The culture of Rus' before the Mongol invasion can be divided into culture:

• - Eastern Slavism;
• - Kievan Rus;
• - period of fragmentation.

The culture of the Eastern Slavs was pagan, determined by the cult of nature and had its own characteristics depending on the location - some for the Dnieper region, others - for North-Eastern Rus', the third - for the northwestern lands. The pagan Slavs revered dense oak forests, fast rivers, and “sacred” stones. As noted by historian B.A. Rybakov: “It seemed to the ancient Slav that every house in the village was... under the protection of a spirit who looked after the cattle, guarded the fire in the hearth and at night came out from under the stove to feast on the offering left for him by the caring housewife. In each barn, in the mysterious light of an underground fire, the souls of dead ancestors lived. Every living creature that came into contact with man was endowed with special features... When Christianity appeared in Russia, it encountered such a stable agricultural religion that had developed over centuries, with such strong pagan beliefs that it was forced to adapt to them...” Gradual penetration Christianity (especially in economically more developed areas) led to the combination of old traditions of the pagan world with Christian culture. At the same time, remnants of the pagan cultures of the Slavic agricultural tribes have been preserved to this day in embroidery and folk art. They also exist in some surviving signs, beliefs, superstitions, etc.

Monuments of ancient Slavic architecture have not reached us, although we can talk about the widespread use of wooden construction in pagan Rus' (in addition to ordinary dwellings, the Slavs built fortresses, palaces; erected pagan temples, etc.). Pagan idols have not survived to this day either (the exception is the so-called Zbruch idol of the 9th century, found in the Zbruch River, near Gusyatin on the land of the ancient Volynians).

The culture of Kievan Rus was significantly influenced by the traditions of Christian Byzantium. Unfortunately, most of the national heritage of the era of Vladimir I and Yaroslav the Wise has not survived to this day. This primarily concerns chronicles that were destroyed in the fire of wars and invasions.

As feudal fragmentation intensified in Rus', local cultural and artistic schools began to take shape, which, despite all their originality, retained the culture of Kievan Rus as their basis.

Writing and chronicle writing.

Writing in Rus' was known even before the introduction of Christianity by Prince Vladimir. The treaty between Oleg and Byzantium, concluded in 911, was written in Greek and Slavic. The spread of writing is evidenced by a fragment of a clay vessel discovered by archaeologists during excavations in Gnezdovo near Smolensk, dating back to the beginning of the 10th century, on which is written “gorushna” (i.e., a vessel for spices). Information has also been preserved that letters in Rus' were cut out on wooden tablets and were called rezas. Subsequently, writing on wood was replaced by writing on birch bark. A large number of such birch bark letters were found during excavations in Novgorod. To date, letters have been found in other cities: Smolensk, Moscow, Polotsk, Pskov. The inscriptions on birch bark are varied. Here, for example, is a love letter from the 12th century: “From Mikiti to Ulyaanits. Go get me. I want you, but you want me. And that’s what Ignat Moisiev heard..."

(Nikita asks Ulyanitsa to marry him). Or another entry: “And you, Repeh, listen to Domna” and even hooligan: “Ignorant pisa, not a duma kaza, but hto se cita...” (“The ignoramus wrote, without thinking he showed it, but who reads this...” , That...).

Archaeologists also discovered handicrafts with various inscriptions on them (women signed whorls - clay rings that were put on a spindle; a shoemaker carved the names of his customers on the block). This makes it possible to question views that have become widespread in Soviet period, according to which writing appears only in the conditions of a class society, and literacy during this period was the lot of only the nobility.

Slavic literacy - the Slavic alphabet, created by missionary brothers from the Greek city of Thessaloniki - Cyril and Methodius - became widespread in Rus'. The brothers did a lot to educate the Slavic peoples of Europe, including Rus', to spread Christianity and translate liturgical books into the Slavic language. Both of them were canonized by the Orthodox Church.

Scientists believe that Cyril and Methodius created the Glagolitic alphabet (Glagolitic), using ancient Slavic letters to create the alphabet. In turn, the Glagolitic alphabet was soon reworked by them using Greek writing, and the “Cyrillic alphabet” appeared, which we still use today (it was simplified by Peter I and again in 1918).

