Authors

Łukasz Gemziak¹;  ¹ Nicolaus Copernicus University, Poland

Discussion

This paper aims to compare the two disputes caused by the celebrations of the 1000th anniversary of the Christianization of Kievan Rus’ (1988) and the celebrations of the 1000th anniversary of St. Vladimir’s death (2015), respectively. The debate between the Russian Orthodox Church and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church referred to the question who the heir to the legacy of Kievan Rus’ is and, consequently, has the right to organize the celebrations of the 1000th anniversary of the Christianization of Kievan Rus. Surprisingly, the dispute that had taken place in the Soviet Union partially revived in 2015. The 1000th anniversary of St. Vladimir’s death (St. Vladimir Christianized the Kievan Rus’) caused a debate between Ukrainian and Russian intellectuals, journalists, and politicians over whose country is the heir to the legacy of Kievan Rus’. In both cases, the abovementioned anniversaries revealed the clash of collective memories rooted in different cultures and perceptions of history.