Source: The history of the Christianization of Rus'

By embracing Christianity, Prince Vladimir would determine the course of the entire country for a thousand years to come.

A new way of counting time emerged—from Christmas, rather than according to natural cycles: fasts and holidays, to which both sowing and harvest were tied. The family was restructured—one marriage instead of polygamy. The red corner in the izba, the church as the main point of the city—details that seem primordial to us, but in fact, they only came with the new faith. With Christianity came writing: Saints Cyril and Methodius, the alphabet, the first books, chronicles. Culture began to rely not only on memory but also on the written word—and this changed human thinking itself. The Church became both the country's main school and the pillar of power. With Christianity, Rus' acquired a new language of beauty. The icon defined both the image of man and the very concept of holiness—all painting took off from it. From this grew everything else: architecture, the golden age of literature, and with them what would later be called the enigmatic Russian soul.