The future princess of Kievan Rus was born two days before the death of her father, the Byzantine Emperor Roman II, thanks to which she became famous exact date her birth.

Her mother Feofano was born into a simple family of a tavern owner, of Armenian origin, and was distinguished by an amazing combination of divine beauty, extraordinary intelligence and depravity. Thanks to these qualities, she managed not only to win the heart of the heir to the Byzantine throne, Roman, but also to gain the trust of Emperor Constantine VII and his wife, Empress Helena.

After the death of Constantine VII, Theophano forced her husband to hide five of her sisters in a monastery, and soon she brought Elena to the grave with her intrigues.

Emperor Roman II, Anna's father, was distinguished by his pleasant appearance, education, and also a penchant for horse racing and excessive carnal pleasures. What exactly killed him is not known for certain, but, having been on the throne for only four years, he unexpectedly died at the age of 24. There were even rumors that the emperor was poisoned.

Feofano managed to give birth to her husband four children, the last of them, Anna, was born two days before his death.

Childhood

After the death of Emperor Roman, as a result of palace intrigues, the commander Nikephoros II Phocas took possession of the throne, having married Theophano. Thus, Anna's mother, who became regent over her sons, tried to protect herself and her children from the attacks of the insidious nobility. But six years later she again organized a conspiracy, this time against Nicephorus, with the help of her next lover, John Tzimiskes, an associate of her gullible husband. The emperor was treacherously killed in his bed, and Tzimiskes became the new ruler. However, he did not marry Feofano, but treacherously sent her to a remote island lost in the Aegean Sea. Young Anna also went there with her mother.

While in exile, the young princess became interested in studying the rich heritage of her paternal ancestors. Her grandfather, Emperor Constantine VII, left to his descendants a huge number of works on medicine, history and other sciences. She carefully studied his descriptions of the lives of saints, illustrated with artistic miniatures of amazing beauty and grace. From the chronicles, Anna learned that her grandfather’s interests were not alien to common people. During his reign, he built hospitals and shelters for the needy, organized the distribution of alms, took an interest in the fate of the convicted, and suppressed the abuses of officials.

Anna also studied the treatises of her great-great-grandfather Vasily I, intended for his son Emperor Leo I the Wise, from which she also learned a lot of interesting and useful things.

After the death of Tzimiskes in 976, power passed to Theophano’s sons Vasily and Constantine, who allowed Anna and her mother to return to the palace, however, the empress was not allowed to take power and wanted to rule themselves. Their reign was remembered for incessant wars and rebellions. In addition to the strife within the country, Constantinople itself was faced with an external threat. The Russian prince threatened to take possession of the Byzantine capital, and the forces of the emperors were running out. As a result, the brothers promised to give him Princess Anna as his wife, provided that Vladimir would provide them with military assistance and accept Christianity.

Anna by that time had turned into an enviable bride and a real beauty; her hand was sought by the heir of the Roman Empire, the son of the French king and the Bulgarian prince. Marriage to a foreigner and barbarian was an unheard-of humiliation for a girl, but the brothers managed to persuade her.

Wedding

A wedding flotilla of three ships was sent to Korsun (now Chersonesus in the territory of modern Sevastopol). On board, in addition to Anna, there were priests who were supposed to perform the baptismal ceremony. Prince Vladimir personally met the bride and was amazed by her beauty. The groom, in turn, also made a pleasant impression on the princess.

In the main temple of Korsun, Byzantine priests baptized the Grand Duke and gave him a new name, Vasily, in honor of one of the bride’s brothers. There is a legend that Vladimir, who had previously suffered from an eye disease and could see almost nothing, immediately after the baptismal ceremony received his sight and, inspired by God’s grace, ordered his squad and the boyars accompanying him to be baptized immediately.

The wedding of 33-year-old Vladimir and 25-year-old Anna also took place there. The prince ordered all the gifts sent to be returned to the bride's brothers and he himself gave them the previously conquered Korsun as a ransom according to Russian custom. This marriage helped Prince Vladimir gain independence from Constantinople and unlimited power over the Russian Church.

Merits

Returning with his young wife to Kyiv, Vladimir immediately baptized his sons in the spring, which later received the name Khreshchatyk. On August 1, the prince baptized the people of Kiev, calling all the inhabitants of the city to the banks of the Dnieper, and ordered the destruction of all pagan symbols.

Going to Christian faith, Prince Vladimir renounced all his numerous previous wives and concubines and proclaimed Anna the only wife given to him by God.

Having become the Grand Duchess of Kyiv, Anna began to spread Christianity and build churches in Rus'. The first temple she founded was the Church Holy Mother of God in Kyiv (Tithe Church), created in the image and likeness of the beloved Pharos Church of Anna in Constantinople. She brought into fashion elements of stained glass, which Byzantine masters used to decorate churches.

Thanks to her, the annual magnificent celebration of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary was introduced into church life. On the recommendation of his wife, Prince Vladimir purchased a monastery for Russian Orthodox monks on Mount Athos.

Anna did not forget about educational activities, guided by the legacy of her great ancestors. The Greek church charter “Nomocanon” brought by her was laid as the basis of the Russian Church, and icons and church utensils became a model for copying by Russian icon painters and artisans. She created special educational establishments to train local clergy.

Thanks to Anna, Vladimir’s sons became imbued with the spirit of Christianity and began to actively introduce it among their subjects. Even the ex-wife of Prince Rogned became a zealous Christian and founded the first convent in Rus', having taken monastic vows.

Death

Did Anna have children from Prince Vladimir? Historians are still arguing about this topic. According to one of the existing versions, the princess gave birth to her wife, sons Boris and Gleb. Of all the twelve sons of the prince from different wives, these were the most beloved. Their life was tragic. Vladimir predicted a great future for his sons, and dreamed of placing Boris on the Bulgarian throne.

But fate decreed otherwise, and the eldest unloved son of the prince, Svyatopolk, was to blame. People called him “the son of two fathers,” so Vladimir inherited his mother, already pregnant, from his brother Yaropolk, who was also killed by him. It so happened that it was Svyatopolk who found himself next to his father in the last minutes of his life. Historians still doubt his innocence in his father’s death.

However, the people of Kiev opposed his ascension to the throne and began to demand Boris to rule. Then Svyatopolk decided to get rid of his half-brothers and sent assassins to them. For this, the people nicknamed him Svyatopolk the Accursed, and in honor of the Great Martyrs Boris and Gleb, a church was built in Vyshgorod in 1021.

Anna did not live to see these tragic events. She died four years earlier at the age of 48. Vladimir ordered a marble sarcophagus made by the best Byzantine craftsmen and placed it in the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Later, his sarcophagus took pride of place next to his beloved wife.

Movies

At the end of 2016, the large-scale film “Viking” was released on Russian screens. central character which Prince Vladimir became executor. The film is based on real historical events and tells about the bloody struggle of three brothers Vladimir, Oleg and Yaropolk, who despised family ties and were forced to turn weapons against each other. Work on the painting lasted about six years. The unique combination of the latest computer technology and masterful acting turned this film into the main cinematic event of the year.

The feed features a whole constellation of popular Russian actors: , and many others. To achieve a perfect resemblance to historical characters, costumes, jewelry and weapons were made by hand. To do this, costume designers and prop designers used authentic descriptions of the characters' appearances, taken from historical sources. Unfortunately, the authors undeservedly ignored Princess Anna in this film.

Another high-profile premiere is expected in 2017, this time entirely dedicated to the life of this great woman. A 12-episode film “Anna of Byzantium” will be released. This new project company Star Media, which was the result joint activities with American colleagues. An English version of the series is also planned.

Anna of Byzantium (Greek Άννα, March 13, 963 - 1011/1012) - Byzantine princess, wife of the Grand Duke of Kyiv Vladimir Svyatoslavich, Baptist of Rus'. The first queen in Rus'.

