1000th anniversary of the Christianization of Rus'

The 1000th Anniversary of the Christianization of Rus' (1000th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus, Russian: 1000-летие крещения Руси) was an occasion marked by events held in the USSR from May – June 1988, to celebrate the introduction of Christianity to Russia by Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich in 988. Originally, the celebrations were planned for the church only. However, the anniversary became a statewide event. That this was allowed to occur marked a shift in Soviet policy concerning the church. The General Assembly of UNESCO was called to note,

On December 23, 1980, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church elected to "start preparing for the celebration of the Russian Orthodox Church of the forthcoming Great Jubilee." A Jubilee Committee, chaired by Patriarch Pimen convened. The committee assumed its task would be confined to the church.

On May 17, 1983, in Moscow, the buildings of the former [Danilov Monastery] were officially transferred to the control of the Church. The buildings became the domain and a "spiritual and administrative center" of the [Moscow Patriarchate]. This was seen to representing a new change in the attitude of the government to the needs of the Orthodox Church in the USSR. It was the first time a monastic cloister had been returned to the Church in the period since 1930. This generated interest about the upcoming anniversary in the general public. In 1984, there was political obstruction to the establishment of a monastic community at the Danilov monastery. When Konstantin Chernenko, General Secretary of the Communist Party died, the objections ended. However, in November 1984, an official post titled "President of the Council for Religious Affairs" was formed to oversee the management of the monastery. Kharcheva Constantine, who succeeded Vladimir Kuroedova, took the post. In 1986, state policy on religion and the rights of religious citizens was further relaxed. The media was able to report about instances of persecution of religious citizens and the Church, and present the Church as a guardian of national culture and spirituality.

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