graves in Kyiv, Saint Olga erected the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, thereby marking the beginning of the veneration of St. Nicholas the Pleasant in Russia. In the center of Kyiv, the saint founded a temple in the name of Sophia the Wisdom of God, placing in it a Cross made of Wood Life-giving Cross of the Lord, on which the Lord Himself was crucified and with which the Patriarch of Constantinople blessed her for apostolic service (that is, preaching Christianity). She began to build churches in all Russian cities, united the life of graveyards around churches - she erected churches in cemeteries that served as places for worshiping the spirits of the dead. And now the word “pogost” means a church with a cemetery around it.

Saint Olga brought to Rus' not only the teachings of the Lord, but also church dogmas and an idea of theology. Perhaps, for the Baptism of all Rus', Saint Olga did not have enough masculine firmness of her grandson, Prince Vladimir, who from an early age had already observed the activities of his grandmother. It is more likely that Olga’s son, the matured Svyatoslav, did not allow her to preach the teachings of Christ to people on a national scale. A big step towards enlightenment was at least the absence of oppression of Christians from Svyatoslav. As a true Christian, Olga humbly transferred power to her son, who rightfully occupied the throne, and was engaged only in preaching, temple building and charity - caring for the needy. Even before her death, she received the priest secretly and was afraid to baptize her grandchildren.

It is known that Olga prayed a lot for the enlightenment of the Russian land: through her prayers, thanks to her upbringing, Saint Prince Vladimir eventually came to the Christian faith and baptized Rus', which became a great state.

Saint Olga reposed in the Lord at the age of about 80 in 969, on July 24 - today the Church annually celebrates her memory on this day.

History of the Baptism of Rus'

By the time Vladimir ascended the princely throne, paganism was flourishing on the territory of Kievan Rus. The prince began to rule as a pagan, winning the respect of the people of Kiev and his squad as a wise and honest man by pagan standards. It is known that he was brave and brave in battles, but many of his deeds before Baptism terrify Christian historians - he was simply a bloodthirsty warrior. During his reign, large human sacrifices were made, including the killing of Christians.

At some point, Prince Vladimir realized that paganism was becoming obsolete and began to reform polytheism by creating a common pantheon of gods in 983. However, the tribes in the country continued to quarrel among themselves, arguing which of the gods was stronger and, accordingly, which of the tribes was more powerful under his protection (there was, for example, the Veles tribe, the Svarog tribe, depending on the region).

Back in 983, Prince Vladimir himself made sacrifices and was a torturer, and just five years later he became Prince Vladimir the Red Sun, the Baptist of Rus'. We know many examples of people who became Christians only in words. Vladimir was not like that: he lost the foundations of Christianity and decided that this religion would be useful not only for government structure, but also for the moral state of people. He was baptized himself and changed his life, trying to follow the ideals of Christ. It is known that the prince began to care a lot about the poor, and stopped being a polygamist (previously he had a large harem of concubines). It was precisely because of his life and sincere work that he was canonized as a saint, and not at all because the Church thanked him for the “new lands.”

The main transformation and enlightenment was the soul of the prince himself, who realized the lack of spirituality and cruelty of paganism.

How did the Baptism of Rus' happen?

In 988, Prince Vladimir converted to Christianity in Korsun (Chersonese, which was then a Byzantine colony), married the Orthodox princess Anna and began the process of Christianization and missionary work in the state. In the Dnieper and Pochayna rivers he baptized the squad, boyars and courtiers. Now above the place of their Baptism on the Kyiv Mountains there is a monument to Prince Vladimir.

The prince did not force anyone to be baptized on pain of death, but it is possible that many were baptized for fear of losing the prince’s favor. Many historians believe that the baptism of most of the population took place by force. However, a number of chronicles preserve evidence of priests and bishops who became martyrs for the faith in different regions of the country, remote from Kyiv. Many of them were canonized. This means that the priests were not always under the protection of the squad and, even more so, could not punish those who refused to be baptized.