After the Russians captured the Greek city of Korsun in Crimea Native sister Byzantine Emperor Vasily II was sent as a wife to Prince Vladimir in order to fulfill the terms of the agreement on Russian military assistance Byzantium. The circumstances preceding the dynastic marriage are set out in the articles: Vladimir I Svyatoslavich and the Russian-Byzantine War of 988.

Byzantine princess
Anna was the only sister of the reigning Emperor Basil II (ruled 976-1025) and his co-ruler brother Constantine VIII (976-1028). She was born just 2 days before the death of her father, Emperor Romanus II, which was noted by the Byzantine historian John Skylitzes, and thanks to which the date of her birth became known: March 13, 963.

According to Skylitzes, the death of 24-year-old Romanos II was caused by “exhaustion of the flesh by the most shameful and voluptuous acts,” or, according to rumors, he was poisoned. In the same year, the Domestic Schol of the East, the famous commander Nicephorus Phokas, became emperor, immediately after marrying Anna’s mother, Queen Theophano.

Anna’s grandfather, Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus, wrote for his son in 949 a treatise “On the Administration of the Empire,” in which he expressed the attitude of the rulers of Byzantium to dynastic marriages with the barbarian northern peoples, among whom he indicated the Rus:
“If ever the people of any of these unfaithful and wicked northern tribes ask for kinship through marriage with the basileus of the Romans, that is, either to receive his daughter as a wife, or to give his daughter, either to the basileus as a wife or to the son of the basileus, you should refuse and this unreasonable request of theirs [...] Since every nation has different customs, different laws and establishments, he must adhere to his own orders and make and create alliances for the mixing of lives within the same people.”

Constantine Porphyrogenitus made an exception for the ruling houses of Western Europe, the “Franks”. Despite the reverent attitude towards dignity imperial family, circumstances forced the Byzantine rulers to enter into kinship with neighboring peoples. So Emperor Nicephorus Phokas wanted to marry his stepsons Vasily and Constantine to Bulgarian brides of royal blood, but a coup in which Active participation His wife Theophano accepted him and brought the new emperor John Tzimiskes to power.

Only after the death of Tzimisces in 976, the matured Basil and Constantine became the ruling emperors, and the purple-born Anna became a girl of marriageable age, whose royal hand was sought by the rulers of neighboring countries.

Matchmaking of Germans, Franks and Bulgarians
The 11th century chronicler Thietmar of Merseburg mentioned that Anna was betrothed to the heir of the Holy Roman Empire, Otto: “Having taken a wife from Greece, named Helen, who was betrothed to Otto III, but was insidiously taken away from him, he [Vladimir] According to her conviction, he accepted the holy Christian faith.” Otto was born in 980 and became Emperor Otto III in 983, Anna was 17 years older than him. Perhaps Titmar confused not only her name, but also the groom. Otto's father, Emperor Otto II, really wanted to marry a Byzantine princess of imperial blood, but as a result, in 972 he married 12-year-old Theophano, the niece of the Byzantine emperor John Tzimisces.

In 988, the French king Hugh Capet sent a letter to the Byzantine emperors, wanting to choose a “bride equal to him” for his son Robert. Robert's father crowned him in December 987; the marriage was supposed to strengthen the position of the new ruling Capetian dynasty in France. Hugo Capet did not name the bride; 16-year-old Robert was more likely to marry Eudoxia, the daughter of Emperor Constantine VIII (the other daughters Zoe and Theodora were younger) than Anna, but age did not play a role in dynastic marriages. For unknown reasons, the consanguineous union did not take place. Another Anna, the daughter of the Kyiv prince Yaroslav, who married Robert's son, King Henry I, became Queen of France in 1051.

An even more complicated story is conveyed by the Armenian historian Stefan of Taron (Asohik) about the matchmaking of one of the Bulgarian princes to Anna in 986:
“In the same year, Tsar Vasily sent him [Metropolitan Sebastia] to the country of the Bulkhars to establish peace. Bulkharia asked Tsar Vasily to give his sister in marriage to her Tsar. The emperor, accompanied by the metropolitan, sent some woman from his subjects who looked like his sister. Upon the arrival of that woman in the country of the Bulkhars, they found out who she was, and therefore they condemned the metropolitan as an adulterer and a deceiver; The Bulkharian kings burned it, covering it with brushwood and straw.”

Asohik reported this incident primarily with the aim of depicting retribution to the Sebastian metropolitan for the oppression of the Armenian clergy; he was of little interest in Bulgarian affairs. Historians doubt the consent of Vasily II to become related through marriage with one of the leaders in a country that had only recently rebelled against Byzantine rule. The dynastic marriage looks even more strange against the background of Vasily’s unsuccessful military campaign in Bulgaria in the same year (986).

A.V. Nazarenko suggests that in fact Asohik was talking about replacing a bride for the Kyiv prince Vladimir, who, according to the Life of the monk Jacob, went to the Dnieper rapids in 988, perhaps just to meet Anna. If indeed a substitution took place, this served as the basis for the prince to move to Korsun and capture it the next year.

Russian queen
According to the Tale of Bygone Years, Vladimir, having captured Korsun, demanded his sister from the Byzantine emperors as a wife, threatening to go to Constantinople. They agreed only if the prince was baptized. When Vladimir accepted this condition, the emperors persuaded Anna to go to the “Tavro-Scythians,” as the Byzantine authors of that era called the Russians. With tears, the princess said goodbye to her loved ones, saying: “I’m walking like crazy, it would be better for me to die here.”

The 11th century Arab historian Abu Shoja ar-Rudraweri supports the version of the chronicle about decisive role Anna at the baptism of Prince Vladimir:
“The woman refused to give herself to someone who disagreed with her in faith. Negotiations began about this, which ended with the entry of the Russian Tsar into Christianity.”

At the meeting, Anna convinced Vladimir to accept Christianity as soon as possible. After the baptism, they immediately performed a Christian wedding. Having returned Korsun to Byzantium, Prince Vladimir and Anna returned to Kyiv, where they began to baptize the people. The 11th century Syrian historian Yahya of Antioch noted that Anna actively participated in the spread of Orthodoxy in Rus', “building many churches.” The church charter of Vladimir says that the prince consulted with his wife in church matters: “having told my fortune with his princess Anna.”

Anna in the chronicles was called not as usual - a princess, but a queen, preserving for her the dignity of a member of the imperial family. The chronicles do not report anything about her children, listing in detail the sons of Vladimir and their mothers. She may have had a daughter, but there is no exact evidence.

Anna died in the year 6519 according to the Byzantine calendar from the creation of the world, which corresponds to 1011/1012 (the new year in Rus' began on September 1), 4 years before the death of Prince Vladimir. As Thietmar of Merseburg reported, her tomb stood in the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Kyiv next to the tomb of Vladimir the Baptist.

After about 35 years, another queen appeared in Rus', the daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine Monomakh, the wife of Prince Vsevolod Yaroslavich and the mother of the famous Prince Vladimir Monomakh. She was not of purplish descent, that is, she was born before Constantine Monomakh came to power in one of the marriages. Her story remains unknown, and even her name is known only tentatively: Maria, or according to other sources Anastasia. In literature, she is often also called Anna, confused with her daughter or Christian name mother-in-law

Vladimir Svyatoslavovich Anna of Byzantium married him in 988 on the eve of the baptism of Rus'. She was the daughter and sister of the emperors who reigned in Constantinople.

Anna's personality

Princess Anna of Byzantium was born into the family of Emperor Roman II in 963. My father had to rule for only 4 years. The girl's mother was an ordinary girl Armenian origin. Roman died a few days after the birth of his daughter. The commander Nikifor Phokas, whom Anna's mother Feofano married, came to power. In 969 there was a coup d'état. Another military leader, John Tzimiskes, became emperor. He expelled Anna and her mother from the capital.

