Monument to Prince Vladimir the Great opened in Moscow
"If Vladimir was thinking the same way as some of our contemporaries, he would never have made his choice, he would have remained a pagan or personally become a Christian, but he wouldn’t have baptized Rus, – said the Patriarch. – He did not seek lush worship or spiritual comport which religion often gives, he sought the Truth with a capital letter and found and fell and loved the image of Christ and in holy baptism knew it as light, truth and life. "
"This monument is a reminder to everyone: are you also sincere in your faith, or do you want to distance yourself from everyone and everything for the sake of private gain and selfish interest? A Christian is the one who follows Christ not only when it is convenient and comfortable bur always? A real disciple of Christ cannot but feel heartsick not only for their families but also for their city, for their country, for the whole world," believes the Patriarch.
The opening ceremony was broadcast live.
The monument to Prince Vladimir was sculptured by the People’s
Artist of Russia S. A. Shcherbakov. Initially the monument was planned to be installed on the Sparrow Hills, but this initiative was criticized by experts and residents of Moscow. Through voting on the website of the RVIA and the portal «Active citizen», the monument is installed in Borovitskaya Square next to the Moscow Kremlin. The foundation to the monument to Prince Vladimir was laid on November 3, 2016.
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