According to surviving documentary sources, Christianity originated in the 1st century ad, in the territory of modern Palestine. Born in Nazareth, in a simple family of a Potter, the preacher Jesus Christ brought to the Jews a new doctrine-about the one God. He called himself the son of God, whom the Father had sent to save from sin. Christ’s teaching was one of love and forgiveness. He preached nonviolence and humility, confirming his beliefs by his own example. The followers of Jesus were called Christians, and the new religion was called Christianity. After the crucifixion of Christ, his disciples and supporters spread the new doctrine throughout the Roman Empire, and soon throughout Europe.

In Russia, Christianity appeared in the 10th century. Before that, the religion of the Rus was paganism –they deified the forces of nature and worshipped them. Prince Vladimir, having married a Byzantine, adopted her religion. Despite the resistance that arose everywhere, soon the whole of Russia was subjected to the rite of baptism. Gradually, the old faith was forgotten, and Christianity began to be perceived as a native Russian religion. Today, there are more than 2 billion followers of the teachings of Christ in the world. Among Ni, about 1.2 billion identify as Catholic, about 0.4 billion as Protestant and 0.25 billion as Orthodox. Many wear silver crosses.