The girl returned to Constantinople only after her older brothers took the throne. Anna was an enviable European bride, who was expected to be the wife of many monarchs. Relatives treated the princess as an important political card and were in no hurry to marry her off.

Dynastic marriages at that time were an integral part of state affairs. Anna was a valuable wife not only because she came from the reigning Byzantine dynasty, but also because the girl received the best education that that era could give her. Contemporaries gave the bride the nickname Rufa (Redhead).

Enviable bride

Since 976, two brothers of Anna ruled in Constantinople - Vasily II the Bulgarian Slayer and Constantine VIII. European sources of the time have confusing evidence about which of the Christian monarchs wooed the Byzantine princess before the Slavic prince Vladimir.

In 988, ambassadors from Paris arrived in Constantinople. The French king Hugh Capet was looking for a bride of equal dynastic stature for his son Robert II. The mission of envoys to Byzantium was of great importance for this monarch. His Capetian dynasty had just begun to rule and needed to emphasize its legitimacy. Robert was 9 years younger than Anna, but the age difference at that time was rarely taken into account when the issue concerned politics. For unknown reasons, the marriage arrangement fell through, and the girl remained in her homeland.

Vladimir's matchmaking

How Anna of Byzantium married Vladimir of Kyiv is best known thanks to The Tale of Bygone Years. According to this document, the Slavic prince went with an army to Crimea, which belonged to the empire. On the peninsula, Vladimir captured the important city of Korsun. Rurikovich threatened Emperor Vasily in a letter that he would attack Constantinople if he did not marry his younger sister to him.

Anna of Byzantium agreed to the marriage, but at the same time announced her condition. She demanded that Vladimir be baptized according to the Greek Orthodox model. For the inhabitants of the empire, the Slavs were wild pagans from the northern steppes. In the Greek chronicles of that time they were even called Tauri and Scythians.

Organizing Anna's move took several months. The brother-emperors hoped that they could gain time and offer Vladimir other conditions. However, the Slavic prince firmly insisted on his own. To be more convincing, he again promised to go with the army to the capital of the empire. When news of this threat reached Constantinople, Anna was hastily put on a ship.

The circumstances of Anna's arrival

Even before the Crimean events, a military mutiny of the influential commander Vardas Phocas took place in Byzantium. The two brother emperors found themselves in a precarious position. When, among other things, they were attacked by the Slavic prince, they agreed to accept his conditions concerning the marriage to Anna. Vladimir, according to pagan custom, had many concubines. However, it was not without reason that he chose the Byzantine princess. Rumors about personal merits spread among diplomats of all European countries. They also reached Kyiv. For Vladimir, a wedding to the sister of the Byzantine emperor was not only a family affair, but also a matter of reputation.

According to Greek chronicles, Anna treated her inevitable marriage as a public duty. In essence, she sacrificed herself to the ambitions of the prince of a wild country. The princess did not want a destructive war for her homeland and therefore agreed to leave for Kyiv. At that moment, she probably did not expect happiness in Rus'.

Wedding with a Slavic prince

The Byzantine princess Anna, when meeting with her chosen one, persuaded him to accept Christianity as soon as possible. The prince was indeed baptized very soon. After this, the couple was married in 988. Vladimir made peace with and returned Korsun to him.

When the sovereign returned to Kyiv, he ordered to get rid of pagan idols and baptize all compatriots. The adoption of Christianity became an important state step for Vladimir, which he decided to take even before the start of the war with Byzantium. The campaign was only an excuse for him to speak with Vasily on an equal footing.

Christian marriage

With the help of the capture of Korsun, the Kiev prince achieved two important things. Firstly, Princess Anna of Byzantium became his wife, which made him related to the powerful Greek dynasty. Secondly, Orthodoxy was adopted, which soon united the whole country. Before East Slavs were divided into several tribal unions that lived separately from each other. They not only had their own customs, but also gods. Pantheons often differed from each other. Christianity became an important religious anchor that created the Russian nation.

Anna of Byzantium (wife of Prince Vladimir) contributed to the spread of her native faith in a foreign country. The husband often consulted with his wife on religious matters. On her initiative, several churches were built. Particularly important was the Kiev Cathedral in honor of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary. Later it was nicknamed the Church of the Tithes due to the fact that a tenth of the prince's income was spent on it. Together with Anna, numerous Greek missionaries and theologians came to the Russian lands.

Founder of the Tithe Church

There is much evidence that the daughter of the Byzantine emperor Anna became the founder of Kyiv. The temple was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, which hints that the initiator of its creation was a woman. Anna wanted the new building to have the architecture of Constantinople that was familiar to her.

The Tithe Church is often compared to the two great Byzantine churches - Blachernae and Pharos. She appeared next to Anna's palace in Kyiv. The climate of this city suited the Greek princess much more than the environment of northern Novgorod, where Vladimir himself was from and where he spent his youth. His wife rarely left the southern capital. Rich Greek gifts from their homeland were brought there from Kherson, which replenished Anna’s own treasury. Byzantine architects and craftsmen came from Crimea to help implement the project of the new Tithe Church.

Anna's death

Slavic prince Vladimir and Anna of Byzantium were married for 22 years. However, during this time they never had children. Vladimir's sons, who later inherited his power, were offspring of the monarch's previous connections. Being a pagan, Vladimir had his own harem and concubines. When the prince married a Greek princess, he left his old life behind.

Anne died in 1011 at the age of only 48. It is not known exactly what caused her death. Most likely, it was a disease caused by an epidemic. For Vladimir it was a heavy loss. After the death of his wife, he himself lived only a short time and died in 1015.

A marble sarcophagus was made for Anna. It was made by Greek craftsmen who decorated their creation with unique carvings. It was decided that Anna of Byzantium would be buried in the Tithe Church. Armenian by origin, she was born and raised in Byzantium, and adult life lived in Rus', where she died. A few years later, Vladimir was buried next to his wife. Their tombs were destroyed in 1240, when the Tatars captured and razed Kyiv.

The meaning of marriage for Vladimir

Marriage to Anna exalted Vladimir. Some foreign chroniclers began to call him king, according to the title of his wife. It was under him that Rus' finally became part of Christian Europe and the civilization there. At the same time, we should not forget that Vladimir, while still a pagan, considered the possibility of converting to Islam or Judaism for state purposes. But in the end he chose Orthodoxy.

It was the Byzantine princess Anna (the wife of Prince Vladimir) who helped him not to become dependent on the Byzantine emperor after adopting Christianity. On the contrary, the Kiev ruler found himself on the same level as the Constantinople monarch.

Russian Church without Anna

Anna's death markedly hit the young Russian Church. In 1013, Vladimir's stepson Svyatopolk, who laid claim to the future supreme power in Rus', married the daughter of Boleslav I, the Polish king and political opponent of the Kyiv princes. Preparations even began for the creation of the Turov Catholic Diocese. However, Vladimir did not tolerate his stepson’s defiant behavior. He arrested Svyatopolk and expelled Catholic missionaries from the country.

Vladimir's son paid a lot of attention to religious issues. Under him, the Kiev metropolis was created, and the first Russian hierarch Hilarion appeared. All these events somewhat overshadowed the important role played by Anna of Byzantium in the Christianization of Rus'. did not like the Greek influence on the church and therefore did everything to prevent the chroniclers from talking too much about the activities of Vladimir’s wife. This is largely due to the paucity of Russian sources telling about Anna.

