Russia solemnly celebrated the 1037th date of the Baptism of Rus

On July 28, the memorial day of Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir, the church-state holiday of the Baptism of Rus (1037 years) was solemnly celebrated in Russia. In the center of the Russian capital, in the Kremlin, in the Patriarchal Assumption Cathedral, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia celebrated the Divine Liturgy. Russian Russian Orthodox Church Primate delivered a sermon at the end of the service: "I cordially congratulate all of you on a great holiday for the entire Russian Church — the memory of the Great Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir. The very head of our state, who like no other 1037 years ago dramatically turned the entire historical movement of Russia. Being a pagan, he converted to Orthodoxy. This conversion of Russia to Christ already shows the special mercy of God to our people and our Fatherland. Having become an Orthodox nation in an instant, our people have never shamed this Divine trust, this Divine mercy towards us," said Kirill, Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church.

According to tradition, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia led the procession from the Assumption Cathedral to the monument to Equal—to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir on Borovitskaya Square and addressed the faithful with a Primatial address: "Today we are not just remembering one of the greatest rulers of Russia, glorified by the Church, but we are returning to the very origins of the birth of the Russian Church and State. Russian. Prince Vladimir, of course, is primarily the Baptist of Russia, but not only. He's a collector of Russian soil. The power of Vladimir's Baptism is also confirmed by the viciousness and frenzy with which the enemies are trying to destroy the spiritual unity of our people created by Prince Vladimir," His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia emphasized.

On the memorial day of Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, patronal celebrations were held at the Vladimir Monastery at the source of the Dnieper River, near the city of Vyazma, Smolensk region.

On the same day, the first part of the Godfather exhibition, which tells about the life of Grand Duke Vladimir, opened in Sevastopol in Novy Chersonesos. This exhibition can change the way we look at the origins of our civilization, make us hear the voice of history in a new way and experience personally what the young Prince Vladimir once experienced, who once faced a choice: to remain a pagan ruler of a fragmented world, or to become the godfather of a people doomed to greatness. Chersonesos in this exhibition is not just a geographical point. This is the place of destiny. The spiritual axis of Eastern Europe was decided there. It was from there that the movement began, which formed the cultural code of the people, which spread from the Carpathians to Kamchatka. And today, looking at the screen, peering into the images, we find ourselves witnessing not a myth, but an inner battle of a man who became a saint, which unfolded more than a thousand years ago.

The opening was held with special significance — the first spectators were children from Artek, families of participants in a special military operation, as well as numerous pilgrims and guests of the museum and temple complex.