This was the main reason for separation. Subsequently, Protestant confessions separated from the Roman Catholic Church. About the time when the Roman Church fell away, the Universal Orthodox Church was enlarged by the entry into it of the Slavic peoples who had adopted Christianity. The first enlighteners of the Slavs were the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius, who selflessly labored to spread the Christian faith among the Slavs.

They compiled the Slavonic alphabet and translated the books of the Holy Scriptures and church books into the Slavonic language. After their deaths, Christianity was established among the Bulgarians and Serbs, and then the Russian people were baptized into the Christian faith. The Baptism of Rus Our fatherland, Russia, became a Christian country almost a thousand years after the coming of the Savior into the world.

Until that time, people in the Russian land worshipped idols and were pagans. The main idols were the sun (dazh-god) and thunder and lightning (perun). In addition to them, many lower idols were worshipped, patrons of the household, house, yard, water, forest, etc. In the life of our pagan ancestors there were many superstitions, false concepts, cruel customs, there were even human sacrifices to idols. According to tradition, St.

The Apostle Andrew the First-Called was preaching the Gospel in Scythia, i.e. in the country from which Russia was later formed. Having ascended the Kiev mountains, he placed a wooden cross there and predicted that the true faith of Christ would shine in this country. St. Up. Andrew went through the future Russian land from south to north: from the Kiev mountains to Novgorod and even visited the island of Valaam.

This is evidenced by the latest research. Thus, a local (in the north of Russia) tradition indicates that St. Ap. Andrew the First-Called, the enlightener of the Scythians and Slavs, arrived from Kiev to Novgorod. From here he sailed along the Volkhov River to Lake Ladoga, and then to Valaam. There he blessed the mountains with a stone cross. He destroyed the temples of Veles and Perun, converted the priests of idols and the pagans living on the island to the faith of Christ, laying the foundation on Valaam for the confession of faith in Christ.

He left as shepherds of the newly-gathered flock of Christ some of the disciples who accompanied him. In the most ancient manuscript: "Opoved", kept in the library of the Valaam monastery, it is said as follows: "St. Andrew passed from Jerusalem Golyad, Kosog, Roden, Skef, Scythian and Sloven adjacent meadows (steppes), reached Smolensk, and the militias of Skof and Slavyansk the Great, and leaving Ladoga, sat in a boat, went to Valaam, baptizing everywhere and placing stone crosses in all places.

His disciples Sila, Firs, Elisey, Lukoslav, Joseph, Cosmas made fences everywhere and all the posadniks (i.e. deputies of the rulers-princes) traveled from Slovensk and Smolensk, and many priests were baptized and the temples of Perun and Veles were destroyed and destroyed." About the sojourn of St. Ap. St. Andrew's Church on Valaam is also confirmed by another monument of antiquity: the "All-Ennial" of the Kiev Metropolitan Hilarion, 1051.

The "All-Annual" says: "On November 30, St. Ap. Let us praise the all-praised Andrew the First-Called and the champion of the Church: for this, as of old, come to Kiev, Smolensk, Novgorod, Druzino (Georgian) and Valaamo." Researchers point out that the oral and written traditions of Valaam assert that the Orthodox Faith of Christ was founded on Valaam by St. Ap. Andrey.

Whether Christianity on Valaam continued uninterruptedly until the time of the founding of the monastery there cannot be positively determined now. From the legends of the most ancient manuscript "Opoved", it is clear that on Valaam, after Ap. Andrew, there was and, perhaps, without interruption, a government organization, that there was its own veche, on the model of Novgorod, that Valaam was known in foreign lands and, in case of danger, sought salvation in it; that, finally, the stone cross of St. Ap.

St. Andrew's Church was preserved there, until the time of St. Sergius of Valaam, which indicates the existence of Christianity. In a word, Valaam, before the foundation of the monastery on it, belonged to the Slavs and, probably, was in a civil union with Novgorod, and on Valaam the traces of the Christian Orthodox Faith did not disappear before St. Sergius, although paganism was not yet interrupted side by side with Christianity.

The first of the Russian princes, according to legend, were the Kievan princes Askold and Dir (867 ). (Princes used to be the rulers of the Russian land). Almost a hundred years after them, the wise Russian princess Olga, seeing the pure life of the Kievan Christians, became convinced of the truth of their faith and accepted holy baptism (957 ). She traveled to Byzantium with a large retinue, and from the Patriarch of Constantinople himself she received holy baptism and was named Helena.

Returning home, she persuaded her son Svyatoslav to accept Christianity, but he, being a harsh warrior by nature, did not agree. God destined Prince Vladimir, the grandson of Olga, to enlighten the Russian land with Christianity. At first, Vladimir was a zealous pagan and led an impious life. During his reign two Christians, Theodore and John (father and son), were sacrificed to idols

, who were thus the first martyrs in Russia. But soon Vladimir felt all the emptiness of paganism and began to think about another, better faith. When it became known that the Russian prince was looking for another faith, various preachers began to come to him: Mohammedans, Jews, Germans and Greeks, and each offered his faith. But the strongest impression on Vladimir was made by the Greek Orthodox preacher, who, at the end of his conversation, showed a picture of the Last Judgment.

Vladimir said: "It is good for these righteous ones that are on the right side." "Be baptized and you will be with them," replied the preacher. Prince Vladimir consulted with the boyars and, on their advice, sent ten wise ambassadors to go to different countries and test on the spot whose faith was better. The ambassadors visited the countries from which the preachers came.