This is where Rus’ was baptized: 5 facts about the St. Vladimir Cathedral in Chersonesos (PHOTOS)
According to legend, the church was built on the site where Prince Vladimir was baptized. We highlight what you need to know about it.
1. Built on the site of Prince Vladimir's baptism
Chronicles say that the Prince of Novgorod and Grand Prince of Kiev Vladimir Svyatoslavich, together with his retinue, were baptized in Korsun, as Chersonesos was then called. And there, he married the Byzantine Princess Anna. The Primary Chronicle (The Tale of Bygone Years) says that the ceremony was held in a church "where the Korsunites gather to trade". In the 19th century, archaeologists decided to find this place. They discovered three churches that matched the description: Vladimir Cathedral was erected over one of them.
The idea of Commander-in-Chief of the Black Sea Fleet Alexey Greig to build a church was approved by Alexander I in 1825. Four years later, Nicholas I accepted the project of the obelisk monument. But, construction began only in 1861, under Alexander II. It took 30 years to build the cathedral on people’s donations. Alexander III himself allocated money for the interior decoration of the church.
Later, archaeologists found the baptistery of the ancient cathedral of Chersonesos, the so-called ‘Uvarov Basilica’. There was a marble font with a cross-shaped recess. A canopy was installed above this place.
2. Two-story cathedral
Empress Maria Alexandrovna commissioned architect David Grimm to design the cathedral. He proposed to build it in a solemn neo-Byzantine style, reminiscent of the Hagia Sophia Cathedral in Constantinople (now Istanbul).
The cathedral consists of two churches: the lower one is consecrated in the name of the Nativity of the Mother of God, while the upper one is consecrated in the name of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir.
The tall cathedral with a gilded dome remains one of the largest in Crimea today.
3. The main church of the Chersonesos Monastery
St. Vladimir’s Cathedral was the main church of the Chersonesos Prince Vladimir Monastery, which was founded in 1850. After the revolution, an OGPU camp was set up on the territory of the monastery and, in 1924, it was closed. In 2024, the monastery resumed its operations.
4. The church's relics
The cathedral contains particles of the relics of Prince Vladimir and a copy of the miraculous icon of the Mother of God of Consolation, the original of which is located on Mount Athos.
5. It was destroyed during the war
After the Chersonesos Monastery was closed, the church gradually fell into disrepair. During the Great Patriotic War, it was badly damaged by bombing, the ceilings between the churches were destroyed and the dome collapsed. Left defenseless against the rain, the church's paintings gradually disappeared. Services were resumed only in the early 1990s. A little later, they began to restore the cathedral itself and in 2004, its main altar was consecrated.
