Which contributed most directly to the rise of the Russian Orthodox Church? - Catholic Papacy - Crusader Knights - Byzantine Empire - Holy Roman Empire
History · High School · Wed Jan 13 2021
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The rise of the Russian Orthodox Church was most directly contributed to by the Byzantine Empire. When Christianity began to spread, the Byzantine Empire, with its capital in Constantinople, was the center of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. During the 9th and 10th centuries, Eastern Orthodox missionaries from the Byzantine Empire, notably Saints Cyril and Methodius, played a crucial role in the conversion of the Slavic peoples, including the Russians. Through these efforts, the Grand Duchy of Moscow, which later became the core of the Russian state, adopted Eastern Orthodox Christianity. This religious choice distanced Russia culturally and politically from the Roman Catholic Church in Western Europe and shaped its unique religious identity centered on the Russian Orthodox Church.