Church History
Christianization of Rus' (988)
Prince Vladimir of Kiev was baptized and declared Christianity the religion of Kievan Rus' in 988. According to the Primary Chronicle, his envoys visited Constantinople and were overwhelmed by the beauty of worship in Hagia Sophia: 'We knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth.' This brought Byzantine Christianity to the Slavic world.
Sources
- Russian Primary Chronicle (Povest' vremennykh let) archive.org
- Metropolitan Hilarion of Kiev, Sermon on Law and Grace (c. 1050)