Equal of the Apostles
Saint Vladimir, Equal of the Apostles
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The ruler of Rus who received Holy Baptism and led his people to the Orthodox Christian faith.
Core account checked against Orthodox Church in America — Equal of the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir, The Prologue from Ohrid — July 15. Additional ecclesiastical references appear below.
Life and Witness
Life and Historical Setting
Prince Vladimir sought the true faith and received Holy Baptism, taking the Christian name Basil. He brought the people of Rus to baptism, built churches and exchanged his former severity for Christian mercy and care for the poor.
Miracles, Relics and Places of Veneration
Kyiv and Chersonesus are central to the ecclesiastical memory of his Baptism and the Christianization of Rus'. His relics suffered loss and translation through centuries of upheaval, while the baptismal inheritance of the Rus' remains his greatest historical monument.
Iconography and Spiritual Meaning
The saint is shown with a Gospel scroll or book, expressing apostolic preaching. His or her authority is service to Christ and faithful transmission of the Gospel within the communion of the Church.
Feast Day
July 15 — Saint Vladimir, Equal of the Apostles.
From the Orthodox Synaxarion
The Prologue from Ohrid contrasts Vladimir’s life before and after Baptism. The ruler’s conversion was shown not only in public Christianization, but also in a changed manner of life marked by church-building, almsgiving and care for the poor.
Historical Record and Ecclesiastical Tradition
The Baptism of Rus in 988, Vladimir's political career and his relations with Byzantium are supported by chronicles and broader historical evidence. The page neither conceals the violence and polygamy attributed to his life before Baptism nor treats political success as holiness; his transformation, almsgiving and title Equal of the Apostles are presented through the Church's reception of his conversion and missionary legacy.
Biographical information on this page is based exclusively on the Orthodox ecclesiastical sources listed below.
Orthodox Church in America — Equal of the Apostles Great Prince VladimirThe Prologue from Ohrid — July 15