Church on Baseina, Kiev

This tiny chapel is part of a Russian Orthodox church near the Rus Hotel (sorry, didn't get the name of the church.) The main church is much more modern, yellow and white brick and up a lot of steps through English-style gardens. The day I was there several nuns were collecting money for some medical mission.

Russian Orthodoxy, the main religion in this part of the world, dates from the early 10th century when Prince Vladimir, Viking ruler of Kievan Rus, accepted Christianity of the Byzantine variety and insisted that his people follow his example.

Today Russian Orhtodoxy is making a big comeback in the former Communist lands. In Ukraine it is divided among several different types depending on the patriarch followed. Greek Catholic is another popular faith--this is a church connected to the Vatican that follows Orhtodox rituals. Evangelical Protestants have made some inroads in Ukraine, and in Odessa there is a small but growing Jewish community (more on this later.)