Youth festival in Zaslavl to mark 1025th anniversary of Christianization of Rus

       A youth festival timed to the 1025th anniversary of the Christianization of Rus will be held in Zaslavl, Belarus, in July 2013, Vicar of the Minsk Eparchy of the Belarusian Orthodox Church Bishop of Borisov Veniamin told the media.
As many as 2,000 people are set to partake in the event. The Belarusian Orthodox Church representative noted that, according to the legend, Zaslavl was founded by Prince Vladimir. Princess Rogneda lived there, too, before taking the veil. According to the latest information, Rogneda was one of the first nuns in the Eastern Slavic territories.
         Deputy Premier of Belarus Anatoly Tozik noted that young people are expected to be heavily engaged in the celebrations of the 1025th anniversary of the Christianization of Rus. According to him, the Christianization plays a significant role in the history of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. He noted that the celebrations will highlight the achievements of the Belarusian state in preserving the Belarusian Orthodox culture after the break-up of the Soviet Union.
Bishop Veniamin underlined that in late 1980s Belarus had only one eparchy that comprised 300 churches and one cloister. Currently there are 1,600 parishes and over 30 cloisters in Belarus. The Belarusian Orthodox Church consists of 11 eparchies.