Eastern Orthodox Church

The Eastern Orthodox church was centered on the Byzantine city of Constantinople, the capital of the empire.

Russians were originally polytheistic

• worshipped many gods of nature

Grand Prince Vladimir of Kiev

• aka Saint Vladimir• born in Kyyiv (Kiev)• was originally a pagan• devoted much of his early life

to extending and consolidating his territories into a unified Russian state

Grand Prince Vladimir of Kiev

(continued)

• helped Byzantine emperor Basil II suppress a rebellion

-was allowed to marry the emperor’s sister Anne

-accepted Christianity in 988 A.D.

Grand Prince Vladimir of Kiev

(continued)

• made the Eastern OrthodoxChurch the official religion of Kiev-required his subjects to convert

• conversion strengthened ties between the Byzantine empire and Kiev

Grand Prince Vladimir of Kiev(continued)

• introduced Byzantine civilization into Russia

• built churches

• suppressed paganism

• made social reforms

Acceptance of the Eastern Orthodox religion gave Russians the sense of belonging to the civilized world.

It also gave rise to the use of the Cyrillic alphabet developed by St. Cyril to write the Scriptures in the vernacular language.

Icons

The Old Testament Trinity prefiguring the Incarnation (circa 1410)

• sacred paintings

• were created as tools of devotion and prayer

• sometimes thought to cause miracles

Saint Basil’s Cathedral

Eastern Orthodox Architecture

• dome-shaped buildings reflect Byzantine and (possibly) Islamic influences

• domes are often onion-shaped and painted with fancy designs in bright colours

“The eggs do not teach the hen.”

-Russian proverb

“An egg is dear on Easter Day.”

-Russian proverb

“Let a woman into Paradise, she’ll bring her cow.”

-Russian proverb