Greeks in Rus'

Greeks in Rus'

  • Cyril (827–869) and Methodius (815–885)

    • Cyril and Methodius – Slavic enlighteners

      Cyril and Methodius – creators of the Church Slavonic language, orthodox preachers, esteemed as saints equal to the apostles – had played a significant role in the development of Slavic written language and culture. The featured researches, essays, speeches tell about their life and work. The selection also includes a photograph depicting the monument to Cyril and Methodius and the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation.

  • Maximus the Greek (1470–1556)

    Theologian, philologist, publicist. In 1518, at the invitation of Vasily III, he arrived in the Russian state to translate church books. In Moscow, he participated in disputes between the Josephites and non-covetous people, taking the side of the latter. He opposed monastic land ownership and criticized the life of the Russian clergy. For rapprochement with opposition church circles, he was condemned at the councils of 1525 and 1531 and exiled to a monastery. He left an extensive literary heritage, in particular, theological discussions, articles on grammar and lexicography.

  • Arseny the Greek (c. 1610 – after 1666)

    Hieromonk, church leader. He came to Moscow in 1649 together with Patriarch Paisius of Jerusalem. On behalf of the patriarch, Nikon supervised the correction and translation of liturgical books. In 1653 he opened a Greek-Latin school in the Moscow Kremlin to teach Greek and Latin. In 1662, he was convicted of heresy and exiled to the Solovetsky Monastery.