Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga. Olga, Russian princess

She was the first woman to become the ruler of one of the largest states at that time - Kievan Rus. This woman's revenge was terrible, and her rule was harsh. The princess was perceived ambiguously. Some considered her wise, some considered her cruel and cunning, and some considered her a real saint. Princess Olga went down in history as the creator of the state culture of Kievan Rus, as the first ruler to be baptized, as the first Russian saint..

Princess Olga became famous after the tragic death of her husband

While still a very young girl, Olga became the wife of the Grand Duke of Kyiv, Igor. According to legend, their first meeting was quite unusual. One day, a young prince, who wanted to cross the river, called from the shore a man floating in a boat. He saw his companion only after they had sailed. To the prince’s surprise, a girl of incredible beauty was sitting in front of him. Succumbing to his feelings, Igor began to persuade her to commit vicious actions. Meanwhile, having understood his thoughts, the girl reminded the prince of the honor of a ruler, who should be a worthy example for his subjects. Ashamed by the words of the young maiden, Igor abandoned his intentions. Noting the girl’s intelligence and chastity, he parted with her, keeping her words and image in his memory. When the time came to choose a bride, not a single one of the Kyiv beauties came to his heart. Remembering the stranger with the boat, Igor sent his guardian, Oleg, after her. So Olga became Igor’s wife and a Russian princess.

However, the princess became famous only after the tragic death of her husband. Soon after the birth of his son Svyatoslav, Prince Igor was executed. He became the first ruler in Russian history to die at the hands of the people, outraged by the repeated collection of tribute. The heir to the throne was only three years old at that time, so virtually all power passed into the hands of Olga. She ruled Kievan Rus until Svyatoslav came of age, but even after that, in reality, the princess remained the ruler, since her son was absent most of the time on military campaigns

Having gained power, Olga mercilessly took revenge on the Drevlyans

The first thing she did was to mercilessly take revenge on the Drevlyans, who were responsible for the death of her husband. Pretending that she agreed to a new marriage with the prince of the Drevlyans, Olga dealt with their elders, and then subjugated the entire people. In her revenge, the princess used any methods. Luring the Drevlyans to the place she needed, on her orders, the Kievans buried them alive, burned them, and bloodthirstyly won the battle. And only after Olga finished her reprisal, she began to govern Kievan Rus.

Princess Olga is the first Russian woman to officially convert to Christianity

Princess Olga directed her main forces to domestic policy, which she tried to implement through diplomatic methods. Traveling around the Russian lands, she suppressed the revolts of small local princes and carried out a number of important reforms. The most important of them was administrative and tax reform. In other words, she established centers of trade and exchange in which taxes were collected in an orderly manner. The financial system became a strong support of princely power in lands far from Kyiv. Thanks to Olga's reign, the defensive power of Rus' increased significantly. Strong walls grew around the cities, and the first state borders of Russia were established - in the west, with Poland.

The princess strengthened international ties with Germany and Byzantium, and relations with Greece gave Olga a new perspective on the Christian faith. In 954, the princess, for the purpose of a religious pilgrimage and diplomatic mission, went to Constantinople, where she was received with honor by Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus.

Before deciding to be baptized, the princess spent two years learning the basics of the Christian faith. While attending services, she was amazed at the grandeur of the temples and the shrines collected in them. Princess Olga, who received the name Elena at baptism, became the first woman to officially convert to Christianity in pagan Rus'. Upon her return, she ordered temples to be built in graveyards. During her reign, the Grand Duchess erected the churches of St. Nicholas and St. Sophia in Kyiv, and the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary in Vitebsk. By her decree, the city of Pskov was built, where the Church of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity was erected. According to legend, the location of the future temple was indicated to her by rays descending from the sky.

The baptism of Princess Olga did not lead to the establishment of Christianity in Rus'

The princess tried to introduce her son to Christianity. Despite the fact that many nobles had already accepted the new faith, Svyatoslav remained faithful to paganism. The baptism of Princess Olga did not lead to the establishment of Christianity in Rus'. But her grandson, the future Prince Vladimir, continued the mission of his beloved grandmother. It was he who became the baptist of Rus' and founded the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Kyiv, where he transferred the relics of the saints and Olga. Under his reign, the princess began to be revered as a saint. And already in 1547 she was officially canonized as a saint, equal to the apostles. It is worth noting that only five women in Christian history have received such an honor - Mary Magdalene, the First Martyr Thekla, the Martyr Apphia, Queen Helen Equal to the Apostles and the enlightener of Georgia Nina. Today, Holy Princess Olga is revered as the patroness of widows and newly converted Christians.