The introduction of Christianity had a significant impact on the development of culture. At the same time with new faith an attempt was made to adopt the civil culture of the Greeks and their knowledge in various fields. For this purpose, schools were founded, the children of the best citizens were attracted to study, and even “two copper blockheads and four copper horses” (probably monuments of ancient sculpture) were brought to Kyiv.

Vladimir’s work was continued by Yaroslav, who also created schools. More than three hundred children studied in Kyiv, as evidenced by the source: “A meeting of elders and priests’ children taught 300 books.”

Yaroslav also continued the tradition of building churches and ordered master builders and artists from Greece for this purpose. Yaroslav translated Greek books and founded the first library in Rus'. As the chronicle puts it, Vladimir “looked up and softened” the Russian land, enlightening it with baptism, and his son “sowed bookish words in the hearts of faithful people.” Scribes and translators came to Rus'. Translated books of religious content were read not only in princely and boyar families, in monasteries, but also among merchants and artisans. The biography of Alexander the Great (“Alexandria”) and “The Tale of the Devastation of Jerusalem” became widespread. Josephus, Byzantine chronicles, etc.

The first Russian literati appeared in schools opened at churches, and later at monasteries. At first, children from wealthy families were brought there by order of the princes. Later, schools began to teach not only boys, but also girls.

Evidence of the development of literacy are the inscriptions - graffiti - preserved on the walls of cathedrals. Most of them begin with the words “Lord, help...” (the text of the request followed). Graffiti of the 11th century. on the wall of the St. Sophia Cathedral above the sarcophagus in which Yaroslav was buried, made it possible to establish that the Kyiv princes were called the royal title.

Chronicles are the most valuable historical source. At first they were conceived as weather reports of important events in Rus'. Later they turned into artistic and historical works, becoming a significant phenomenon in the spiritual culture of Rus'. They reflected the authors' views on the history of Rus' and world history, on the activities of the princes, they contained philosophical and religious reflections. Much of what we know today about Ancient Rus' is gleaned from chronicles.

Initially, historical tales about the deeds of princes were recorded. The second chronicle appeared when Yaroslav the Wise united Rus' under his rule. It seemed to sum up the entire historical path of Rus', which ended with the reign of Yaroslav the Wise. At this stage of the creation of Russian chronicles, their peculiarity was revealed: each subsequent chronicle collection included previous narratives. The author of the next chronicle acted as a compiler, editor and ideologist; he gave an appropriate assessment of the events and introduced his own point of view into the text.

Another chronicle collection appeared - “The Tale of Bygone Years,” presumably compiled by the monk of the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery Nestor at the beginning of the 12th century. In this chronicle, Nestor acts as a champion of the unity of the Russian lands and condemns princely civil strife. The sources for the “Tale” were previously written Russian literary monuments, and in some cases translated Byzantine materials. On the pages of the chronicle, beginning with the introduction, which tells about the biblical flood, you can read about the origin of the Slavic tribes, the founding of Kiev, uprisings, murders of princes and boyars, etc. From it we learn about taking

Oleg of Constantinople, Oleg’s tragic death “by horse,” the murder of Igor and Olga’s revenge on the Drevlyans, Svyatoslav’s wars, the reign of Vladimir, etc. Weather records begin in 852, when “the nickname Ruska Land began.” Some weather records preserved in the Tale of Bygone Years can presumably be attributed to the end of

X century The first chronicle vaults in Rus' began to be created no later than the first half of the 11th century, but vaults have reached us only from the second half

XI century, and then as part of later texts.

Under Vladimir Monomakh, by his order in 1116, Nestor's chronicle was rewritten and edited by the abbot Sylvester. The acts of Monomakh and his family were especially emphasized, since those in power even then attached great importance how they look on the pages of the chronicle, and influenced the work of the chroniclers. Subsequently, the chronicle was edited by an unknown author in 1118 on the orders of the son of Vladimir Monomakh, Mstislav Vladimirovich.

