1890. Sketch for a fresco in the Cathedral of St. Vladimir in Kiev. Watercolor, gouache and lead pencil on paper. The Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia. Read Note.
St. Vladimir, Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavovich (960-1015), the Grand Duke of Kiev (980-1015), the youngest son of Grand Duke Svyatoslav, the grandson of Grand Duchess Olga. He came to power after several successful plots against his elder brothers. In 988, he asked for the hand of the Byzantine Princess Anna. Byzantine rulers, wishing to have him as an ally, agreed, but their condition was that Vladimir was to accept Christianity. He was baptized himself and adopted Christianity as the official religion of Russia