The question of where Prince Vladimir was baptized remains debatable today. There are at least three versions on this score. Supporters of the first call Kiev the place of baptism, the second - the town of Vasilev, located not far from the first, and the third - Khersones. Also, there is no unequivocal opinion about in which year this event occurred. Today we propose to consider the opinion of a scientist, a supporter of one of the most popular versions regarding where Prince Vladimir was baptized.
Why not in Kiev?
From 1972 to 1984 the Chersonesus expedition organized by the USSR Academy of Sciences took place. It was led by archaeologist and historian Sergei Alekseevich Belyaev. He was the author of a scientific discovery related to the discovery of the font, in which Prince Vladimir was baptized. Regarding the opinion that this great event took place in Kiev, on the banks of the Dnieper, the scientist says the following.
What happened in Kiev in 988 in August was already a consequence of the adoption of the Christian faith by Vladimir, which took place a little earlier and elsewhere. According to Belyaev, Prince Vladimir was baptized in the city of Khersones, and this could not happen anywhere else. This, in particular, is evidenced by The Tale of Bygone Years. It speaks of baptism in Korsun - as Chersonesus was called among the Slavs.
Already in the 4th century, during the reign of Emperor Constantine the Great, this Byzantine city was the main Christian center of all Eastern Europe.
Why not elsewhere?
According to Belyaev, in another place this could not happen for the following reasons. The prince had plans to marry Anna, the Byzantine princess. Prior to that, he had two legal wives and about 300 concubines. To make Byzantine princess your wife was a very honorable affair. Judge for yourself. This was denied to the German emperor Otton himself. And Prince Vladimir succeeded! And the princess was brought from Constantinople to Vladimir in Chersonese.
For several centuries, Byzantium attracted barbarian tribes to the fold of the Christian church. In addition, she sought to maintain peace on her own borders. Therefore, Vladimir was a very suitable party.
But neither the Byzantine emperor nor the patriarch could allow a woman of such a high rank to go beyond the empire just like that. That is, not being married by a legitimate Christian marriage according to all church canons. It follows that the question of where to receive baptism to Prince Vladimir and where to get married could be decided only unambiguously - only on the territory of Byzantium, of which Khersones was a part.
How did Vladimir make the decision?
By the time he married Princess Anna, Vladimir was already ready for baptism. According to the annals, in 986 he raised the question of which faith to choose. He received ambassadors from the Volga Bulgaria, offering to convert to Islam, Khazar Jews who invited to Judaism, missionaries from the Vatican. But they were all denied. After them came the Byzantine, who spoke of the Christian faith.
To find out how rituals are carried out and what laws are in each religion, the prince sent ambassadors to worship the Germans, Greeks and Muslims. Ultimately, he chose Christianity.
Why Chersonesos and not another place in Byzantium?
Since the 4th century, Chersonesus has been the most important stronghold of the Byzantine Empire throughout Eastern Europe. He was both the center of political, commercial power, and the largest focus of church life.
Only here was a bishop who extended his power to the tribes living on neighboring lands. And in those days the sacrament of Baptism could be performed exclusively by the bishop himself.
What did the font look like?
Understanding the question of where Prince Vladimir was baptized, it will be interesting to find out how this happened. It is assumed that initially the font in which the sacrament was performed was exactly the same as the artist Vasnetsov portrayed in the painting in the Vladimir Cathedral in Kiev.
In Khersones it was cut down in a rock, at the moment its depth is 74 centimeters. When it was discovered in the 80s of the 19th century, it turned out that the entire recess was lined with marble. The cross at the bottom was also lined with marble. Unfortunately, over time, all this splendor was stolen, and today there is a bare rock, which has a light brown color. The cross also has not been preserved.
At that time, the baptism was perceived as an ordinary temple. In the 90s of the 19th century, the assumption that the marble font carved into the rock was exactly the place where Prince Vladimir was baptized was made by Alexander Lvovich Bartier, an outstanding Russian engineer. In Soviet times, the Belyaev expedition explored the monument in its entirety. And from the historical, and from the archaeological, and from the canonical, and from the liturgical points of view.
Now it is considered proven that it was on the site of the former church (baptismal), in the found font, that Vladimir was baptized in Chersonesos. After S. A. Belyaev traveled all over Europe with a report on this subject, the scientific community accepted this evidence.
How did the arbor appear?
Previously, a path to the beach passed through a baptismal tower, which was not fenced, and people entered here. As you know, during the years of perestroika, the attitude of the authorities towards the church changed, the revival of temples and churches began. The then deanery of the local district of Father George Polyakov had the idea of ββinstalling a gazebo here in order to somehow perpetuate the place where Prince Vladimir was baptized. When it was made, and it had to be installed, support from the museum management was not found. It was in the late 90s of the last century.
Then father George found an original way out. Specialists with whom he agreed delivered the arbor to the font in a helicopter. It was lowered as accurately as possible, and then attached to the rock in the most reliable way. So the place where Prince Vladimir was baptized was noted.
Where did the wedding take place?
It is assumed that after baptism in the font, Vladimir went along the path to the church of the Apostle Peter. It should be noted that its steps have survived to this day. There he became a member of the liturgy and was married to Bagryanorodnoy Anna. Although the baptismal church is a separate building, it is still part of the ensemble of the church of the Apostle Peter. It was excavated in 1853, and it was built under Constantine the Great in the 4th century.
Today near this place was built the Cathedral of St. Vladimir in Khersones. The author of his project is David Grimm, an academician of architecture. The style of this building is neo-Byzantine. The construction was carried out through donations for a period of 30 years, from 1861 to 1892. This cathedral is the second largest on the Crimean peninsula, its height is 26 meters.
Did Prince Vladimir build a temple?
According to S. A. Belyaev, he unearthed a church, located not far from the church of the Apostle Peter. This is next to the section of the defensive wall, in the place where Vladimir stood with a posad. This object was a dilapidated Byzantine church, recreated by the prince immediately after baptism and before leaving Korsun.
The restoration was carried out by the Grand Duke in memory of the great sacrament. Thus, for the first time in Russia, he introduced the custom in this way to commemorate significant events in the history of the state and in human life. In conclusion, it is worth noting that the 988th is the year of the baptism of Prince Vladimir, which is considered the official date. But besides this, as it turned out, there are a number of other versions. However, this is the topic of a completely different article ...