July 28 is the commemoration day of the Equal to the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir. With the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia and as part of the celebrations of the Baptism of Rus, the Orthodox churches and monasteries throughout Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Kazakhstan, and other countries are united today by the ringing of bells. The sisters of the Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery glorified the Equal to the Apostles Great Prince Vladimir by ringing the bells at the monastery’s bell-tower.

During Prince Vladimir’s rule, the pagan Rus found Orthodox faith. The folk tradition remembered him under the name of Vladimir the Red (or Fair) Sun. He was entered into the annals of history as the Baptizer of Rus and the Orthodox Church glorified him as a saint who is equal to the apostles. Saint Hilarion of Kiev (11^th century) described Prince Vladimir: “Through him, we found God and have known Christ Who is True Life.”

Presbyter Vladimir Kargin, the monastery’s senior priest, presided at the Divine Liturgy in the Trinity Cathedral followed by the prayer service to Great Prince Vladimir. Later, a memorial litya was chanted at the grave of Archdeacon Vladimir (Pokrovsky) beside the cathedral’s altar. He worked hard at the reconstruction of the monastery at the beginning of the 1990s.

Protopresbyter Oleg (Struchkov) served a prayer service with the blessing of water and an akathist to Prince Vladimir at the chapel dedicated to him and located near the holy spring of Our Lady of Iveron.