Within the southern reaches of the territory of the Russian Federation, and so very much nearer geographically to Byzantium than is Novgorod, amidst the Большой Кавказ – Greater Caucasus Mountains and not far north of the border with საქართველო – Грузия – Georgia, in the Карачаево-Черкесская Республика – Karachay-Cherkess Republic, lies a village called Архыз – Arkhyz ("mudflows"). In this village are situated Churches of early X century construction, three in number, the Зеленчукские храмы – Zelenchuk Churches, called northern, middle and southern. Yet these Churches were not Russian or other Slavic. They belonged to the Iranian, Proto-Ossetian culture of Christian Алания – Alania, that is, before the murderous Mongol hordes destroyed it, more specifically the hordes of Möngke Khan in the XIII century. Also in Karachay-Cherkess, about 57 kilometers northeast of Arkhyz as the crow flies, is a small town called Карачаевск – Karachayevsk. A few kilometers upstream from this town on the Kuban River – Кубань река and on the cliffs of the mountains is another (that is, a fourth) early X century Church, called Шоанинский храм – Shoana Church (also known as the Хумаринский храм – Khumara Church), consecrated to the honor of Saint George – Sanctus Georgius – Святой Георгий Победоносец – Άγιος Γεώργιος (martyred under Emperor Diocletian in Nicomedia on 23 April 303).

Apart from these four small but important Churches, located most of 2000 kilometers to the south-southeast of Veliky Novgorod, the Собор Святой Софии – the Cathedral of Saint Sophia (southern façade pictured here on 14 June 2016) is Russia's oldest Church, as also the oldest extant functioning building of any kind in Russia.