We have all seen pictures of some of Russia's most famous churches. The most famous, by quite a way, is St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow: a stunning mix of vibrant colours, green, blue, red and gold, with an incredibly rich history. It has remained a steady symbol in the country's history - through the Russian Empire, Royal Family and the reign of the Soviet Union.
Let's go back to the beginning. 64% of Russians today are Christian, and approximately 62% are Russian Orthodox. But where did Russian Orthodoxy come from and how does it differ from Greek Orthodoxy? What is it about the churches being entirely different?
Orthodoxy was adopted after Prince Volodymyr of Kyiv sent emissaries to find out about the religions of other nations. In around 988 A.D., one emissary reported from Constantinople, modern day Istanbul, that the Byzantine Empire's religion was particularly interesting. Believing that Russia would benefit greatly from adopting one central religion, Prince Volodymyr took on Byzantine Christian Orthodoxy. This helped abate the social agitation and unrest of the country. He formed a pact with the Byzantine Emperor Basil II, promising his sister's hand marriage to Volodymyr in exchange for military aid and complete conversion to Orthodoxy. Harmony continued until the 16th of July 1054 - the Great Schism. It was one of the single most important moments in the development of religion, marking the end of communion between the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox faiths, who then split into what we now know as Russian and Greek Orthodox.
The only real difference between the two is the liturgical language, otherwise the beliefs and practices are identical. This split explains why Orthodox as a denomination is not 'Catholic', as the Eastern Orthodox faiths parted ways with the Pope.
In A.D. 1045, construction began on St. Sophia's Cathedral, in Nizhny Novgorod, which is still used today as a place of worship. This cathedral marks the beginning of the use of the iconic Russian Church design so recognisable to all around the world. Of course there are a whole heap of differences between Russian churches and Western ones - notably the shape, which in Russian churches does not represent the Christian Cross. The Orthodox Cross isn't even the same as ours here in the West! The Orthodox cross has a second horizontal beam above the larger beams where Jesus' hands were nailed, and there is another small bar slanting diagonally downwards, which is most likely meant to represent a footstool. In fact, there is a separate Russian Cross, without the extra horizontal beam at the top. The colour of what are called Onion Domes symbolise different things, for instance:
Gold - Celestial Glory
Blue with gold stars - Mother of God
Green or Silver - In honour of Saints