The establishment of Christianity in Rus' under the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir of Kiev was preceded by the reign of Grand Duchess Olga, who in ancient times was called the root of orthodoxy. During her reign, the seeds of the faith of Christ were successfully planted in Rus'. According to the chronicler, Saint Olga, Equal-to-the-Apostles, “throughout the entire Russian land, was the first destroyer of idolatry and the foundation of orthodoxy.”

Equal to the Apostles Olga was born in the land of Psov, her ancestry goes back to Gostomysl. The Joachim Chronicle reports that Saint Olga belonged to the family of the ancient Russian princely dynasty of Izborsky. She was born into a pagan family in the village of Vytuby, not far from Pskov, located on the Velikaya River. Already in her youth, she was impressed by her deep intelligence and moral purity, which was exceptional in a pagan environment. The ancient authors call the holy princess God-wise, the wisest of her kind, and it was purity that was the good soil on which the seeds of the Christian faith bore such rich fruit.

Saint Olga was also distinguished by her external, physical beauty. When the future Kiev prince Igor saw her while hunting in the northern forests, he was inflamed with unclean lust for her and began to incline her to carnal sin. However, the wise and chaste girl began to admonish the prince not to be a slave to his passions. “Remember and think,” she said, “that you are a prince, and a prince, as a ruler and judge, should be a bright example of good deeds for people.” She talked to Igor so wisely that the prince was ashamed.

When Igor established himself in Kyiv, he decided to choose a wife among the most beautiful girls in the principality. But none of them pleased him. Then he remembered Olga and sent his guardian and relative Prince Oleg for her. In 903, Saint Olga became the wife of Prince Igor. Since 912, after the death of Prince Oleg, Igor began to rule in Kyiv as sole ruler. He successfully carried out several military campaigns. During the reign of Igor, who was loyal to the Christian religion, the faith of Christ spread in Kyiv so much that Christians made up a significant part of society. That is why the peace treaty with the Greeks, concluded shortly before the death of Prince Igor, was approved by two religious communities of Kyiv: Christians and pagans. In 945, Prince Igor was killed by the Drevlyans. Fearing revenge for the murder of the Kyiv prince and wanting to strengthen their position, the Drevlyans sent ambassadors to Princess Olga, inviting her to marry their ruler Mal. But Olga, then still a pagan, rejected the offer of the Drevlyans. By cunning she lured the elders and all the noble men of the Drevlyans to Kyiv, and with a painful death she avenged them for the death of her husband. Olga repeatedly took revenge on the Drevlyans until they submitted to Kyiv, and their capital Korosten was burned to the ground. As a pagan, she could not then rise to the commandment of forgiveness and love for enemies.

After the death of Prince Igor, she successfully ruled the state and strengthened the power of the Kyiv Grand Duke. The Grand Duchess traveled around the Russian land in order to streamline the civil and economic life of the people. Under her, the Russian land was divided into regions, or volosts, in many places she set up graveyards, which became administrative and judicial centers. God-wise Olga went down in history as the great creator of the culture of Kievan Rus. She resolutely refused a second marriage, preserving the grand-ducal throne for her growing son Svyatoslav. Holy Princess Olga put a lot of effort into strengthening the country's defense. Historians attribute the establishment of the first state borders of Russia - in the west, with Poland - to the time of Olga's reign.

History has not preserved the names of Saint Olga’s first Christian mentors, probably because the blessed princess’s conversion to Christ was associated with Divine admonition. One of the ancient texts puts it this way: “Oh wonder! You yourself do not know the Scriptures, nor the Christian law, nor have you heard teachers about piety, but have diligently studied the morals of piety and loved the Christian faith with all your soul. O ineffable Providence of God! The blessed one did not learn the truth from man, but from above, a teacher in the name of God’s Wisdom.” Saint Olga came to Christ through a search for Truth, seeking satisfaction for her inquisitive mind; the ancient author calls her “God’s chosen keeper of wisdom.” The Venerable Nestor the Chronicler narrates: “From an early age, Blessed Olga sought wisdom, which is the best in this world, and found a valuable pearl—Christ.”

In 955, the princess went to Constantinople, where she was received with honor by Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (913-959) and Patriarch Theophylact (933-956). According to the chronicle, she soon accepted holy Baptism with the name Helen - in honor of the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Queen Helen (1327; Comm. May 21). Emperor Constantine himself became her successor. Patriarch Theophylact instructed the Russian princess in the truths of the Orthodox faith and gave her commandments on preserving the Church Rule, on prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and maintaining cleanliness. “She stood with her head bowed, listening to the teaching, like a sponge being watered,” writes the Monk Nestor. Saint Olga returned to Kyiv, taking with her the holy cross, icons, and liturgical books. Here her apostolic ministry began. She brought many Kievites to Christ and Holy Baptism, and made attempts to influence her son, a convinced pagan, who was cowardly afraid of the condemnation of the squad. But Prince Svyatoslav remained deaf to his mother’s calls. Without forcing her son, Saint Olga prayed with humility: “God’s will be done. If God wants to have mercy on my family and the Russian land, may He put it on their hearts to turn to God, just as God has given me a gift.” Saint Olga built in Kyiv, on the grave of Prince Askold, a temple in the name of St. Nicholas, and founded a wooden temple in the name of Saint Sophia the Wisdom of God.