Chronicle collections were also kept in large centers, for example in Novgorod (these materials were also used in the Tale of Bygone Years). With the political collapse of Rus' and the emergence of separate principalities-states, chronicle writing did not stop. In the principalities, chronicles were kept that told about the life of the region and glorified the deeds of local princes. The chroniclers of the Russian principalities necessarily began with the “Tale of Bygone Years” and continued the narrative until the separation of their lands from Kyiv. Then there was a story about local events. The chronicles of each land differ from each other. Entire libraries of chronicles appeared.

Chronicle works were usually named either by the place where they were kept or by the name of the author or scientist who discovered them. The Ipatiev Chronicle is so named because it was discovered in the Ipatiev Monastery near Kostroma. Laurentian Chronicle (1377) - in honor of the monk Laurentius, who wrote it for the Suzdal-Nizhny Novgorod prince.

The emergence of Old Russian literature was due to the emergence of centers of writing and literacy. The first literary work of Rus' known to us is the “Sermon on Law and Grace” by Metropolitan Hilarion(40s of the 11th century), the main idea of ​​which was the equality of Rus' with other Christian peoples and states, including Byzantium. In the “Word...” Hilarion outlined his view of the history of Rus', the outstanding role of Christianity in its formation and the role of Vladimir and Yaroslav the Wise in the destinies of the Russian state.

In the second half of the 11th century. Other literary and journalistic works also appeared. In “Memory and Praise of Vladimir,” the monk Jacob described the role of Prince Vladimir as a statesman and baptizer of Rus'. Tales about the initial spread of Christianity in Rus' and “The Tale of Boris and Gleb” are dedicated to the history of early Christianity. Lives of Russian saints (primarily Boris and Gleb) became a widespread genre of ancient Russian literature. Written by an unknown author at the end of the 11th - beginning of the 12th century. “The Tale of Boris and Gleb” has come down to us in many copies, the earliest of which dates back to the 12th century.

Other well-known works include: the first Russian memoirs - “Instructions for Children” by Vladimir Monomakh, as well as “The Word” (“Prayer”) Daniil Zatochnik. At the same time, “Hegumen Daniel’s Walk to Holy Places” appeared, which describes in detail the pilgrim’s path to Jerusalem, to the Holy Sepulcher. These travelogues were written accessible language, differ detailed description nature, historical places, interesting meetings, including with the crusaders. Abbot Daniel is considered the founder of the genre of travel essays, which in Rus' were called “walkings.” More than 100 copies of “The Walk of Daniel” have survived to this day.

The Tale of Igor's Campaign, created at the end of the 12th century, is considered the highest achievement of ancient Russian literature. The basis of the narrative is the story of the unsuccessful campaign of Prince Igor Svyatoslavich against the Polovtsians in 1185. The poem became a story about the courage of the Russians, a call for the unity of the Russian land.

Architecture.

Along with religion, church architecture also came to Rus' from Byzantium. The first Russian churches were built according to the Byzantine model. The type of such a temple is called cross-domed. This is the so-called Greek cross, i.e. a rectangle close to a square, when four, six or more pillars (pillars) in the plan formed a cross, above which a dome rose. The first church built by Prince Vladimir on the hill where the idol of Perun used to stand was the Church of St. Basil in Kyiv. The buildings were wooden (made of oak; carved decorations were often made of linden) or wood-earth. As Russian cities developed and wealth accumulated in society, stone and brick began to be used more and more often in construction. Princely palaces were usually made of stone. Most of the temples are from the 12th - early 13th centuries. single-headed.

One of the first stone structures erected by Greek craftsmen in 989-996 is the five-domed church in honor of the Mother of God in Kyiv, founded by Prince Vladimir and also called the Church of the Tithes. It received this name because church tithes were allocated for its maintenance. It was decorated with mosaics and wall paintings (frescoes). Only the foundation has survived, and even that was covered by later reconstruction. The temple itself was destroyed during the Mongol-Tatar invasion.

St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv was built under Yaroslav the Wise. It contained 25 chapters, 12 of which have now, unfortunately, been lost. The cathedral is replete with frescoes and mosaics.

