| 888-889 | - Monks Cyril and Methodius develop written Slavic alphabet, called Cyrillic; birth of spoken dialect, Church Slavonic.
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| 988-989 | - Vladimir I adopts Orthodox Christianity; commissions Byzantine craftsmen to build churches, adorn them with mosaics and religious art; origins of Russian icon painting.
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| 996 | - Church of the Tithe, first stone church in Russia
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| 996 | - Russkaya Pravda, first written compilation of Russian law, completed under Yaroslav the Wise, Grand Prince of Kiev
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| 1116 | - Sylvester, a monk, writes Primary Chronicle, outlining 400 years of Russian history
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Circa
1150 | - Cathedral of Sancta Sophia rebuilt in Novgorod featuring early example of onion-shaped dome
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Circa
1187 | - The Song of Igor's Campaign, anonymous epic poem on Prince Igor; masterpiece of early Russian literature
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Before
1300 | - Carved log churches, chalet-style wooden houses exemplify distinctive Russian style
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| 1378 | - Church of the Transfiguration in Novgorod, decorated with finest examples of icon painting
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Circa
1390 | - Crimean immigrants fleeing Mongol hordes introduce vodka to Russia
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| 1411 | - Andrei Rublev, greatest icon painter, completes Old Testament Trinity (now in Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow), official church model for icon painting
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| 1487-1491 | - Ivan III (the Great) builds Palace of Facets, first great Kremlin palace; religious leaders proclaim Moscow "the third Rome"; heir to Rome, Constantinople
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| 1505-1509 | - Cathedral of St. Michael, Moscow, outstanding example of Italian High Renaissance
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| 1555-1560 | - Ivan IV (the Terrible) builds St. Basil's Cathedral, Red Square, Moscow; painted onion domes become symbol of Russia, epitome of Russo-Byzantine architecture
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| 1563 | - Ivan IV orders first printing press brought to Russia
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| 1655-1656 | - Patriarch Nikon sponsors sweeping reforms, increases power of patriarch, reduces Slavic practices, favors Greek classicism
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Circa
1675 | - Archpriest Avvakum writes autobiography, opposes Nikon
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