Let us note that the Russian Orthodox Church at first did not have a Patriarch and was local church, which was governed by bishops at local sees. When did it happen Great Schism, the division of the Churches into Orthodox and Catholic, the Russian remained in Orthodoxy. Prince Vladimir initially could have been baptized in Rome and brought Western missionaries to Rus', but, according to historians, he considered the Pope too burdened with political ambitions, while Vladimir himself did not want to submit to any dictate.

How to receive Baptism yourself

The name of the state and its borders have changed, many centuries have passed, but the dominant religion of our Fatherland has remained unchanged. Traditions and history of Russia are connected with it. If you believe in God, perhaps the time has come for you to receive Holy Baptism.

It is better to arrange Baptism in the church in advance or find out the usual schedule of Baptisms - then several children are baptized along with adults.

Epiphany Day is the day of new birth in Christ. Therefore, on this day, a particularly appropriate gift for the newly baptized would be a gift with the image of the namesake patron saint. The icon will also be a wonderful christening gift from godparents: By the way, at Baptism it is not necessary to have both godparents, you can only have one - of the same gender as the child.

The godparent must be a churchgoer and a believer and wear it on his chest during the Sacrament of Baptism. orthodox cross. Godmother during Baptism should not be in short skirt or trousers, heavily made up. Godparents can be relatives, for example, a grandmother or sister. People who profess another faith or belong to another Christian denomination (Catholics, Protestants, sectarians) cannot be godparents.

How to pray to Prince Vladimir

Saint Prince Vladimir is glorified among the Equal-to-the-Apostles, that is, enlighteners similar to the apostles. He became famous for his strength and wisdom in all areas of life. They pray before his icon in all life’s difficulties:

About help in business;
About maintaining faith and purity of soul;
About forgiveness of sins;
About getting rid of danger;
About conflict resolution;
About assistance in political and public career, as well as church service.

The Day of Remembrance of Saint Prince Vladimir is the day of the feast of the Baptism of Rus'. This date is celebrated on July 28th. On this day, festive services, Divine Liturgies are performed, short prayer to Saint Prince Vladimir - a troparion that can be read online at any time if necessary:

You have become like a merchant looking for a treasure, glorious and sovereign Prince Vladimir, sitting at the height of the throne of the mother of Russian cities, God-saved Kyiv: testing and sending ambassadors to the Royal City of Constantinople in order to find out the Orthodox faith, you found a priceless treasure - Christ, who chose you, like the second Apostle Paul, and you received your spiritual sight in the holy font of Baptism. Today we, your people, celebrate your memory, ask the Lord to save your Russian country, its leaders and subjects.

Through the prayers of Saint Prince Vladimir, may the Lord protect you!

1888 - 900th anniversary

The first widespread public celebration of the Day of the Baptism of Rus' took place in 1888. The idea of celebrating the 900th anniversary of the Baptism of the people of Rus' belonged to the Kyiv Orthodox townspeople, who approached Metropolitan Platon of Kyiv and Galicia with this idea. It was the Metropolitan of Kiev and Galicia who in 1886 presented his project for the celebration to the Holy Synod.

Celebration of the 900th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus' on Vladimirskaya Hill in Kyiv, 1888

The idea of the Bishop was actively supported not only by the Kyiv City Duma, but also by the St. Petersburg “Slavic Benevolent Society”, in which, in the same 1886, the need to celebrate the upcoming anniversary was also hotly discussed. It was this society that ensured that the celebration of the Baptism of Rus' became not only Kyiv, but also all-Russian. At the same time, doubts arose about the appropriateness of such a celebration. In the monthly calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church there was no holiday in honor of the introduction of Christianity in Rus'. Nevertheless, the upcoming anniversary of the Baptism of Rus' received support from the top. The representative of the Holy Synod, Konstantin Pobedonostsev, who became an ardent supporter of the celebration, said that the 900th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus' is so significant anniversary, that it should be recognized as an outstanding event not only for Orthodox Rus', but for all Orthodox world.

Festive celebrations on the occasion of the 900th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus'. Kyiv, 1888

Almost two years later, on February 17, 1888, the Resolution of the Holy Synod was issued on the celebration of the 900th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus'. The main day of events was announced July 15 (July 28 local time)- day of church remembrance of Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, the baptist of Rus'. The resolution approved the obligatory church order of celebration, recognizing special events not only on July 15, but throughout the week as indispensable. At the same time, Epiphany was celebrated not only in Kyiv, but throughout Rus'.

