This event is at the forefront of the country's history.After all, baptism is not just determined the spiritual development of the Russian people, but also transformed the image of himself Slavic state, asking him also to a certain vector of the external geopolitical development.
Background to the adoption of monotheism
religious reform in medieval Russian state is associated primarily with the name of Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavovich.And speaking about the reasons for the adoption of Christianity, often at the forefront of pushing his own spiritual quest, recalling the miraculous epiphany prince of ambassadors sent to different parts of the world with the aim to see and then tell there the miracles and so on.Spiritual quest, no doubt, have taken place.However, in this context it is important to recall the geopolitical situation and the development of the East Slavic state of the period.Through the efforts of militant princes, especially of Rurik, Igor and Svyatoslav, Russia by the middle of the X century it took quite a vast territory under its control by combining previously disparate tribes of the Eastern Slavs.It is time to consolidate power, to create a single state and one people.Yes, the baptism of Rus, the date of the celebration which now account for 28 July has laid the foundations to a great extent to the emergence of a unified Russian community among the barbarian tribes.Going back to the Middle Ages, it should be noted that Vladimir held a number of other reforms (military, administrative), the essence of which was to create a single centralized state apparatus, the army, law, tax system and so on.Actually, time itself demanded that Vladimir such reforms because without them hardly Russia could effectively function as a state and to survive in combat with its neighbors.However, as a matter of life prince it was precisely religious reform.Baptism of Russia and the date and description of which is well known to us from a variety of sources, it was a matter of necessity.The first attempt of the prince in this area was the creation of a common pantheon of pagan gods.This action was aimed at centralizing the state and the unity of different tribes on the common cultural basis.However, reform has failed, so Vladimir turned to the monotheistic religions, is very popular at the time.And such a move was quite reasonable.The fact that the adoption of Christianity not only give a powerful impetus for the internal development of the state, but also allows Russia to enter a single orbit of cultural and value of the advanced countries of the time, especially the Byzantine Empire, put on a par with them.In material terms, this gave Vladimir many new features.For example, he intermarried with the Byzantine Basileus, taking his wife Princess Anna.It is because of these reasons and took the baptism of Rus.Date of the event was the result of a number of accidents.In addition, it is important to note that the Eastern Slavic lands has long been settled Christians.More than a century in Kiev existed Elias Church, the Orthodox group even belonged to the grandmother of Vladimir, Olga.Thus, the baptism of Rus', the date of which is associated with the spread and consolidation of Christianity in the lands of the eastern Slavs, most likely, was timely.
Baptism of Russia: the date and description of the event
Christianization of the population has become a violent affair.Direct symbolic baptism of Rus occurred in one of the tributaries of the Dnieper, the river Pochaina.The peasants, still faithful to the pagan traditions, mass and forcibly driven into the river water under the preaching of priests.Here and took the baptism of Rus.Date - 988 years of the Christian calendar, as the chronicles tell us.However, the triumphal march of Christianity went more than a dozen, even hundreds of years.As a spiritual path, it was definitely more progressive than paganism, but the population is still a long time to remain faithful to the old gods.Yes, and they have not left the spiritual life of the Russian final.Today, a lot of holidays in the Orthodox canon are, strictly speaking, the pagan roots.
