The Eastern Orthodox worship adheres to such an elaborate program even today. It was the synthesis of all these elements that impressed the Russians and, needless to say, Vladimir became converted and baptized. Therefore, to this day Russia belongs to the Orthodox tradition. As a consequence of this conversion, one can still detect the Greek influence in the art and architecture of religious Russia. Perhaps even more importantly, the Cyrillic alphabet was developed by St. Cyril and St. Methodius, based on the Greek but adapted to the Slavic language.
Byzantine art is thoroughly in the service of theology.
Through the abstractions and symbols of shapes and colors a sacred reality becomes visible. The importance here lies in the Incarnation of Christ in a particular place and at a specific historical time. The God of Christianity is a personal God who can be directly accessible and His presence can be directly experienced in the Church. Although one may know that God exists, not much about His nature can be known by human comprehension, rather one may contemplate theological truths such as the central concept, the Trinity. The centrality of the Eucharist was amplified by rich hymnody, elaborate ceremonials and extensive decoration which continuously emphasized the fact that God had revealed Himself to humanity in the Incarnation of Jesus Christ.