Kievan Rus was converted to Christianity in 988, and in Kiev, the dominant political and cultural center, mosaics dating from around 1045 were created by Byzantine craftsmen. Other Byzantine artists and artisans worked towards the development of the architecture of Rus at that time, thus, the architecture of Kievan Rus, in general, was based on Byzantine foundations. Architecture and painting developed as important, independent and independent fields of art, both began to actively develop during this time.
From Kiev Byzantine style of architecture soon spread throughout the principalities of Novgorod and Vladimir-Suzdal. The emphasis of the Byzantine Church on the physical splendor of its buildings was a determining factor in defining the characteristics of Russian spiritual architecture. Everything related to the design and decoration of the new churches followed the Byzantine pattern; and the standard scheme of the Greek church - a cross, in a rectangle, a dome, on a multifaceted pedestal, all this became the distinctive features of the architecture of Orthodox buildings in Russia.
The church building, with a dome in the center, or with a system of both the central dome and the surrounding domes, became the main working scheme for the architects of Kievan Rus. Famous architectural monuments of this type include Desyatinskaya Church (989-996) and St. Sophia Cathedral (1037) in Kiev. All of these churches were built in the Byzantine style, although the architecture of Bulgaria, Georgia and Armenia in various combinations was also influenced. Sophia Cathedral - the central part of the cathedral is made in the form of a Greek cross. It had 13 domes (symbolizing Christ and his apostles). The number of domes was increased at the end of the 17th century, and additional side galleries and vaults were added.
Novgorod was the center of a unique and highly original art that lived and developed throughout the life of the principality, until its disappearance in the 16th century; The main trends in the architecture of Kievan Rus were developed in Novgorod.
The ecclesiastical architectural history of Novgorod began with the Cathedral of St. Sophia. It was built in 1045–52, replacing the wooden 13-domed church of the same name. The new cathedral followed its namesake from Kiev in its design, but the discrepancies with the Byzantine model are quite obvious; The Novgorod Cathedral has double aisles, but only three apses. Outwardly, the church differs even more from its southern example, which has only five domes, the walls are austere, the supports are flat and bare, and the windows are small and narrow. There is something clearly Russian in the silhouette of its helmeted domes and in the energy of the monolithic, horizontal elements.
The 12th century churches resemble the Hagia Sophia in Novgorod, only in a general tendency towards simplicity and vertical elements; they were small, cubic in shape, with a modest decoration. The harsh climate and heavy snowfalls in the north required various modifications of Byzantine architectural forms.
Over time, the windows were narrowed and deeply recessed inward; the roofs are steeper; and the profiles of the flat dome took on a convex shape, which, in various forms, eventually became the most characteristic feature of Russian church architecture. The churches of Pskov in Northwest Russia were relatively small and squat and usually had three low apses. Domes, roofs, and decorative elements were similar to those from Novgorod. Since these churches were too small to contain internal columns to support the dome, the Pskov builders developed a series of cornice arches to support the dome drums and domes. This construction, a kokoshnik, has become a favorite Russian structural and decorative element. The porch, outer walled galleries, and bell towers were other notable contributions of Pskov to Russian architecture.
The region of the Vladimir-Suzdal principality, like other centers of early Russian culture, was the result of a mixture of Byzantine, Romanesque, and Caucasian cultures. The Assumption and Dmitrievsky Cathedrals in Vladimir and the pearl of Russian architecture, the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl River constituted a new brilliant stage in Russian architecture.
These churches as a group represent the continuation of the traditions of the Kiev-Byzantine tradition in terms of the construction plan, but the old scheme was given a new interpretation. From Byzantium, the Suzdalians adopted the general features of a square plan with semicircular apses and four columns supporting a dome with a round drum. Instead of brick, so characteristic of Byzantine and spiritual architecture, the inhabitants of Russia used stone. The treatment and decoration of walls and deeply recessed doors and windows is reminiscent of Romanesque architecture in Western Christendom; in the nature of the carved decor, the influence of the intricate decoration of the Caucasus is felt; but the organization and consistency of forms are definitely Russian and distinctive. After Constantinople was captured by the Turks in 1453, Russia continued for several centuries to develop a national art that grew out of the Byzantine period. During the 10th - 15th centuries, Russian art moved away from the Byzantine model and began its independent development after the fall of Constantinople.