From that time on, preparations for the celebrations began. The holiday, according to the organizers, was supposed to cover the entire Orthodox world, but its main character was to be Orthodox Rus' and its history, in which Prince Vladimir played a special role. Evidence of that celebration has been preserved: “The city was decorated with flags and garlands with the golden initial of Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir. As planned, the solemn procession was preceded by a festive service in the St. Sophia Cathedral. At the end of the liturgy, the procession with icons and banners, banners and guild signs moved under the ringing of the bells of the St. Sophia Cathedral to the monument to Saint Prince Vladimir. After this, the procession continued its movement and stopped at the font prepared on the banks of the Dnieper. By this time, thousands of people had already flocked to the place of water blessing. They filled all the squares, the tops of the city hills and the roofs of houses, and many ships accumulated on the Dnieper, including 20 large steamships, crowded with the public.” The celebration of the 900th anniversary of the Kyiv Baptism of Rus took place in Kyiv, St. Petersburg, Moscow, and Yekaterinoslav. This day was solemnly celebrated in those cities that were related to the life and work of Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir: Chersonesus, Novgorod, Vladimir-Volynsky, Ovruch, Lutsk. In every major city, celebrations took place according to a pre-determined scenario, the scope of which depended on the capabilities of local authorities - Odessa, Kharkov, Sevastopol, Kaluga, Vilna widely celebrated the 900th anniversary. They were printed and distributed everywhere, especially in educational institutions, books of patristic literature, the life of the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, his icons were installed. Large quantity The restoration and construction of new churches throughout the country increased the significance of the anniversary.

1988 - 1000th anniversary, or “Second Baptism of Rus'”

Celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus', 1988

For the first time since the establishment of atheistic power in the USSR, celebrations on the occasion of church holiday. From the memoirs of Valentin Falin, a direct participant in those events: “In the mid-1980s, I was assigned to head the Novosti press agency (APN). In June 1986, M.S. Gorbachev, with the participation of other members of the Politburo, held a meeting with social scientists, writers, and media executives. The goal is to identify what should be done to make the ideas of perestroika understandable to the intelligentsia? It should be noted that literally on the eve of this, several hierarchs of our Church turned to me and expressed great concern about the upcoming anniversary under the conditions of a godless government. In my speech, I formulated: the millennium of the Baptism of Rus' is coming. The anniversary should be celebrated as a national holiday, a significant stage in our history, the formation of Rus' as a state. The hall is silent, and that’s where they parted. The next day, I ask you to invite Metropolitans Pitirim and Juvenaly and other authoritative archpastors to the APN on my behalf. The invitation was accepted... Patriarch Pimen considered it necessary to take the chance to recreate harmony in society and heal previously inflicted wounds. It was a lot of prep work, but it worked! The celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus' changed the minds of millions of people. In the anniversary year of the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus', the Soviet government returned Orthodox Church St. Danilov Monastery, Far Caves of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, Vvedenskaya Optina Monastery, Tolgsky Monastery, which meant the revival of monasticism. The following have returned to the Church from museums and state repositories: a particle of the Cross of the Lord, the right hand of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called, the head of St. John Chrysostom, particles of the relics of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, the Holy Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky.”

Delegation of archpastors of the Russian Orthodox Church at a meeting with Mikhail Gorbachev, 1988

Another eyewitness and direct participant in the Prayer service in honor of the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus' on Vladimirskaya Hill in Kyiv, now Bishop Jonah of Obukhov, recalls those anniversary celebrations this way: “My churching coincided with the beginning of the revival of Orthodoxy in our country. Increased interest in the Church and its life arose when the whole country was preparing to celebrate the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus'. After all, preparations for this event began somewhat earlier than 1988 - two or three years ago... On the eve of the celebrations on the occasion of the millennium of the Baptism of Rus', a discreet campaign to cover the celebration began in the media... Chapters of the Gospel began to be published in one or another Soviet periodical. I can say with confidence that these pages were read almost “to the holes.” As a result, when celebrations took place throughout the country on the occasion of the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus', this event was greeted not as something out of the ordinary and supernatural, but as a completely natural holiday... The celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus' made it possible to open churches , openly preach the Word of God and confess your faith. The result was a real turning point in history. Soviet Union. In fact, from this date the persecution of the Church ceased, and this historical moment truly became the second Baptism of Rus'.”

