New Times,
New Thinking.

  1. Culture
4 June 2007

Beauty and splendour

In Andrew Louth's first article of four he introduces the Russian Orthodox Church

By Andrew Louth

Russian Orthodoxy was born towards the end of the first Christian millennium.

According to the chronicle, Vladimir (or Volodimer) Prince of Kiev – whose conversion inaugurated Russian Orthodoxy – sent envoys to his neighbouring nations which embraced some form of monotheism such as Judaism, Islam, Western and Eastern Christianity. What convinced these nations of the superiority of the Eastern Orthodoxy of Constantinople was their worship: ‘we knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth… We only know that God dwells there among men, and their service is fairer that the ceremonies of other nations. For we cannot forget that beauty.’

Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month
Content from our partners
Collaboration is key to ignition
Common Goals
Securing our national assets