In June 1988, the Russian Orthdox Church celebrated the millennium of the Christianisation of Russia and the baptism of St Vladimir. In this lecture, Richard Chartres explores the significance of St Vladimir, a figure considered equal to the apostles, and looks forward to a change in state attitudes towards religion in the aftermath of the celebrations.

Richard John Carew Chartres is the 132nd Lord Bishop of London, in office in November 1995 until 2017. He was previously Bishop of Stepney (1992-1995) and Gresham Professor of Divinity (1987-1992). His Gresham lectures covered topics as varied as prayer, the Shroud of Turin and the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. He read history at Trinity College, Cambridge and was ordained as a priest in 1974. He is very concerned with environmental issues, and since 2006 has the led the Church of England's Shrinking the footprint campaign. In 2008, the Independent on Sunday named him the 75th most important environmental campaigner in Britain.
All the previous lectures by the Rt Revd and Rt Hon Dr Richard Chartres can be accessed on our website here.