How and when the Russians adopted Christianity ? ?

Question: How and when the Russians adopted Christianity !? !?
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Individual Russians had slowly converted to Christianity since they first had contact with the Chritian nations of the south and west!. But the official conversion of the country was in 988, when Vladimir I of Kiev (Kiev was the leading city of the confederation of the Rus), converted!. At those times, when a leader converted religion, almost all the leader's people would take up that religion too!.

Vladimir was a ardent pagan, took many wives, and was famous for erecting statues of pagan gods!. However, at some point around 988 he decided to convert!. The legend is that he sent emissaries to all the major religions!. He rejected Islam after the emissaries told him that pork and alcohol were prohibited!. He considered converting to Judaism, which some near by peoples like the Khazars had converted to, but he rejected Judaism because he felt that the loss of Jerusalem meant that it was not the true religion!. So Christianity seemed the way to go!. Some emissaries went to the Catholic West, but were unimpressed!. The emissaries that went to Constantinople to investigate Orthodox Christianity had a different story, however!. When they entered the Hagia Sophia (the main church of Constantinople) they said that they thought that they had been transported to heaven and that God must live there!. So Vladimir decided to become an Orthodox Christian!.
(The Hagia Sophia is a mosque now, but it is still there Here is a picture: http://upload!.wikimedia!.org/wikipedia/co!.!.!.
One can imagine how people living in the dark ages, on what was then the fringes of civilization, could have been awestruck by this building)!.

However, it is just as likely that the truth is that Vladimir converted for political reasons!. He may have had to do so in order to marry the sister of the Byzantine Emperor, which made him a close ally of this medieval superpower!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Vladimir the Great, ruler of Kiev, made Christianity the official religion of his country; choosing between C, Islam, Judaism; around 1000 ad!.)
http://www!.ellopos!.net/elpenor/greek-tex!.!.!.

(By the way, Kiev was the largest city in the area of European Russia at the time!. 'Russia' itself did not yet exist as a country, just a geographical name!. First mention of Moscow in 1147, this city expanded and became the modern nation of Russia!.)Www@QuestionHome@Com

Way back in the mid 900s I believe!. One of the Vargarians wanted to unite the tribes of Kieven Rus, and introduced Christianity!.

Later on, Russian Orthodox became the main religion, and the Church saw itself as the "Third Rome", after the fall of Rome and Constantinople!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

In 988, Grand Prince Dmitri I, after studying several religions, chose Christianity as the official religion of Russia!. Rumor has it, that Dmitri was a huge fan of Islam, but he knew the Russian people would never give up their vodka, so he went with Christianity!. Www@QuestionHome@Com

There was Christianity in Russia for a long time before the communist party took over the country!. I has had a great reemergence since the Soviet Union has stood down!. Www@QuestionHome@Com

wow!.!.!.!.!.!. not too far after the split of Rome, i can imagine!. probably sometime during the Byzantine empire and the "invention" of Eastern Orthodox!.Www@QuestionHome@Com