Kievan Rus and the Byzantine Empire on the eve of fateful events. This article will talk about things that have happened for a long time days gone by, which, however, had a huge impact on Russian history for the next millennium. Let us remember the undeservedly forgotten Byzantine princess Anna, an Armenian by origin, who became the beloved wife of the great Kyiv prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich. About how, thanks to the clever and beautiful Anna, Vladimir baptized in 988 Kievan Rus. And their children Boris and Gleb, who suffered martyrdom, were proclaimed the first Russian saints in 1021. At the end of XIII - early XIV centuries, Prince Vladimir was considered Russian Orthodox Church to the ranks of saints in the rank of equal to the apostles. The day of his veneration, July 28, is the Day of the Baptism of Rus'. This is a new memorial date established on the day of the repose of the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir. On June 1, 2010, the President of the Russian Federation signed the federal law, according to which Russia celebrates July 28 as the Day of the Baptism of Rus'. "The establishment of Christianity in Rus' contributed to the unity of the state, its prosperity, and also had big influence to preserve the integrity of Russia in difficult times historical periods", the Federation Council of the Russian Federation emphasized when deciding on a new holiday in 2010.

On July 28, 2015, Russia solemnly celebrated the millennium of the repose of the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, who baptized Rus' 1027 years ago. The Church equates the activities of Vladimir, the baptizer of Rus', with the acts of the apostles of Christ. On this day, at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, a gala reception took place in the Kremlin. Present at the reception His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus', the highest hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church, the head of the Russian and New Nakhichevan diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Archbishop Ezras Nersisyan and other honored guests. It was noted that baptism radically transformed Kievan Rus and became historical event in the destinies of the peoples of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. On November 4, 2015, it will be installed in the center of Moscow large monument Prince Vladimir, to match what he had done. But, unfortunately, nowhere in Russia is it mentioned that Christianity in Rus' was adopted precisely at the insistence of Anna and her royal brothers. So, let's see what role Princess Anna played in all these fateful affairs.

To do this, we will take an excursion to Kievan Rus and the Byzantine Empire in the 10th century, on the eve of 988. It is known that Kievan Rus received new faith- Christianity in the form of one of its movements - Orthodoxy, from Byzantium. The Byzantines began to communicate with the Slavs even before the arrival of Rurik and the Varangians, with the emergence of Kyiv, the “mother of Russian cities,” 1500 years ago. In the 9th century, the formation of the ancient Russian state began, where Rurik’s successors began to establish relations with Byzantium. True, along with cooperation, the Russians and Byzantines often fought with each other. During the period in question, the Grand Duke of Kyiv was Vladimir, nicknamed the Red Sun - the grandson of Grand Duchess Olga, the son of Grand Duke Svyatoslav and the slave Malka (Malushka). Back in 955, Vladimir's grandmother Grand Duchess Olga visited Byzantium and converted to Christianity. She was baptized in Constantinople in the Hagia Sophia. And Anna’s grandfather, Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, who ruled the Byzantine Empire for 46 years, baptized her. Together with Princess Olga, who took the name Elena in baptism, her retinue was also baptized. But all Olga’s attempts to spread Christianity in Rus' did not yield any results.

Now let's talk about Byzantium. Let's see who ruled Byzantium during this period. These were representatives of the so-called Macedonian dynasty of Byzantine emperors, the ancestor of which was Basil I the Macedonian, an Armenian by nationality, descended from a family of Armenian kings originating from King Trdat, who were called the Armenian Arsacids. Historians call this dynasty the Armenian because during its two centuries in power (from 867 to 1056), most of the Byzantine emperors, military leaders and major officials were Armenians. In the history of Byzantium, the Armenian dynasty is considered the most famous. Records of the genealogy of Vasily (Barseg) are preserved in Byzantine chronicles. And Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus wrote that the ancestors of his grandfather Vasily moved from Armenia to Byzantium in the second half of the 5th century and settled in the vicinity of Andriapolis in Macedonia. Thus, the Macedonian dynasty received its name because it began its ascent to imperial power from the Byzantine province called Macedonia. It is interesting that, having become the full-fledged sole ruler of the Byzantine Empire, Vasily I came to the Armenian provinces of the empire located in Asia Minor and was baptized in the Armenian church according to Armenian customs. This was the time of the greatest prosperity and power of the empire.

His descendants and successors continued his work with dignity. The godfather of Grand Duchess Olga was Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, endowed with a literary gift, the author of treatises “On the Administration of the Empire”, “On the Ceremonies of the Byzantine Court”, “On Themes”, as well as on history, medicine, agronomy and the lives of saints. Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, or Porphyrogenetus, was born in crimson swaddling clothes in Porphyra. Another Armenian emperor, John I Tzimiskes (Chimshkik), defeated Vladimir’s father, Prince Svyatoslav, in the Balkans near the Dorostol fortress.

In 988, Byzantium was ruled by Vasily II the Bulgarian Slayer (976 - 1025) and, as was then customary, his brother-co-ruler Constantine VIII (976 - 1028). And they had only one sister - Princess Anna. They were Armenians. Their father was Roman II, and their mother was Feofano. Although Roman was the son of Emperor Constantine VII, he married a completely unknown girl, the daughter of the owner of one of the taverns, who was a native of Armenia. Feofano's baptismal name was Anastasia. The choice of the future emperor fell on her because of her beauty. Anna was born just 2 days before the death of her father, 24-year-old Emperor Roman II. He reigned for 4 years and was rumored to have been poisoned. Thanks to this recording by the Byzantine historian John Skylitzes, the exact date of Anna's birth became known - March 13, 963. The fact that Anna was born during the life of her father, the emperor, means that the birth took place in the Porphyry Chamber - a special room in the imperial palace in Constantinople, where only children of the ruling emperors were born. This was considered a special honor and those born there, like Anna, were proudly called Porphyrogenitus or Porphyrogenitus.

And after the death of Romanus II, the commander of the troops of the East, Nicephorus II Phocas, became emperor, who married Anna’s mother, Empress Theophano. Then she overthrew him and installed John I Tzimisces on the throne. And only after his death in 976, the matured Vasily II and Constantine VIII were proclaimed emperors and began to rule themselves. From that time on, the grown-up Porphyry Princess Anna became one of the most enviable brides in Europe, whose royal hand was persistently sought by the rulers of neighboring countries. The Germans, Franks and others wooed Anna. The Armenian historian Stefan Taronsky (Asohik) writes about the matchmaking of one of the Bulgarian princes to Anna in 986.

Not everyone, even a noble applicant, could count on Anna’s hand. Her grandfather, Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus, in 949 wrote for his son a treatise “On the Administration of the Empire,” in which he expressed the attitude of the rulers of Byzantium to dynastic marriages with the barbarian northern peoples, among whom he indicated the Rus: “If ever a people from these unfaithful and wicked northern tribes will ask for kinship through marriage with the basileus of the Romans, that is, either to receive his daughter as a wife, or to give your daughter, either as a wife to the basileus or to the son of the basileus, you must reject this unreasonable request of theirs. Since every nation has different customs, different laws and regulations, it must adhere to its own orders, and enter into and create alliances for the mixing of lives within the same people.” Constantine Porphyrogenitus made an exception for the ruling dynasties of Western Europe and the Franks. And the 11th century chronicler Thietmar of Merseburg mentioned that, it seems, Anna had already been betrothed to the heir to the Holy Roman Empire, Otto III. But this was not destined to come true.

Vladimir's matchmaking with Anna.

Anna was distinguished not only by her nobility and a rich dowry, but also by her intelligence and excellent upbringing and education. And also the beauty that she inherited from her mother. Contemporaries gave her the nickname Rufa, that is, red-haired. Seeing all sorts of advantages of their sister, the brothers wanted to use Anna as a major trump card in the political game, given the great interest of European monarchs in marrying the Byzantine princess.

