For the Eastern Orthodox folks or history buffs.....
This fall, Eastern Orthodox churches comemmorate the 1,020th anniversary of conversion of Kievian Rus to Christianity. This is traditionally celebrated as the birth of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Tradtionally said to have been founded by the Apostle Andrew, beleived to have visited Scythia (Ancient Russia) and Greek colonies along the northern coast of the Black Sea. Having reached the future location of Kiev, Andrew foretold the foundation of a great Christian city and the spot where he reportedly erected a cross is now occupied by St. Andrew's Cathedral.
By the latter half of the first millennium C.E., eastern Slavic lands started to come under the cultural influence of the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium). In 863-869, Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius translated parts of the Bible into Old Church Slavonic language for the first time, paving the way for the Christianization of the Slavs (an intersting note: while the Poles are a Slavic people, they were converted by the Western (Roman Catholic) Church and thus Polish is written using a variant of the Latin alphabet, while Slavic nations converted by the Greeks/Byzantines use a variant of the Greek alphabet).
By the 900's, there was already a Christian community among Kievan nobility, under the ministry of Greek and Byzantine priests, although paganism remained the dominant religion. Princess Olga of Kiev was the first ruler of Kievan Rus to convert to Christianity, either in 945 or 957 C.E. Her grandson, Vladimir the Great, made Kievan Rus' a Christian state.
As a result of the Christianization of Kievan Rus' in 988 C.E., Prince Vladimir I of Kiev officially adopted Byzantine Rite Christianity — the religion of the Eastern Roman Empire — as the official religion of Kievan Rus'. In 1988, the Church celebrated its 1,000 year anniversary.
The leader of most Eastern Orthodox Churches is referred to as a Patriarch, while regional churches within the specific branch are led by a Metropolitan. The Patriarch of Constantinople appointed the metropolitan who governed the Church of Rus'. The Metropolitan's residence was originally located in Kiev. As Kiev was losing its political, cultural, and economical significance due to the Mongol invasion, Metropolitan Maximus moved to Vladimir in 1299; his successor, Metropolitan Peter moved the residence to Moscow in 1325.
After the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 (a scene recently depicted at the beginning of the film "Bram Stoker's Dracula), the Russian Church assumed a leading position among the Eastern Churches, with some referring to Moscow as the "Third Rome." Other influences of Byzantium can be seen in the double-headed used by the Russian Tsars and the religious architecture of Eastern Europe and Eurasia, as well as the title of "Tsar" - a Russian derivation of "Ceasar".
Churches considered to be part of "Eastern Orthodoxy", with ties to Byzantium and Constantinople:
The Church of Constantinople
The Church of Jerusalem
The Church of Moscow
The Church of Greece
The Greek Church of Alexandria
The Church of Antioch
The Church of Georgia
The Church of Serbia
The Church of Romania
The Church of Bulgaria
The Church of Cyprus
The Church of Albania
The Church of Poland
The Church of Slovakia and the Czech Lands
The Orthodox Church in America
Autonomous Churches
The Church of Sinai (Jerusalem Patriarchate)
The Orthodox Church of Finland (Ecumenical Patriarchate)
The Church of Estonia (Ecumenical Patriarchate)
The Church of Japan (Moscow Patriarchate)
The Church of Ukraine (Moscow Patriarchate)
Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia
Armenian Apostolic Church
Antiochean Syriac Orthodox Church
Antiochean Syriac Orthodox Church in India
Coptic Orthodox Church
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
Indian Orthodox Church
Eritrean Orthodox Tewahdo Church
Assyrian Church of the East
For the Eastern Orthodox folks here, what is your favorite icon or which one has the most meaning for you?
Greg