At the same time, the Golden Gate was erected in Kyiv. With these buildings, the city seemed to emphasize its desire not to be inferior in grandeur to Constantinople. Following the construction of Sofia in Kyiv, St. Sophia Cathedrals were built in Novgorod and Polotsk, and the Spassky Cathedral was erected in Chernigov. St. Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod, (construction in 1045-1052), typical Byzantine church with a dome on four square pillars. Later additions and alterations took away from the cathedral its original Byzantine character, giving it a purely Russian flavor: five gilded domes; white smooth walls without decorations; color painting above the entrance.

The architecture was characterized by intricacy, multi-tiered architecture, and the presence of turrets and towers in the buildings. The residential building was surrounded by various kinds of outbuildings - cages, vestibules, passages, staircases. All wooden structures were decorated with artistic carvings.

With Christianity the construction of large churches came to Rus'. These were the St. Sophia Cathedrals in Kyiv, Novgorod and Polotsk, and the Transfiguration Cathedral in Chernigov. If you look closely at their appearance, you will notice that the traditions of Russian wooden architecture continued in stone architecture.

Remarkable architectural structures were created during the period of political fragmentation of Rus'.

The differences in the character of architecture were mainly due to the building material used in a particular land. In Kyiv, Smolensk, Chernigov, Ryazan they continued to build from plinth (thin brick). In Novgorod, limestone was a common building material, and distinctive features The Novgorod architectural style was characterized by monumental severity and simplicity of form. At the beginning of the 12th century. Master Peter’s artel worked here, erecting the most famous monuments of Novgorod - the cathedrals in the Antonievsky and Yuryevsky monasteries. He is credited with creating the Church of St. Nicholas on Yaroslav's Courtyard. A remarkable architectural monument was the Church of the Savior on Nereditsa, destroyed during the war.

In Vladimir-Suzdal and Galician-Volyn Rus, the main building material was white limestone. A wall of two rows of blocks was erected from it, the gap between which was filled with crushed stone and filled with a binding solution. White stone is very pliable to work with; structures made from it usually had a large number of decorative details and decorations.

The architectural monuments of Vladimir-Suzdal Rus' include the cathedrals in Vladimir that have survived to this day, although sometimes in a rebuilt form; the remains of the palace of Prince Andrei in Bogolyubovo - one of the few civil (secular) stone buildings that have partially reached us from pre-Mongol times; Cathedrals of Pereyaslavl-Zalessky, Suzdal, Yuryev-Polsky.

The main features of the architecture of this land were formed during the reign of Andrei Bogolyubsky. Under him, a white stone gate was built, which according to ancient tradition was called Golden and was the main entrance to the city. This structure looked like a tetrahedral tower with a high arched opening and a combat platform located under it. In the center of the site was the Church of the Deposition of the Robe of Our Lady. The gates were closed with oak doors, which were bound with gilded copper. Erected in 1158-1160. The main temple of Vladimir - the Assumption Cathedral - subsequently served as a model for the construction of the Moscow Kremlin Cathedral. Initially, during the time of Andrei Bogolyubsky, it was single-domed, richly decorated with gold. Here was the icon of the Mother of God taken by Andrei, which, under the name of Vladimir, was widely revered in Rus' as miraculous. There was a library at the cathedral, chronicles were kept. The paintings made on its walls two and a half centuries after the construction of the cathedral by the outstanding icon painter of Ancient Rus' - Andrey Rublev. The cathedral became the resting place of Andrei Bogolyubsky, his brother Vsevolod and other members of the princely house. The façade of the cathedral is decorated with heads (masks) of lions; in the interior, at the base of the girth arches, there are paired figures of reclining lions; similar figures can be found in the interior of the Dmitrov Cathedral and the Church of the Intercession on Nsrli. Such love for the image of the “king of beasts” in Vladimir-Suzdal Rus' is not accidental - this animal had several interpretations at once: the symbol of the evangelist, the symbol of Christ, the personification of power and strength.