Information about Anna's virtues was obviously so widespread that it reached Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich. Married according to pagan customs to Rogneda and who, according to information that has reached us, had many more wives and hundreds of concubines, Vladimir by that time began to show interest in Christianity and also heard about the famous “royal bride” Anna from Constantinople - the cultural capital of all of Europe and Lesser Asia. And he also decided to woo her. Ancient sources brought to us information about this matchmaking. At the beginning of 987, Prince Vladimir turned to the Byzantine emperors Vasily II the Bulgarian Slayer and Constantine VIII the Porphyrogenitus to marry their sister Princess Anna to him. The marriage of the Porphyry-born princess with a “barbarian pagan” was considered blasphemous and unacceptable. And it is not surprising that this proposal long time no consent was given.

Anna herself was then against this marriage and refused to marry a barbarian. But her brothers looked at this issue through the prism of geopolitics. The Byzantine emperors found themselves at this moment in an extremely difficult situation as a result of the outbreak of riots, and then they decided to ask Prince Vladimir for help. Vladimir promised to help, but demanded the hand of Princess Anna in return. He soon helped the Byzantine emperors suppress the rebellions. After this, in order to speed up the arrival of the bride and the marriage, Vladimir began military operations in the Crimea against the Byzantine city of Chersonese, or Korsun, as the Rus called it. Chersonesus was located on the site of modern Sevastopol. There you can still see its ruins on the shore of Quarantine Bay. And Crimea was also called not Crimea, but Taurida or Gazaria, which reminded us that the Khazars ruled it for some time. In those days there were no Polovtsians and Tatars there yet. The capture of Chersonesos gave Vladimir control of the Black Sea. From here, from the southernmost port of the peninsula, Russian boats could travel from Sinop to Constantinople.

This is how these events are described in the ancient Russian source. According to the Tale of Bygone Years, in the summer of 988, the great Kiev prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich with his numerous army besieged and soon captured Korsun (Chersonese) and sent a message to the Byzantine emperor threatening to take Constantinople, or Constantinople, as the Rus called it. “I have already taken your glorious city; I heard that you have a sister, a maiden; if you do not give her up for me, then I will do to your capital the same as to this city.”

As the chronicle says, the brothers turned to Anna in alarm with the following words: “Perhaps through you God will turn the Russian land to repentance, and save the Greek land from a terrible war. Do you see how much evil Rus' has done to the Greeks?” Remembering the raids of the Russians, Anna, “desiring peace for the Greek kingdom, exclaimed: May the will of the Lord be done.” Vasily and Konstantin told Anna that God was entrusting her with a great mission - to convert true faith an entire pagan country.

Then Anna set her firm condition before Vladimir: he had to reject pagan idols, be baptized, become a true Christian and leave his old riotous habits. Vasily and Constantine answered him like this: “It is not proper for Christians to marry their wives to pagans. If you are baptized, then you will receive her, and you will receive the kingdom of heaven, and you will be of the same faith with us. If you do not do this, then we will not be able to marry your sister to you.” Vladimir accepted this condition. Thus, two years of negotiations were completed and an agreement was finally reached. After receiving his consent, the emperors persuaded Anna to go to the “Tavro-Scythians,” as the Byzantines called the Russians. And Anna had to submit to the will of her brothers and submit to fate. With tears, the princess said goodbye to her loved ones, saying: “I’m walking like crazy, it would be better for me to die here.” The Arab historian of the 11th century, Abu Shoja ar-Rudraweri, in his chronicle, speaks of the decisive role of Anna in the baptism of Prince Vladimir: “The woman refused to give herself to someone who disagreed with her in faith. Negotiations began about this, which ended with the entry of the Tsar of the Rus into Christianity.”

At the insistence of her brothers, young Anna, accompanied by a large retinue of close associates and priests, went by ship to Chersonesus to meet her groom. It is noteworthy that Anna in Russian chronicles is called the “Greek princess,” and this corresponds to her Byzantine identity, but we emphasize once again that Anna and her brothers, the Byzantine emperors, were Armenians and she was accompanied to Chersonesos by Armenian clergy.

The wedding flotilla arrived in Chersonesos. Prince Vladimir came ashore to meet the bride in an embroidered golden robe and with a crown on his head. He immediately liked the beautiful Anna. According to the Tale of Bygone Years, as well as the Life of Prince Vladimir, it turns out that soon after Anna’s arrival in Chersonesus, Prince Vladimir’s eyes hurt and he could barely see. And then it was Anna who convinced Vladimir to accept Christianity, promising him healing after he was baptized. “If you want to get rid of this illness, then be baptized as soon as possible. If you do not get baptized, you will not be able to get rid of your illness.”

Soon, in the main temple of Chersonese in the Church of St. Basil, Armenian priests from Constantinople baptized the Grand Duke of Kyiv Vladimir and named him Greek name Vasily, which means "lord". The priests simply translated his pagan Slavic nickname. But it is also possible that Anna asked the holy fathers to name the groom after her older brother, the ruler of Byzantium, Vasily. Following this, Vladimir’s squad began to be baptized. As soon as Vladimir was baptized, a miracle immediately happened! He regained his sight and hugged Anna. The chronicle reads: “After Vladimir’s baptism, the queen was brought in for the marriage.” The marriage of 33-year-old Vladimir and 25-year-old Anna was solemnly performed according to all the canons of Christianity by Armenian priests in the Church of St. Basil, standing on central square Chersonese. The baptism of Vladimir and his marriage to Anna were described by the chronicler of the Laurentian Chronicle and a number of sources, both Russian and foreign.

This is a curious fact. Vladimir ordered all their wedding gifts to be sent back to the brothers-emperors, asking them to tell the basileus that the most valuable of the gifts - the beautiful Anna - was enough for him. The chronicles indicate that after baptism and wedding, the prince returned Chersonesos to Byzantium. In addition, he returned the bride price to Vasily and Konstantin. Vladimir also transferred 6 thousand Russian soldiers to Vasily II and Constantine VIII, who were stationed in the Armenian fortress of Baberd and used by the emperors to fight external and internal enemies. This is how highly the beautiful Byzantine woman was valued. This is what an invaluable gift the Armenian princess Anna turned out to be for Rus'! And in memory of his baptism, the prince founded a temple in Chersonesos in the name of St. John the Baptist.

This marriage immediately put Vladimir in the first rank of European rulers, and the influence of Kievan Rus increased significantly. The marriage with the princess significantly elevated Vladimir himself in the eyes of the international community. In some foreign chronicles, the Russian ruler began to be called the tsar. This marriage played an exceptional role in the history of Rus' and had a significant impact on the history of Byzantium. From that moment on, Kievan Rus was Christianized and entered the community of advanced European countries, and the ruling circles of Rus' became related to the rulers of one of the most powerful powers in the world. After this, Vladimir began to be called the Baptist, and subsequently he was canonized - he became a saint. By marrying Anna, Vladimir Svyatoslavich managed to avoid dependence on Constantinople after baptism. The Russian Church, most likely, began to submit at this time to the Metropolitan of Chersonese, who in turn was subordinate to Princess Anna, the ruler of Chersonese. That is, power over the Russian Church remained in the hands of Vladimir.

Anna's stay in Chersonesos is described in the Tale of Bygone Years. Anna is the only Byzantine queen whose stay in the Crimea (and, moreover, in Chersonesus) we know for sure. It must be said that Anna in Russian sources was not called the Grand Duchess or Princess, but rather the Tsarina, preserving for her the dignity of a member of the imperial family. Although it is known that queens, in the usual understanding of the title as the wife of the king, appeared in Rus' only under Ivan the Terrible. “And after,” the chronicle says, “Vladimir took the queen, the priests and the relics of the saints, taking with him church vessels and icons for blessing, and, accompanied by his squad, boyars and clergy, moved towards Kiev for the baptism of the entire people.”

Great deeds of Anna and Vladimir.

