conversion of the populace without any difficulty. Vladimir ordered that all the pagan idols and their temples be demolished and sacked. On a mound overlooking the city stood the tremendous, gigantic figure of their chief god, Perun—god of thunder—with a solid silver head and a golden beard. This he commanded to be pulled from its pedestal, tied to the tail of a monstrous horse and dragged through the streets of Kiev at the head of a great procession consisting of the entire population, on to the River Dnieper. There it was “drowned” while all the people were being immersed in the waters during the baptismal ceremonies.
From then on, through the influence of his good wife Anne, Vladimir became a changed man. In place of the pagan temples he erected churches, monasteries and convents. He replaced the statues of the pagan gods with those of Christian saints and established ecclesiastic courts and schools.
After his death (1015 A. D.) he was cannonized. His sainted body was dismembered and the parts of it were distributed among the churches and other ecclesiastic institutions of the land. They are venerated by the devout up to this day. The Cathedral of Kiev, erected upon the mound where stood the thunder-god Perun, is one of the remaining monuments of this great and versatile ruler.
This is the abbreviated history of St. Vladimir, translated in part from the most authentic works of the Russian historians of his day.
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