Old Russian

language

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Last updated

July 1, 2026

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Old Russian refers to the Russian language as it appeared in documents from the 12th to 15th centuries. It is the common East Slavic language that predates the divergence of Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian. The literary language of this period was Church Slavonic, which connected the culture to other Eastern Orthodox Slavic communities.12345

Works from this era, often serving ecclesiastical or utilitarian purposes rather than purely aesthetic ones, laid the groundwork for modern Ukrainian and Belarusian literature as well. The language was influenced by Old Church Slavonic and, later, by Western European languages.3452

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Russian language
The term Old Russian is generally applied to the common East Slavic language in use before that time.
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The term Old Russian is generally applied to the common East Slavic language in use before that time.
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Nestor
…Church Slavonic, partly in the Old Russian language based on the spoken vernacular, The Russian Primary Chronicle includes material from translated Byzantine chronicles, west and south Slavonic literary sources, official documents, and oral sagas. This borrowed material is woven with considerable skill into the historical narrative, which is enlivened by…
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…Church Slavonic, partly in the Old Russian language based on the spoken vernacular, The Russian Primary Chronicle includes material from translated Byzantine chronicles, west and south Slavonic literary sources, official documents, and oral sagas. This borrowed material is woven with considerable skill into the historical narrative, which is enlivened by…
Read More