Returning to Kyiv, “the mother of Russian cities,” Grand Duke Vladimir ordered the destruction of the old idols that had previously been worshiped in Rus' - some to be chopped up and others to be burned. Perun ordered to tie the horse to the tail and drag it from the mountain to the Dnieper. Then Vladimir appointed a day for the general baptism of the people of Kiev. This event is believed to have occurred on August 1, 988. He sent messengers throughout Kyiv with the following words: “If someone does not come to the river tomorrow - be it rich or poor, or beggar, or slave - he will be my enemy!” Hearing this, all the people came to the Dnieper. “The next day Vladimir went to the Dnieper,” the chronicler describes the prince’s arrangement of the baptism of the Kievites, “and countless people gathered there. They entered the water and stood there, some up to their necks, others up to their chests, and some holding babies. And the priests performed prayers, standing still."

Under Vladimir, in addition to Kyiv, Chernigov in 992, Smolensk in 1012 and other cities were baptized. Thus, thanks to the Armenian Anna, in 988 Vladimir committed a historical act - with the participation of Armenian priests he baptized Kievan Rus! Having converted to the faith of Christ, Vladimir renounced all his previous numerous wives and concubines. He set them free, and married some of them to his confidants. After the baptism, Vladimir ordered to build churches throughout the country, appoint priests in them and bring people there for baptism. Then Vladimir sent to collect the best people children and send them to book education.

The famous Ukrainian writer and journalist Oles Buzina assesses Vladimir’s transformation this way. In his political and human growth, Prince Vladimir went through a long evolution from a semi-savage to a humanist, who even doubted whether it was worth executing the robbers if Christ said: “Thou shalt not kill!” While the prince was pondering this theological question, there were so many murderers that it became impossible to get to Kyiv. Then real politics prevailed, and the robbers who interfered with civilized business were killed without mercy. The priests managed to convince the prince of the need for this. Non-resistance to evil and violence is not a method in the fight against lawlessness. The state is an apparatus of violence. But the main thing is that it be a reasonable device.

Oles Buzina believes that Vladimir accomplished an incredible amount, like no other ruler of Rus' before him. But there is a gap in the chronicle from 997 to 1014. It turns out that the prince did nothing during the last seventeen years of his reign? No! His affairs were simply peaceful. He built a lot all over the country. And not only the defensive ramparts and the Tithe Church, but, apparently, also the St. Sophia Cathedral, which is incorrectly attributed to his son Yaroslav. The deeds of Saint Vladimir were so great that they aroused envy in Yaroslav. Yaroslav the Wise even had to “rewrite” some of his father’s achievements for himself - to cling to someone else’s glory, Buzina is sure.

The 11th-century Syrian historian Yahya of Antioch noted that Anna actively participated in the spread of Christianity in Rus', “building many churches.” This was quite natural, since back in her homeland the princess agreed to take on the mission of enlightening a pagan country. She understood perfectly well that without building churches and training priests, it was impossible to Christianize a large state. Some researchers believe that Anna helped Vladimir in creating legislation concerning the legal status of the Russian Church. They were prompted to this conclusion by the following phrase from the “Charter of Prince Vladimir”: “Having said fortunes with my princess Anna.” This is direct evidence of Anna’s real participation in the drafting of the church charter under Prince Vladimir.

Representatives of the clergy who surrounded Anna taught the Russian people the basics of the Christian religion and morality, prepared them for church service local priests. For this purpose, in all likelihood, a special school was created. Having converted to the faith of Christ, Vladimir renounced all his previous numerous wives and concubines, he set them free. AND ex-wives the Kyiv prince turned into true Christians, especially Rogneda. Following the example of Anna, she began to Christianize the Polotsk land. Then she founded the first convent and became its monk. It is also known that all the numerous children of Prince Vladimir readily accepted Christianity and spread it in their domains. The icons and church utensils brought by the princess turned into standards for copying by local painters and artisans. They were sent to newly built churches in all cities of Rus'. Anna was engaged in educational activities in the grand ducal family and among the nobility. She also took care of the poor people of Kyivians and contributed to the opening of hospitals and almshouses for them. For this, the common people loved her very much.

It was on Anna’s initiative that in 989 the construction of the first majestic and extraordinarily beautiful building began in Kyiv. stone temple- Tithe Church. She became a role model for the construction of stone cathedrals in many large Russian cities in the 11th - 15th centuries. The chronicles note that the Tithe Church was built by Greek craftsmen invited by Prince Vladimir. However, archaeologists who studied the ruins of the temple discovered features characteristic of Armenian buildings in the features of its foundation. So it turns out that Armenian craftsmen and architects were invited to lay the foundation and build the Church of the Tithes and other buildings in Kyiv. Vladimir often had no time to monitor the construction of the temple in Kyiv. Therefore, Anna Romanovna was mainly involved in this. She also monitored the construction of other Christian churches.

Anna decorated the Tithe Church beautiful icons. The icon began to be especially revered Our Lady of Vladimir. It was used during the celebration of the Dormition of the Mother of God. Since this church was dedicated to this holiday, Anna introduced the annual celebration of the Day of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary into church use in 996, when the construction of the Tithe Church was completed. Then similar Assumption Cathedrals were erected in all major cities, where the princely residences of Vladimir’s sons were located: Rostov, Vladimir-Volynsky, Tmutarakan and others. The holiday of the Dormition of the Mother of God was warmly received both in Kyiv and throughout Rus' and over time became the favorite for the Russian people. So Anna’s merits should also include the adoption of this holiday. It’s a pity that later no one remembered that the first to install it in Rus' was the Armenian princess from Byzantium, Anna Romanovna.

Although the Church of the Tithes has not reached us (it collapsed in 1240 during Batu’s invasion), archaeologists were able to reconstruct it appearance. It was a very impressive structure, 27.2 meters long and 18.3 meters wide, with three naves, three apses and inside with three pairs of pillars to support the vaults. It was crowned with 5 large domes. On the southern and northern sides the temple was surrounded by lowered galleries with pitched roofs. Since there was no marble or jasper in the Kyiv area, they were obviously brought for the temple from Crimea by order of the princess. The Tithe Church was given a special elegance by the frescoes and mosaics that decorated the entire upper part of the walls and the dome. The church was richly decorated with marble.

The custom also arose of decorating other temples and palaces with wall paintings, mosaics, carved stones, and inlaid the floors with multi-colored tiles. The craftsmanship of all this came from Byzantium. The mosaics were made of multi-colored glass, which at that time began to be produced in Kyiv itself. In addition to mosaics, square and round window panes in buildings were made from it. In addition, dishes, bracelets, beads and rings were made from multi-colored glass. Russian women especially loved jewelry. Archaeologists have found them in almost all female burials of the 11th century. Obviously, Anna also introduced the fashion for glass jewelry in Rus'. Byzantine luxury and sophistication began to penetrate more and more into the life of the nobility, this was especially noticeable in clothing and jewelry.

The name of Anna can be associated not only with the construction of the Tithe Church, but also with the magnificent princely residence located nearby. It was a luxurious palace complex consisting of several stone structures located next to each other. The Greek-style courtyards of the palace may have been decorated with ornamental plants and flowers. There have never been such magnificent ensembles in Rus' before. It arose, undoubtedly, on the initiative and with the active participation of Anna Romanovna. Under the influence of his wife, Vladimir apparently arranged for himself a country residence in Berestovo with a wooden palace and a stone house church in honor of the Transfiguration of the Savior. Anna made many changes to the life of the Kyiv prince. From that time on, Vladimir began to build powerful stone defensive structures similar to the Byzantine ones. Brick construction is also beginning to develop in Rus'.

So, as we see, Anna Romanovna honorably fulfilled the behest of the brother-emperors and became the first educator of Rus'. During her lifetime, Anna was properly revered. And then her popularity began to decline. Unfortunately, with all the undoubted merits that Anna Romanovna possessed, and all her numerous services to Russia, Russian chronicles and other written monuments contain little information about her. Her glorious life has not been properly described. And during Batu’s invasion and after it, her enormous missionary and educational activities began to be forgotten.

