Body Icon N/A
- SKU#
- 14330204
-
- Metal:
- 585 (14kt) rose gold
-
- Weight:
- 1.6 g
This gold icon pendant 'Saint Vladimir the Great, the Prince and the Baptizer of Russia' is a marvelous piece of Russian Orthodox jewelry art. The reverse of the pendant features eight pointed orthodox cross and inscription in Russian 'Святой Равноапостольный Великий князь Владимир' meaning 'St. Vladimir, the Great Prince, Equal-to-the-Apostles'. Brushed and polished 585 rose gold with laser cutwork technique. Dimensions (with bail): 25mm (1 inch) in height by 15.5mm (5/8 inch) in width - the icon befitting a woman as much as a man. Made in Kostroma, Russia.
The Icon of Saint Vladimir the Great is reputed to help heal eye diseases, blindness and mortal illnesses. As the Prince Vladimir lived before the split of the Christian Church (1054 schism) he is revered both by the Orthodox and the Catholics of Russia and Ukraine. Since 2002 St. Vladimir, Equal-to-the-Apostles, the Evangelizer of Russia is considered the patron saint of the Russian Forces of the Ministry of the Interior. Commemorated: July 15/28.
Life of the Saint: At baptism Vladimir was named Basil. He was the son of prince Svyatoslav and the grandson of Igor and Olga. Vladimir was at first entirely pagan, both in his faith and his life. Learning that other faiths existed, he began to carefully inquire as to which of them was the best. For the reason, he sent emissaries to Constantinople. When the emissaries returned, they informed the prince that they attended a service in the Hagia Sophia and that they were 'outside themselves, not knowing whether they were on earth or in heaven'. This inspired Vladimir to be baptized and to baptize his people. The main idol Perun, was torn down from the hill of Kiev and hurled into the Dnieper River. After embracing the Christian Faith, Vladimir completely change his life and exerted all of his efforts to correctly fulfill all the requirements of the Faith. In place of the destroyed idols, Vladimir ordered churches to be built throughout his realm, and he himself built a beautiful church dedicated to the Most-holy Theotokos in Kiev. With the same insuperable drive with which Vladimir had earlier espoused idolatry, he now spread Christianity. He found repose in the Lord in the year 1015.
