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The Russian Church, like the other orthodox churches of the East, had an
apostle for its founder. St. Andrew, the first called of the Twelve,
hailed with his blessing long beforehand the destined introduction of
Christianity into our country; ascending up and penetrating by the
Dnieper into the deserts of Scythia, he planted the first cross on the
hills of Kieff. "See you," said he to his disciples, "these hills? On
these hills shall shine the light of divine grace. There shall be here a
great city, and God shall have in it many churches to his name."

Such are the words of the holy Nestor, the monk and annalist of the
Pechersky monastery, that point from whence Christian Russia has sprung.

But it was only after an interval of nine centuries that the rays of
divine light beamed upon Russia from the walls of Byzantium, in which
city the same apostle, St. Andrew, had appointed Stachys to be the first
bishop, and so committed, as it were, to him and to his successors, in
the spirit of prescience, the charge of that wide region in which he had
himself preached Christ. Hence the indissoluble connection of the
Russian with the Greek Church, and the dependence of her metropolitans
during six centuries upon the patriarchal throne of Constantinople,
until, with its consent, she obtained her own equality and independence
in that which was accorded to her native primates.

The Bulgarians of the Danube, the Moravians, and the Slavonians of
Illyria had been already enlightened by holy baptism about the middle of
the ninth century, during the reign of the Greek emperor Michael and the
patriarchate of the illustrious Photius. St. Cyril and St. Methodius,
two learned Greek brothers, translated into the Slavonic the New
Testament and the books used in divine service, and according to some
accounts even the whole Bible.

This translation of the Word of God became afterward a most blessed
instrument for the conversion of the Russians, for the missionaries were
by it enabled to expound the truths of the Gospel to the heathens in
their native dialect, and so win for them a readier entrance to their
hearts.

Oskold and Dir, two princes of Kieff and the companions of Ruric, were
the first of the Russians who embraced Christianity. In the year 866
they made their appearance in armed vessels before the walls of
Constantinople when the Emperor was absent, and threw the Greek capital
into no little alarm and confusion. Tradition repor