The reason for this, apparently, is that the Orthodox clergy were interested in presenting Vladimir Svyatoslavich as the baptist of Rus' and belittling the importance of the Armenians and Greeks in this process. The authors of the chronicles did not want to pay tribute to the foreign woman who played such a large role in the baptism of Rus' and the spread Christian culture on its territory. This trend was started by Metropolitan Hilarion, who wanted not to depend on the Patriarch of Constantinople and therefore argued that the Russian state was baptized by Prince Vladimir himself without any participation of Armenians and Greeks. There is little information about Anna in Byzantine sources, since she main activity was carried out in Rus'.

The famous Ukrainian scientist, philosopher and Armenologist Irina Gayuk, author of the “Encyclopedia of Armenian Culture in Ukraine”, researched this topic. She emphasizes that Princess Anna’s Armenian roots are beyond doubt. In her opinion, the problem here is not only in silence, but also in the lack of understanding of the issue of her activities. This is on the one hand, and on the other hand, all issues related to poor coverage of Armenian topics are directly related to the deplorable state of Oriental studies in Ukraine. In addition to this, there is another reason for the silence about Anna’s Armenian origin - purely political. People occupying high position in a state, as a rule, they are representatives of the interests and will primarily of the given state, and not of the ethnic group or nation to which they belong. Irina Gayuk emphasizes that with baptism a radical turn was outlined in the history of Kievan Rus. A change of religion meant a radical restructuring of the entire life structure of the peoples inhabiting these lands. And if the official baptism of Rus' took place under Anna, then with her official representatives of the church, which became the state, arrived in Rus'. And since Anna was an Armenian, it was most likely with her that the a large number of Armenians

According to Professor Yaroslav Dashkevich, it was the Armenians who could have brought eastern calendar systems with them to Rus', which was also reflected in Russian chronicles. And as for the cult of saints Gregory the Illuminator and the Virgin Hripsime, so widespread in Kievan Rus, then, although they were and are pan-Orthodox saints, their widespread veneration in Rus', as well as their iconography according to the canons of the Armenian Apostolic, and not the Byzantine Church, are also associated with Princess Anna and those priests who arrived with her in Kyiv.

The outstanding historian Nikolai Karamzin also researched this topic and tried to recreate historical portrait Princess Anna. To do this, he studied all the surviving ancient chronicles. According to Karamzin, Princess Anna had to accomplish a feat in the name of her homeland, and also take on the mission of enlightening the “lost pagans.” As a result, for posterity, “Anna was an instrument of heavenly grace that led Russia out of the darkness of idolatry.”

Death of Anna and Vladimir.

The murder of Boris and Gleb. The Byzantine princess Anna was married to Prince Vladimir for 22 years. And they lived all this time in love and harmony. Anna died in the year 6519 from the creation of the world according to the Byzantine calendar, which corresponds to the year 1011/1012 ( New Year then they counted from September 1). "The Tale of Bygone Years" reports Anna's death as follows: "Vladimir's Queen Anna passed away." Anna Romanovna was only 48 years old. The exact cause of death is unknown. Perhaps her health was affected by climate change or some kind of epidemic. This happened 4 years before the death of Prince Vladimir.

For Vladimir Svyatoslavich, the death of his beloved wife was a heavy loss. Therefore, he ordered a luxurious marble sarcophagus, decorated with beautiful carvings, from Armenian stone cutters from Byzantium. To perpetuate the memory of the princess, by order of the prince, it was installed inside the Tithe Church. It should be noted that in Byzantium, even the emperors, the viceroys of God on earth, were not given such an honor. They were buried outside churches. Only in Western European countries was there a custom to install the tombs of rulers inside temples. Thus, they were equated with saints. Anna was awarded special honors for her great deeds, for the fact that, together with her husband, she baptized and enlightened the Russian people, and also built churches. Although after the death of the princess, Prince Vladimir married again, he bequeathed to bury himself next to Anna, in the same white marble sarcophagus. Before the destruction of the Tithe Church in 1240, the remains of Anna and Vladimir were especially revered by the Russian people. Anna was treated like a saint!

As the German chronicler Dietmar of Merseburg reported, in the first half of the 11th century he saw the tombs of Anna and Vladimir standing next to each other in the Tithe Church in Kyiv. exactly as St. Vladimir the Baptist bequeathed. Karamzin explored this issue in more detail in " Historical description Kiev-Pechersk Lavra" discovered information about the find in 1636, during the dismantling of the Tithe Church, which collapsed in 1240, and the sarcophagi of Vladimir and Anna. For some unknown reason, only the prince’s skull was transferred to Kiev Pechersk Lavra, and everything else was buried again. At the end of the 30s of the 20th century, excavations were carried out again in the area of ​​the Tithe Church, and a cache with fragments of white marble lids was found under the floor. During the research, it was possible to find out that they were previously decorated with crosses and bas-reliefs. In all likelihood these were fragments of the lids of the sarcophagi of Vladimir and Anna.

Vladimir Svyatoslavich, popularly nicknamed Vladimir the Red Sun, had 12 sons. But his favorites, of course, were Boris and Gleb, whom the Byzantine princess Anna gave birth to to the prince. They were also the favorites of the whole people. At baptism, Boris received the name Roman, and Gleb the name David. The first-born Boris, born around 990, most likely received his baptismal name by Anna's father - Emperor Roman II. And Gleb, born around the year 1000, received his baptismal name in honor of the biblical King David, revered as an example of a Christian ruler. The people of Kiev wanted the eldest of the two brothers, Boris, to become the Grand Duke of Kyiv after his father. There is no doubt that he would be a wonderful heir. But, unfortunately, this did not happen. On July 15 (28), 2015, the Grand Duke of Kiev died. And power in Kyiv was seized by force and deceit by the eldest of all sons - Svyatopolk, whom even Vladimir himself could not stand.

Having ascended the throne, Svyatopolk began to cajole the people of Kiev in every possible way. But they decisively declared with one voice: “We want Boris, the son of Princess Anna.” Then this vile murderer sent assassins to his half-brothers Boris and Gleb. Having learned about this atrocity, the people called Svyatopolk the Accursed. The people's sadness was great. Princes Boris and Gleb, sons of the Armenian Anna, were proclaimed saints by the Russian Orthodox Church. Moreover, they became the very first Russian saints. Celebrating the memory of the innocently murdered brothers on July 24 began shortly after the construction of the first church in the name of Boris and Gleb in Vyshgorod in 1021. Having expelled his monster brother Svyatopolk from Kyiv in 1019, Yaroslav the Wise became the Grand Duke. Paying tribute to the baptizer of Rus' Anna, he also named his daughter Anna.

It should be said that despite the evidence, some historians are trying to cast doubt on the fact that Vladimir’s sons Boris and Gleb were born by Anna. Irina Gayuk gives a clear argument on this matter. Firstly, such outstanding Russian historians as Vasily Tatishchev and Sergei Solovyov wrote that Anna was the mother of Boris and Gleb. Secondly, attention is drawn to the fact that the sources of that time talk about the pilgrimage of Armenian merchants to the Vyshgorod church-tomb of Saints Boris and Gleb. Thirdly, it was the life of Saints Boris and Gleb that was translated from Old Russian into Armenian. And finally, it was “The Life of Saints Boris and Gleb” that around the 30s of the 13th century was included in the Armenian “Cheti-Minea” and remained in them to this day. So the increased attention from Armenians to Saints Boris and Gleb since their murder is not accidental, but is explained by their Armenian origin.