According to legend, the foundation of the country residence of Prince Andrei was associated with the cult of the icon of the Vladimir Mother of God. The horses carrying the icon, when turning towards Suzdal, allegedly suddenly stopped and did not want to go further. Then Andrei stopped here for the night and, according to legend, after prayer he saw the Mother of God, who ordered the construction of a monastery on this place (this is where the name of the place comes from - Bogolyubovo).

Located 10 versts from Vladimir, the residence of Prince Andrei was richly decorated. To this day, only one of the towers with a spiral staircase and an arched passage from this tower to the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary has survived from the princely palace (Andrei Bogolyubsky ordered an icon of the Bogolyubov Mother of God for the cathedral, which has survived to this day).

Not far from Bogolyubovo, the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl (1165), which has survived to this day, was built, located on a small hill among water meadows. The prince ordered its construction after the death of his beloved son Izyaslav, who died very young during a campaign in Volga Bulgaria. At the top of each of the three facades of the church there is a stone carving - the biblical King David with a harp is depicted among lions and birds.

By order of Vsevolod the Big Nest, Russian craftsmen built the Demetrius Cathedral (1194-1197) not far from the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir. This was the palace temple of the prince, who was named Dmitry at baptism. The gilded dome was topped with an openwork cross and a weather vane in the form of a dove (a symbol of the Holy Spirit). The temple, richly decorated with stone carvings, displays images of lions, centaurs, leopards, intertwined with intricate patterns. In the central part of all three facades of the temple, the composition with the biblical King David was repeated, and above the left window of the northern wall, Prince Vsevolod is depicted sitting on a throne surrounded by his sons. On the southern façade of the cathedral we find a scene from a medieval legend - “The Ascension of Alexander the Great”, who is lifted up by two lions, which he holds with his raised hands. “The temples (of the Vladimir-Suzdal region) were decorated with the expectation that the crowds of people milling around them on holiday would find both the time and the desire to examine the instructive themes of the external decorations and use them as visual instruction and church teaching,” the researcher wrote N.P. Kondakov. The ancient chronicler saw this cathedral as a “wonderful velma”.

In Suzdal, which was the capital of the principality before the rise of Vladimir, the oldest monument of the city has survived to this day - the white stone Nativity Cathedral (1222-1225), decorated with patterned carvings, standing on the site of two even older churches. In the southern and western vestibules, double doors have been preserved - the “Golden Gates”, made in the 20-30s. XIII century by fire gilding, in which the plate is covered with black varnish, and then the design on it is scratched with a needle and its lines are etched with acid. Next, the lines are filled with an amalgam of thin sheet gold and mercury, which evaporates from the heat that melts the gold. The doors in the western vestibule depict scenes revealing the content of the New Testament and dedicated to religious subjects.

Inside the temple, the walls were decorated with frescoes (painting with water paints on wet plaster) and mosaics. Fresco images of the sons and daughters of Yaroslav the Wise, everyday scenes depicting buffoons, mummers, hunting, etc. preserved in Sofia of Kyiv. Mosaic is an image or pattern made from pieces of stone, marble, ceramics, smalt. In Ancient Rus', mosaic images were made from smalt, a special glassy material. For a long time in ancient Russian art there was a type of image of the Mother of God, which is called “Oranta” (“praying”). Her figure in Sophia of Kyiv is made in mosaic.

Art and folklore.

Painting, sculpture, and music experienced profound changes with the adoption of Christianity in Rus'. Ancient wood and stone carvers used to create sculptures of pagan gods and spirits. There was a famous golden-moustached wooden idol of Perun, which stood next to the palace of Vladimir I. Painters painted the walls of pagan chapels and made magic masks. Pagan art, like the pagan gods, was closely connected with the cult of nature.

Christian art was subordinated to completely different goals. Icons appeared (in Greek - “image”). Just like frescoes and mosaics, the first icons in Rus' were painted by Greek masters. The most revered icon in Rus' was the image of the Mother of God with a baby in her arms, made by an unknown Greek painter at the turn of the 11th-12th centuries. She was transferred by Andrei Bogolyubsky from Kyiv to Vladimir, where her name comes from - “Our Lady of Vladimir”. Subsequently, this icon became a kind of symbol of Rus' (it is currently kept in the Tretyakov Gallery). The icons made by the monk of the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery Alimpia resembled portraits of living people. The frescoes and mosaics of the St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv recreated episodes from the life of the grand ducal family, recalled the activities and amusements of ordinary people, including depicting the dances of buffoons.

