Today Russia celebrates an important national holiday – the Day of the Christianization of Russia, this date coincides with the 1000th anniversary of the death of Duke Vladimir .
The International Festival of Slavic Art 'Russian Field' was held in the Moscow park of Tsaritsyno. It was attended by the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill and Mayor Sergey Sobyanin.
During the festival, the patriarch blessed a temple, which was built in honor of Saint Duke Vladimir. The delegates of local Orthodox churches around the world, including representatives of four ancient Eastern patriarchates – Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem – also visited Tsaritsyno.
For ten days the relics of the Baptist of Rus – the Apostolic Grand Duke Vladimir – were in the North Caucasus, Vladikavkaz, Mozdok, Nalchik, Pyatigorsk and Stavropol, and more than 70 thousand people could touch the relics. The fourth stage of bringing the relics will be started on July 31 in Belgorod. There will be seven routes in 52 cities of Russia and five cities in Belarus.
A maritime religious procession in honor of the 1000th anniversary was organized in Sevastopol. Children and adults will be baptized in the Black Sea in Sevastopol, Yalta, Alushta, Yevpatoria and Saki.
Vladimir Putin has organized a reception for around 400 guests, representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church, state and public figures.
Russian Patriarch Kirill served Holy Liturgy at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour today. "Modern humanity creates idols much worse than Perun, and we see how crime and wars swept our world, how human life costs almost nothing in our enlightened age," the Patriarch said.
"Kneeling before the memory of Duke Vladimir, we ask him to be with us, to enlighten our people, to help the youth realize the feat of those who created Holy Rus, and those who are ready to fight for this Russia, and first of all to fight sin inside themselves," TASS cited him as saying.
This year the construction of a monument to Saint Duke Vladimir is planned in Moscow, but the location of the monument has not yet been determined.