Celebrations dedicated to the celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus'. 1988

Prayer service on Vladimirskaya Hill on the occasion of the celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus'. Kyiv, 1988

2006- to organize the national celebration of the Day of the Baptism of Rus', an International public organization“Day of the Baptism of Rus'” from representatives of culture, clergy, science and sports from Ukraine, Russia, Belarus and Moldova.

2007- first in modern history folk celebration of the Day of the Baptism of Rus' in Kyiv.

Celebrating the Day of the Baptism of Rus' on the Singing Field in Kyiv, 2007

2008- celebration of the 1020th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus'. Celebrations were organized educational concerts at 24 largest cities Ukraine, which attracted more than one and a half million viewers. A religious procession with an icon and a piece of the relics of St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir was organized in all dioceses of Ukraine.

2009- on the days of the celebration of the Baptism of Rus' His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', arrived in Ukraine for the first time on a pastoral, prayer and pilgrimage visit.

Patriarch Kirill during a festive prayer service on Vladimirskaya Hill in Kyiv, 2009

2011-2012- by blessing His Holiness Patriarch Moscow and All Rus' Kirill and His Beatitude Metropolitan Vladimir, the celebration of the Day of the Baptism of Rus' was held in the capitals of three countries simultaneously - in Kyiv, Moscow and Minsk - with live TV broadcast on the main television channels of the countries participating in the celebrations.

2013- with the blessing of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Kirill, as part of the international celebration of the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus', a unique religious procession was held, in which for the first time in history the ark with the holy relics of the baptizer of Rus', Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, was carried from Vladivostok to Kyiv throughout the territory of Rus' . The procession with the holy relics of the Baptist of Rus' ended on July 27 in Kyiv on Khreshchatyk, where a grand public celebration of the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus' took place with a live broadcast to the whole world.

Celebrating the Day of the Baptism of Rus' on the central streets of Kyiv, 2013

Patriarch Kirill and Metropolitan Vladimir during a festive prayer service on Vladimirskaya Hill. Kyiv, 2013

First hierarchs of the Orthodox churches during the festive celebrations in Kyiv dedicated to the Day of the Baptism of Rus'. 2013

Since 2014- with the blessing of the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry, the procession in honor of great date The baptism of Rus' and the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir is becoming a tradition.

2016- for the first time, on the eve of the celebration of the Day of the Baptism of Rus', an All-Ukrainian religious procession of peace, prayer and love was held. The starting points of the religious procession were the Svyatogorsk Lavra in the east and the Pochaev Lavra in the west of the country. Hundreds of thousands of people took part in the procession, walked with miraculous icons and prayer across the entire country to ask God for peace for everyone. And on July 27, pilgrims united in Kyiv on Vladimirskaya Gorka to together praise the Lord and pray for God’s mercy for our people. In total, more than 80 thousand people took part in the prayer service on Vladimirskaya Hill and the procession to the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. It is noteworthy that the celebration of the Baptism of Rus' that year coincided with the celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the establishment of ancient Russian monasticism on Holy Mount Athos. For this occasion, a unique icon “The Blessing of Holy Mount Athos” with the image of the Mother of God and the saints who came from the Kyiv baptismal font was specially brought to Kyiv. Believers had the opportunity to pray at this icon during the Prayer Service on Vladimir Hill. WITH Procession of the Cross on this day they arrived for a prayer service and miraculous icons Mother of God- Svyatogorskaya and Pochaevskaya.

Procession with miraculous icons of the Mother of God, dedicated to the Day of the Baptism of Rus'. Kyiv, 2016

2017- the celebration of the Day of the Baptism of Rus' began with a traditional annual prayer service on Vladimirskaya Hill, which was led by the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Onuphry, and a procession of believers to the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, where an all-night vigil was served. The religious procession 2017 was accompanied by 11 miraculous icons and the relics of Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir. The event brought together a record 100 thousand participants, among whom were Orthodox believers from all dioceses of Ukraine, groups of pilgrims from Belarus, Russia, Moldova, Greece, Romania and other countries of the world.