Later, individual Russian principalities developed their own directions in art. The Novgorod school of icon painting was distinguished by the reality of the image. In the 13th century The Yaroslavl school of painting became famous, whose artists recreated the faces of the Virgin Mary and saints on icons. Iconography and fresco painting became widespread in Chernigov, Rostov, Suzdal, and Vladimir. The fresco “The Last Judgment” in St. Demetrius Cathedral is striking in its expressiveness. The Greek artist who worked on it skillfully combined the Greek-type figures of the apostles with the Byzantine style of painting some of the figures.

Wood carvings, and later stone carvings, were used to decorate not only temples and homes, but also household utensils. Old Russian jewelers achieved great skill, making bracelets, earrings, buckles, medallions, beads, weapons, dishes, and utensils from gold, silver, precious stones and enamel. The products they made were decorated with chased and engraved patterns. The craftsmen carefully and skillfully created frames for icons and decorated books, which at that time were rare and of great value. One of these books was the Ostromir Gospel, which has survived to this day. It was written in 1056-1057. Deacon Gregory by order of the mayor Ostromira and contains carefully rendered miniature images.

Music was an integral part of Russian art. The Church did not approve of storytellers, singers, guslar players, and dancers and persecuted their activities as an element of pagan entertainment.

An important element of ancient Russian culture was folklore - songs, tales, epics, proverbs, sayings, fairy tales, ditties, fortune telling, conspiracies, jokes, counting rhymes, games. Motherland, christening, caring for a parent and newborn, wedding, feast, funeral - all these events are reflected in songs. The adoption of Christianity affected this side of life as well. If earlier wedding songs talked about the kidnapping of brides, then in the songs of Christian times they talked about the consent of both the bride and her parents to marriage.

The whole world of Russian life is revealed in epics. Their main character is a hero with enormous physical strength and special magical abilities. Each of the heroes of the epics - Ilya Muromets, Volkhv Vseslavich, Dobrynya Nikitich, the youngest of the heroes Alyosha Popovich - had his own character. A number of modern historians and philologists believe that epics reflect specific historical facts and figures, but their opponents argue that the majority of epic heroes are collective characters that combine different chronological layers.

The craft received significant development in those distant times. According to the calculations of Academician B. A. Rybakov, in ancient Russian cities, the number of which was approaching 300 at the time of the Mongol invasion, artisans of more than 60 specialties worked. It is known, for example, that Russian blacksmiths made locks that were famous in Western Europe; these locks consisted of more than 40 parts. Self-sharpening knives, consisting of three metal plates, were in great demand. Russian artisans who cast bells, jewelers, and glassmakers became famous. From the middle of the 10th century. The production of bricks, multi-colored ceramics, wood and leather items was widely developed. The production of weapons received significant development: chain mail, piercing swords, sabers. The production of various jewelry, which included earrings, rings, necklaces, pendants, etc., was also widespread.

