During the reign of Vladimir, a descendant of Ruric, the
Christian religion gained its first foothold in Russia. We are told that
Vladimir, having made up his mind to embrace a new faith, sent commissioners to
Rome and Constantinople, and also to the adherents of Islam and Judaism. His
envoys reported in favor of the Greek Church, for their barbarian imagination
had been so impressed by the majesty of the ceremonies performed in Sancta
Sophia that "they did not know whether they were on earth or in
heaven." Vladimir accepted their report, ordered the idols of Kiev to be
thrown into the Dnieper, and had himself and his people baptized according to
the rites of the Greek Church. At the same time he married a sister of the
reigning emperor at Constantinople.
IMPORTANCE OF THE CONVERSION OF RUSSIA
Vladimir's decision to adopt the Greek form of
Christianity is justly regarded as one of the formative influences in Russian
history. It meant that the Slavs were to come under the religious influence of
Constantinople, instead of under that of Rome. Furthermore, it meant that
Byzantine civilization, then incomparably superior to the rude culture of the
western peoples, would henceforth gain an entrance into Russia. The country
profited by this rich civilization and during the early part of the Middle Ages
took a foremost place in Europe.