Then, preaching the holy faith, the holy princess set off to the north. Along the way, she crushed idols and installed stone crosses on the sites of pagan temples, from which numerous miracles occurred to admonish the pagans. At the confluence of the Pskov River into the Velikaya River, Saint Olga saw the “ray of the Tri-radiant Divinity” - a sign of God’s care for Rus'. The blessed princess erected a cross in that place and founded a temple in the Name of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity. She prophetically announced that a “great city” would be built here. It is historically reliable that Saint Olga, Equal to the Apostles, was the founder of Pskov. Upon returning to Kyiv, she sent a lot of gold and silver for the construction of the Pskov temple.

At the end of her life, blessed Olga endured many sorrows. Svyatoslav, who did not receive holy Baptism, left his elderly mother and moved to the city of Pereyaslavets on the Danube. In addition, he interfered with her activities to establish Christianity in Rus'. In 968, Kyiv was besieged by the Pechenegs. The holy princess and her grandchildren, including Prince Vladimir, found themselves in mortal danger. When news of the siege reached Svyatoslav, he rushed to the rescue, and the Pechenegs were put to flight. The holy princess, already seriously ill, asked her son not to leave until her death. She did not lose hope of turning her son’s heart to God and did not stop preaching on her deathbed. On July 11, 969, Saint Olga reposed in the Lord, bequeathing not to hold funeral feasts for herself, but to perform a Christian burial.

Nineteen years later, the grandson of Saint Princess Olga, Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir, received Baptism. He built a stone church in Kyiv in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos (Church of the Tithes), where the incorruptible relics of Saint Olga, Equal to the Apostles, were transferred. A window was built above her tomb, which opened on its own if the relics were approached with faith. By faith, Christians were honored to see the luminous relics of the holy princess and receive healing from them. The Russian people honor Saint Olga Equal to the Apostles as the founder of Christianity in Rus', addressing her with the words of St. Nestor: “Rejoice, Russian knowledge of God, the beginning of our reconciliation with Him.”

Since ancient times, people in the Russian land have called Saint Olga Equal to the Apostles “the head of the faith” and “the root of Orthodoxy.” Olga’s baptism was marked by the prophetic words of the patriarch who baptized her: “Blessed are you among Russian women, for you have left darkness and loved the Light. The Russian sons will glorify you to the last generation!” At baptism, the Russian princess was honored with the name of Saint Helen, Equal to the Apostles, who worked hard to spread Christianity throughout the vast Roman Empire and found the Life-Giving Cross on which the Lord was crucified. Like her heavenly patroness, Olga became an equal-to-the-apostles preacher of Christianity in the vast expanses of the Russian land. There are many chronological inaccuracies and mysteries in the chronicles about her, but there can hardly be any doubt about the reliability of most of the facts of her life, brought to our time by the grateful descendants of the holy princess - the organizer of the Russian land. Let's turn to the story of her life.

The name of the future enlightener of Rus' and her homeland are named in the oldest of the chronicles - “The Tale of Bygone Years” in the description of the marriage of the Kyiv prince Igor: “And they brought him a wife from Pskov named Olga.” The Joachim Chronicle specifies that she belonged to the family of the Izborsky princes - one of the ancient Russian princely dynasties.

Igor's wife was called by the Varangian name Helga, in Russian pronunciation - Olga (Volga). Tradition calls the village of Vybuty, not far from Pskov, up the Velikaya River, Olga’s birthplace. The life of Saint Olga tells that here she first met her future husband. The young prince was hunting “in the Pskov region” and, wanting to cross the Velikaya River, he saw “someone floating in a boat” and called him to the shore. Sailing away from the shore in a boat, the prince discovered that he was being carried by a girl of amazing beauty. Igor was inflamed with lust for her and began to incline her to sin. The carrier turned out to be not only beautiful, but chaste and smart. She shamed Igor by reminding him of the princely dignity of a ruler and judge, who should be a “bright example of good deeds” for his subjects. Igor broke up with her, keeping her words and beautiful image in his memory. When the time came to choose a bride, the most beautiful girls of the principality were gathered in Kyiv. But none of them pleased him. And then he remembered Olga, “wonderful in maidens,” and sent his relative Prince Oleg for her. So Olga became the wife of Prince Igor, the Grand Duchess of Russia.