Culture is the foundation human life. It arises and develops together with humanity, embodying in it those qualities that significantly distinguish it from all other living beings and nature as a whole. The concept of culture includes everything that is created by the people: their mind, talent, handicrafts, everything that expresses the spiritual essence of the people, their view of the world, of nature, of human existence and of human relationships.
During the formation of the state Kievan Rus was greatly influenced by neighboring Byzantium, which at that time was one of the most cultural states in the world. Therefore, the culture of Rus' was influenced by various cultural trends and style traditions.
Having adopted the Christian faith from Byzantium, Kievan Rus adopted everything valuable that this state had. But at the same time, little by little their own traditions, which have come down from the depths of centuries, were introduced. In the pre-Christian period of the history of the Eastern Slavs, they had a developed art, which, unfortunately, was not preserved due to frequent raids, wars and a variety of disasters that burned, destroyed and razed to the ground almost everything that was created during the pagan period.
By the time the state was formed, Kievan Rus consisted of twenty-five almost entirely wooden cities. They were created, erected, built by craftsmen who were excellent carpenters. They built graceful castles for the nobility and decorated them with amazing carvings. The ancient Slavs created wooden and stone sculptures. One of these sculptures, the Zbruch Idol, has survived to this day and is kept in the Krakow Museum. This is one of the rare monuments of the Slavic pagan cult in the form of a pillar with a four-faced head. The lowest layer of the pillar displays some kind of underground deity, the middle layer is the world of people, and the topmost tier is the world of the gods, and the figure is completed by a round hat. Until now, the cult meaning of the idol has been interpreted in different ways. This suggests that for the ancient Slavs, the world that surrounded them was filled with vital interest.
Another factor in the culture of the people is writing. It has now been reliably proven that the ancient Slavs knew writing before the adoption of Christianity, that is, they knew how to write. This fact was investigated by V. Tatishchev, proving that the chronicler Nestor, when creating “The Tale of Bygone Years,” could not so reliably describe the Treaties with the Greeks that were created 150 years before him. Accordingly, Nestor put everything together from written sources. And these sources were most likely carved with lines and cuts on wood. And the founders of Slavic writing are recognized as Cyril and Methodius, who developed the Slavic alphabet, which today is called the Cyrillic alphabet, or the Old Church Slavonic language. The appearance of writing dates back to 988 year, that is, with the adoption of Christianity. Writing played a big role in the development of ancient Russian literature - legends, traditions, epics began to appear, and book teaching began to develop.
Along with literature, another feature of the people’s culture is being improved and further developed - architecture. Stone buildings began to appear - at the end of the tenth century the Church of the Tithes, built in Kyiv by Vladimir, appeared, as well as the St. Sophia Cathedral, built by Yaroslav the Wise. These buildings rightfully bear the title of architectural monuments.
The next factor of Russian culture that should be noted is painting. Icon painting has been spreading since centuries. One of the famous icons is the Vladimir Icon Mother of God, which became significant for Rus'. The people were sure that the icon was endowed great strength and saved them from many troubles. Also, to some extent, the icon influenced the unification of Russian lands. Later, frescoes and mosaics began to appear, which are also part of the culture.
Despite its simplicity, culture ancient Rus' is one of the integral components of the development of the medieval world. It was at that time that the peculiarities of modern culture were laid, which determined its national foundations. And one of the most important events of that time was the adoption of Christianity, which played an important role in the formation of ancient Russian culture.
To summarize, we can say with confidence that the culture of ancient (pre-Mongol) Russia was based on the best cultural heritage of the ancient Slavic tribes of the previous era, as well as many cultural achievements of the most advanced country of that time - Byzantium and other neighboring peoples, but everything that was borrowed , was creatively remade and appeared only as separate episodes in the powerful structure of ancient Russian culture, created by the creator and genius of the Russian people. But Tatar-Mongol yoke suddenly interrupted the brilliant flowering of art. Just as rapidly as crafts, trade developed on the Russian lands in conditions of feudal fragmentation. The sales territory of manufactured products by village artisans still reached a small size, while the sales territory of products manufactured by urban artisans extended approximately to 50 – 100 kilometers

The culture of Rus' was formed in the era of the formation of a single ancient Russian nationality and the formation of a single Russian literary language. Christianity had a huge influence on culture as a whole - on literature, architecture, painting.

At the same time, the existing dual faith determined that pagan spiritual traditions were preserved for a long time in the culture of medieval Rus'. The harsh canons of church Byzantine art in Rus' underwent changes, images of saints became more worldly and humane.

Although I received writing widespread Only after the adoption of Christianity, there is archaeological evidence that Slavic writing existed at the beginning of the 10th century. But only from the 11th century. In Rus', literacy begins to spread among princes, boyars, merchants, and wealthy townspeople.

Translations of Greek and Bulgarian books and historical works appeared. Books were expensive back then and were made from parchment. They were written by hand with goose or swan feathers and decorated with colored miniatures.

