Saint Vladimir was born on January 1, 1848, in the province of Tambov. He was named Basil Nikephorovich Bogoyavlensky. Basil's father was a priest, but he was murdered when Basil was young. In 1874, he graduated from the Theological Academy in Kiev and began teaching in the Tambov Seminary. He was ordained a priest in 1881. After the death of his matushka and only child in 1886, Fr. Basil entered the Kozlov Monastery in Tambov and was...