Day of the Baptism of Rus' - 2017. Procession to the Kiev Pechersk Lavra

Prayer service on Vladimirskaya Hill on the occasion of the Epiphany Day of Rus'. Kyiv, 2017

His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry, Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, during a prayer service on Vladimir Hill, dedicated to the Day Baptism of Rus'

The religious procession dedicated to the celebration of the Day of the Baptism of Rus' attracted 100,000 participants. Kyiv, 2017

Participants of the Procession of the Cross - 2017 on Grushevsky Street in Kyiv

July 27 - on the Inter TV channel from 7 a.m. live- telethon “Our Faith”, broadcast of the solemn prayer service on Vladimirskaya Hill and the religious procession, and in the evening broadcast documentary own production “Kievo-Pechersk Lavra. Photography of the Millennium."

A big holiday for the entire Orthodox world - 1030 years of the Baptism of Rus'. Large-scale celebrations are taking place in the capital. The liturgy ends on Cathedral Square, which is served by two patriarchs at once - Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' and Theodore of Alexandria and All Africa. Afterwards, believers will go through a religious procession to Borovitskaya Square to the monument to Prince Vladimir - the Baptist of Rus'.

Just like hundreds of years ago, festive bells are ringing on the Kremlin’s Cathedral Square. The beginning of the celebrations is announced by the bell from the bell tower of Ivan the Great. For the first time in the modern history of our country divine liturgy dedicated to the anniversary of the Baptism of Rus', takes place under open air on Cathedral Square of the Kremlin. Thousands of believers have gathered here to, as the church teaches, offer prayer “with one mouth and one heart.”

A platform was erected especially for the service at the ancient walls of the Assumption Cathedral. The Liturgy was served in two languages - Church Slavonic and Greek. Together with Patriarch Kirill, Patriarch Theodore II of Alexandria also took part in the service on Cathedral Square. The heads of 11 foreign churches came to Moscow for the celebrations.

According to tradition, the Baptism of Rus' is celebrated on the Day of Remembrance of Prince Vladimir, Equal to the Apostles, who converted to Christianity in Chersonesos, on the territory of modern Crimea, and then spread the new religion throughout Ancient Rus'.

For believers today special holiday. The 1030th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus' is historical date, and a day filled with special spiritual meaning.

“We all need a piece of faith in our souls, in our hearts, and it is very important that such holidays exist, and they are truly national,” the believer emphasizes.

“With faith we are united, we are all together, we can overcome everything, and we will have a wonderful future, with God’s help, of course,” the parishioner notes.

"It seems to me that this is very big holiday, because this is the Baptism of Rus', everyone is joyful and cheerful. If Rus' had not been baptized, then we would not be Orthodox country", says the young parishioner.

The Divine Liturgy reproduces the main moments of the earthly life of Christ. The clergy are in festive attire.

Solemn services are held in all Russian Orthodox churches. The holiday is celebrated in Ukraine, Belarus, and Moldova. By the way, there are many representatives of the Ukrainian and Belarusian diaspora in Moscow. Orthodox faith became a spiritual beginning for our peoples and the foundation of a cultural community.

The historical choice that was made 1030 years ago largely determined the vector of development of our country. The adoption of Christianity was reflected in the development of writing, architecture, and icon painting.

“Today is a special day for our people. 1030 years of history, which was filled with joys and sorrows, victories and defeats, but despite the difficult historical path, our people preserved their faith, their national identity, preserved their culture,” said Patriarch Kirill.

“Everything that the Russian people have become has its roots precisely in the adoption of Christianity and Orthodoxy. We know that this shaped Russian culture,” the parishioner noted.

After the end of the liturgy on Cathedral Square, believers walked in procession to the monument to Prince Vladimir, where at this moment a prayer service is being held in honor of the Baptist of Rus'. And then the bells will all ring at the same time Orthodox churches Moscow and the Moscow region, announcing the great holiday.