The first schools were opened in churches, monasteries, and cities. The most important monument of ancient Russian culture are chronicles - weather reports historical events. Many legends were included in the Tale of Bygone Years, which became the main work on the history of Rus'.

It was written by the monk of the Kiev-Pechora Monastery Nestor in 1113. In addition to historical works, works of other genres were created in Kievan Rus. In 1046, Metropolitan Hilarion wrote the “Sermon on Law and Grace,” which testified to the deep penetration of the ideology of Christianity into the consciousness of the Russian Fathers of the Church.

Icon painting became widespread. The oldest monument of icon painting that has come down to us is the icon of the “Vladimir Mother of God”. It was named after the transfer of the icon by Andrei Bogolyubsky from Kyiv to Vladimir.

The art of wood and stone carving reached a high level; it was used to decorate the palaces of princes and the homes of boyars.

Russian jewelers, using sophisticated techniques - filigree, niello, granulation, filigree, created gold and silver jewelry that were masterpieces of world art.

The Old Russian state, formed in the 9th century, two centuries later was already a powerful medieval state. Having adopted the Christian religion from Byzantium, Kievan Rus adopted everything valuable that this most advanced state in Europe had for that period. That is why the influence of Byzantine culture on ancient Russian art is so clearly visible and so strong. But in the pre-Christian period, the Eastern Slavs had a fairly developed art. Unfortunately, the passing centuries brought down a huge number of raids, wars and a variety of disasters on the territories inhabited by the Eastern Slavs, which destroyed, burned or razed to the ground almost everything that was created during the pagan period.

By the time the state was formed, Rus' consisted of 25 cities, which were almost entirely wooden. The craftsmen who built them were very skilled carpenters. They built elaborate princely castles, towers for the nobility, and public buildings from wood. Many of them were decorated with intricate carvings. Stone buildings were also erected, this is confirmed archaeological excavations and literary sources. Ancient cities The Rus that have survived to this day have virtually nothing in common with their original appearance. The ancient Slavs created sculpture - wooden and stone. An example of this art has survived to this day - the Zbruch Idol, kept in the Krakow Museum. Very interesting samples jewelry ancient Slavs made of bronze: clasps, amulets, amulets, bracelets, rings. There are skillfully made household items in the form of fantastic birds and animals. This confirms that for the ancient Slav the world was filled with life.

Since ancient times, writing has existed in Rus', but its own literary works there was almost none. They read mainly Bulgarian and Greek manuscripts. But at the beginning of the 12th century, the first Russian chronicle “The Tale of Bygone Years”, “The Sermon on Law and Grace” by the first Russian Metropolitan Hilarion, “Teaching” by Vladimir Monomakh, “Prayer” by Daniil Zatochnik, “Kievo-Pechersk Patericon” appeared. The pearl of ancient Russian literature remains “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” by an unknown author of the 12th century. Written two centuries after the adoption of Christianity, it is literally permeated with pagan images, for which the church persecuted him. TO XVIII century The only copy of the manuscript has reached us, which can rightfully be considered the pinnacle of ancient Russian poetry. But medieval Russian culture was not homogeneous. It is quite clearly divided into the so-called elite culture, which was intended for the clergy, secular feudal lords, wealthy townspeople, and the culture of the lower classes, which is a truly popular culture. Respecting and valuing literacy and the written word, ordinary people could not always afford it, especially handwritten works. Therefore, oral communication was very widespread folk art, folklore Not being able to read or write, our ancestors compiled oral monuments of folk culture - epics and fairy tales. In these works, people comprehend the connection between the past and the present, dream about the future, tell descendants not only about princes and boyars, but also about ordinary people. The epics give an idea of ​​what truly interested the common people, what ideals and ideas they had. The vitality of these works and their relevance can be confirmed by modern cartoons based on the works of the ancient Russian folk epic. “Alyosha and Tugarin the Snake”, “Ilya Muromets”, “Dobrynya Nikitich” have existed for the second millennium and are popular with viewers now in the 21st century.