In 1056, the Macedonian, but in fact the Armenian dynasty in Byzantium left the historical arena. Constantine Monomakh came to power, and in Kievan Rus, through his grandson Vladimir Monomakh, the Monomakhovichs. But Orthodoxy, brought to Rus' by Princess Anna, remains. In the chronicles, Anna is called “Greek princess” or “Greek princess”, since Byzantium subsequently fell under the blows of the Turks in 1453 and “shrank” to the borders of Greece, and the archives were thoroughly “cleaned up”. Unfortunately, Anna and her brothers Vasily II the Bulgarian Slayer and Constantine VIII the Porphyrogenitus, descended from the Armenian Arsacid family, were unfairly forgotten. Although it is to them that Russia, as well as Ukraine and Belarus, owe the adoption of faith in Christ in 988.

Justice requires recognizing that the image of the Byzantine princess, and then the great Kyiv princess Anna undeservedly remains in the shadows, while Grand Duke Vladimir, in connection with the baptism of Rus', was declared a saint. His grandmother, Grand Duchess Olga, who had previously failed to persuade her grandson Vladimir to accept the Christian faith, was also canonized and buried in the Church of the Tithes. Subsequently, during her excavations, Olga’s sarcophagus was found, made of Volyn slate by Armenian craftsmen and decorated with Armenian ornaments.

But it was Anna who persuaded Vladimir, who suffered from eye problems and was almost blind, to hasten the baptism, and after baptism he recovered. Oles Buzina writes: “The image of a royal young Armenian woman from Constantinople, who left for a foreign land to fulfill her Christian duty - the baptism of a pagan country, where dangers, misunderstanding, hostility, and indifference to Christian shrines, perhaps because her feat was accomplished modestly and in ordinary everyday life, it was not only not appreciated, but also consigned to oblivion...”

Beauty Anna, whose image was preserved on the fresco in St. Sophia Cathedral, undoubtedly accomplished a feat, going to distant Kyiv to attract Grand Duke Vladimir and all of Kievan Rus to the faith of Christ! As one of the chronicles says: “Anna sacrificed herself to high goals, not hoping to find happiness in a foreign country. This characterized her as a very pious, highly moral and patriotic woman.” The bright image of the Byzantine princess, and then the Grand Duchess Anna of Kyiv, should be appreciated and should sparkle in all its glory. And if Vladimir is called the Baptist of Rus', then Anna can rightfully be called the Baptist of Rus'! After all, it is primarily thanks to this wonderful Armenian woman that Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians have been Christians for 1027 years. And who else but Anna should be declared a saint by the Russian Orthodox Church for this! I would like to hope that at least in a thousand years justice will prevail.

ANNA (born March 13, 963; d. 1011/1012), Byzantine princess, porphyrogenite, daughter of Emperor Roman II, sister of Emperors Basil II and Constantine VIII, wife of the Kyiv prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich, Baptist of Rus'.

Anna was born two days before the death of her father, Emperor Roman (information from the Byzantine chronicler John Skylitzes); therefore, her birth occurred in the so-called. Porphyra - a special room in the Palace of Constantinople, where only the children of the ruling emperors were born. Apparently, it was her hand that Holy Roman Emperor Otto I sought for his son, the future Emperor Otto II, in 967 (information from Liutprand, Bishop of Cremona, who did not, however, name the intended bride).

Around 987, negotiations began on the marriage of Anna and the Russian prince Vladimir. This marriage played an exceptional role in the history of Rus' and had a significant impact on the history of Byzantium; It is not surprising that a number of sources report about him - both Russian (chronicles, various editions of the Life of Prince Vladimir) and foreign (Yahya of Antioch, Abu-Shoja al-Rudraweri, Ibn al-Asir; Skilitsa; Thietmar of Merseburg, etc.) .

The circumstances of the unprecedented matchmaking of the Russian prince to the porphyry princess are known. Byzantine Emperor Vasily II, who found himself in an extremely difficult situation after the defeat from the Bulgarians (August 986) and the beginning of the rebellion of Bardas Skler (February 987), and then Bardas Phocas (August or September 987), turned to the Russian prince for help Vladimir. Vladimir promised to help, but demanded Vasily Anna’s hand in return. Despite the fact that the marriage of a porphyry-born princess with a “barbarian” was considered blasphemous and unacceptable (as Vasily and Anna’s grandfather Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus specifically wrote about in his essay “On the Administration of the Empire” in the middle of the 10th century), Vasily agreed subject to baptism Vladimir (no later than October 987). Vladimir was probably baptized, but the marriage was delayed for almost two years. During this time, Vladimir managed to provide assistance to Vasily (which became life-saving for him), and then began military operations in Crimea against the Byzantine city of Chersonese (Korsun). Only after the fall of Chersonese (probably between April 7 and July 27, 989) were negotiations resumed between Vasily and Vladimir. Anna opposed the marriage in every possible way (as Russian and Eastern sources agree on), but she had to submit to her brother’s will. Together with priests and associates, she went to Chersonesos, where her marriage to Vladimir took place. In addition to the Tale of Bygone Years, Anna’s stay in Chersonesos is evidenced by microtoponymy data: in the second half of the 11th century. in Korsun the “queen’s chambers” were known (chronicle article 988). This is probably evidenced by the Life of St. Stephen of Sourozh (known in Russian translation, in lists no earlier than the 15th century), namely “The 4th Miracle” (the last of posthumous miracles saint). It contains a story about an illness that happened to “Queen Anna” on the way from Chersonesos to Kerch: Anna fell ill while she was on the “Black Water” (Greek Mavropotamus; probably the current Biyuk-Karasu river), near Surozh (modern Sudak); She was healed by prayer to Saint Stephen.

Anna is the only Byzantine queen whose stay in the Crimea (and, moreover, in Chersonesus) we know for sure. This makes the identification of Anna Life with Anna, the wife of Prince Vladimir, very likely. (Russian sources always call Anna a “queen,” but not a princess; in addition, we note that the authors of the Life do not make such an identification at all, therefore, her name could not appear in the text of the Life by guesswork.)

According to the Tale of Bygone Years, as well as the Life of Prince Vladimir, it was Anna who finally convinced Vladimir to accept Christianity: soon after her arrival in Korsun, the prince fell ill with his eyes and was baptized only after Anna promised him healing. However, this episode can also be regarded as a hagiographic cliche, since, as one can assume, Vladimir had already been baptized by the time of his marriage to Anna. Nevertheless, Anna's role in the Christianization of Rus' was very significant. According to an Arab chronicler of the 11th century. Yahya of Antioch, Anna built many churches on her new homeland. Anna's name is read in the text so-called. The Charter of Prince Vladimir on Church Courts (a monument of the 13th century, which is probably based on the original charter of Prince Vladimir).

Anna's daughters, apparently, were Maria Dobronega, who later became the wife of the Polish prince Casimir I the Restorer, and also, possibly, Feofana, the wife of the Novgorod mayor Ostromir (assumption by A. Poppe). The repeatedly expressed assumption that Anna was also the mother of princes Boris and Gleb does not seem substantiated and directly contradicts the sources.

"The Tale of Bygone Years" reports Anna's death in 6519 (1011/1012). This news, most likely extracted from the memorial of the Kiev Tithe Church (where the princess was buried), should certainly be preferred to the testimony of the Byzantine chronicler Skylitzes, according to which Anna she died after her husband, that is, after 1015. The German chronicler Thietmar of Merseburg (who mistakenly called the princess Helena) reports about Anna’s tomb, located next to her husband’s tomb.

LITERATURE:
Schreiner P. Miscellania Byzantino-Russica // Byzantine timebook. T. 52.M., 1991. P. 157-158; Poppe A. Feofana of Novgorod // Novgorod historical collection. Vol. 6 (16). St. Petersburg, 1997. pp. 102-120; Karpov A. Yu. Vladimir Saint. M., 1997.