Before the rise of Moscow, there was Kiev. Kiev's leaders were responsible for the religious conversion of the region and the founding of cultural institutions.
Kiev is now the capital city of Ukraine, but Kiev has long been an Eastern European center of law, culture, and religion. This historical city was the home of Prince Vladimir, who chose Orthodoxy as a replacement to the pagan religions his subjects followed. Having sent emissaries to the far reaches of the land to gather information about the major relgions of the time, it was the religion of Byzantium that most impressed the Kievans and Prince Vladimir.
The grand St. Sophia Cathedral, was the focus of a complex of buildings constructed by Yaroslav the Wise. Yaroslav was responsible for compiling laws that were taken from both Eastern Europe and the West. Yaroslav was also deeply interested in education. This led to Yaroslav's decision to build a center for learning and law; the construction of this structural complex also had international influence. Greek architects were employed to help build these structures just as Yaroslav's inspiration came from Byzantium.
St. Sophia, or the Church of the Holy Wisdom, evoked not only the tradition of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, but also called to mind the tradition of learning that was integral to Greco-Roman civilization. Yaroslav the Wise attempted to recreate the successes of Byzantium in Slavic lands through emphasis on knowledge and faith.
St. Sophia Cathedral today is one of Kiev's most significant pieces of architecture. While it has changed structurally, and its interior decorations have not been entirely preserved, what remains is a monument to Yaroslav's and Vladimir's visions for the future of Kievan Rus and the aspects of civilization they sought to nurture.
