The remarkable spread of Christianity by the Greeks of the Byzantine Empire into Eastern Europe stands as one of history’s most significant turning points.
This spread of Orthodox Christianity in the regions north of the Danube had a significant impact on the evolution of Eastern European culture. It also shaped the spiritual world of millions of people, particularly of Slavic descent.
This transformation came to fruition in part because of the tireless efforts of spiritual leaders of Greek origin, who played a fundamental role in the spread of Christianity centuries ago.
How Greeks spread Christianity to Eastern Europe
Constantinople, the epicenter of the Byzantine Empire, set out on a bold endeavor to spread Orthodox Christianity northwards in the ninth century.
During the height of its power, the Byzantine Empire dispatched numerous missionaries who would permanently alter the religious and cultural environment of Eastern Europe, strengthening the diplomatic soft power of the Greek Byzantines beyond the borders of their Empire.
Along with their spiritual and religious beliefs, these Greek-speaking ambassadors brought with them Byzantine art, architecture, and knowledge to these new lands, bringing to the people there new opportunities and expanding their horizons to new ideas.
Cyril and Methodius
Saints Cyril and Methodius were two brothers from Thessaloniki, who became the most important missionaries of their time, among the hundreds of others. Their father, Leontius (Greek: Λεόντιος), was a high-ranking official in the Byzantine Empire
These Greek missionaries responded to the request of Rastislav, the ruler of Moravia (modern-day Czechia), who asked the Byzantine Greeks to send educators who could provide valuable instruction in the native tongue, raising the standards of his people and promoting spirituality and knowledge.
The greatest accomplishment of the Greek brothers Cyril and Methodius was the development of the Cyrillic script, making Orthodox Christianity accessible to the locals in Eastern Europe, and enabling the translation of religious writings into Slavonic languages, which were widely spread in the region at the time.
An important turning point in the growth and spread of Orthodox Christianity in Eastern Europe was also Bulgaria’s conversion to Christianity.
Bulgaria became the first Slavic Orthodox Christian nation in 893 when it made the historic decision to designate Slavonic as its official church language. This choice would set a precedent for other Slavic nations to follow, with far-reaching effects on the future of these lands.
The Christianization of Russians
The conversion of Kievan Rus’ in 988 was arguably the greatest success of the Byzantine Empire and the missionary work of hundreds of Greek missionaries. A series of events led to Russia becoming the world’s largest Orthodox nation when Prince Vladimir converted to Orthodox Christianity and married a Byzantine princess, strengthening the ties between the two nations.
The Russian Church was a province of Constantinople in the beginning, forging a centuries-long ecclesiastical and cultural bond, that would later on obtain its first cracks, mainly due to geopolitical reasons and tensions.
Religious changes were not the only significant milestones Orthodox Christianity brought about.
Eastern Europe was exposed to Byzantine and therefore Greek literary traditions, artistic traditions, and architectural styles, shaping the thousand years between the 10th and 21st centuries.
The Orthodox Church developed to become a guardian of tradition, culture, and education, providing significant help to nations in their quest to form their unique national identities across the vast lands eastwards of Germany and northwards of the Danube.
Despite the subsequent Ottoman conquest of Constantinople in 1453, the Orthodox Christian tradition in this great city and its Empire established has thrived.
Orthodox Christianity continues to play a significant role in forming national character and cultural identity from Serbia to Bulgaria, and from Greece to Russia. Today, there are approximately 260 million Orthodox Christians, primarily due to the tireless work of these visionary Greek missionaries of the Middle Ages.
The Orthodox Church has established a permanent link between Byzantine Greece and the Slavic world, something that is evident to this very day.
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