After his marriage, Igor went on a campaign against the Greeks, and returned from it as a father: his son Svyatoslav was born. Soon Igor was killed by the Drevlyans. Fearing revenge for the murder of the Kyiv prince, the Drevlyans sent ambassadors to Princess Olga, inviting her to marry their ruler Mal. Olga pretended to agree. By cunning she lured two embassies of the Drevlyans to Kyiv, putting them to a painful death: the first was buried alive “in the princely courtyard,” the second was burned in a bathhouse. After this, five thousand Drevlyan men were killed by Olga’s soldiers at a funeral feast for Igor at the walls of the Drevlyan capital Iskorosten. The next year, Olga again approached Iskorosten with an army. The city was burned with the help of birds, to whose feet burning tow was tied. The surviving Drevlyans were captured and sold into slavery.

Along with this, the chronicles are full of evidence of her tireless “walks” across the Russian land in order to build the political and economic life of the country. She achieved the strengthening of the power of the Kyiv Grand Duke and centralized government administration through the system of “cemeteries.” The chronicle notes that she, her son and her retinue, walked through the Drevlyansky land, “establishing tributes and quitrents,” noting villages and camps and hunting grounds to be included in the Kiev grand-ducal possessions. She went to Novgorod, setting up graveyards along the Msta and Luga rivers. “Hunting places for her (hunting places) were all over the earth, signs were installed, places for her and graveyards,” writes the chronicler, “and her sleigh stands in Pskov to this day, there are places indicated by her for catching birds along the Dnieper and along the Desna; and her village Olgichi still exists today.” Pogosts (from the word “guest” - merchant) became the support of the grand ducal power, centers of ethnic and cultural unification of the Russian people.

The Life tells the following about Olga’s labors: “And Princess Olga ruled the regions of the Russian land under her control not as a woman, but as a strong and reasonable husband, firmly holding power in her hands and courageously defending herself from enemies. And she was terrible for the latter, loved by her own people, as a merciful and pious ruler, as a righteous judge who offends no one, inflicting punishment with mercy and rewarding the good; She instilled fear in all evil, rewarding each in proportion to the merit of his actions, but in all matters of government she showed foresight and wisdom. At the same time, Olga, merciful at heart, was generous to the poor, the poor and the needy; fair requests soon reached her heart, and she quickly fulfilled them... With all this, Olga combined a temperate and chaste life; she did not want to remarry, but remained in pure widowhood, observing princely power for her son until the days of his age. When the latter matured, she handed over to him all the affairs of the government, and she herself, having withdrawn from rumors and care, lived outside the concerns of management, indulging in works of charity.”

Rus' grew and strengthened. Cities were built surrounded by stone and oak walls. The princess herself lived behind the reliable walls of Vyshgorod, surrounded by a loyal squad. Two-thirds of the collected tribute, according to the chronicle, she gave to the Kyiv veche, the third part went “to Olga, to Vyshgorod” - to the military building. The establishment of the first state borders of Kievan Rus dates back to Olga's time. The heroic outposts, sung in epics, guarded the peaceful life of the people of Kiev from the nomads of the Great Steppe and from attacks from the West. Foreigners flocked to Gardarika (“the country of cities”), as they called Rus', with goods. The Scandinavians and Germans willingly joined the Russian army as mercenaries. Rus' became a great power.

As a wise ruler, Olga saw from the example of the Byzantine Empire that it was not enough to worry only about state and economic life. It was necessary to start organizing the religious and spiritual life of the people.

The author of the “Book of Degrees” writes: “Her [Olga’s] feat was that she recognized the true God. Not knowing the Christian law, she lived a pure and chaste life, and she wanted to be a Christian by free will, with the eyes of her heart she found the path of knowing God and followed it without hesitation.” The Rev. Nestor the Chronicler narrates: “Blessed Olga from an early age sought wisdom, which is the best in this world, and found a pearl of great value—Christ.”

Having made her choice, Grand Duchess Olga, entrusting Kyiv to her grown-up son, sets off with a large fleet to Constantinople. Old Russian chroniclers will call this act of Olga “walking”; it combined a religious pilgrimage, a diplomatic mission, and a demonstration of the military power of Rus'. “Olga wanted to go to the Greeks herself in order to look at the Christian service with her own eyes and be fully convinced of their teaching about the true God,” the life of Saint Olga narrates. According to the chronicle, in Constantinople Olga decides to become a Christian. The sacrament of Baptism was performed on her by Patriarch Theophylact of Constantinople (933 - 956), and the successor was Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus (912 - 959), who left a detailed description of the ceremonies during Olga’s stay in Constantinople in his essay “On the Ceremonies of the Byzantine Court”. At one of the receptions, the Russian Princess was presented with a golden dish decorated with precious stones. Olga donated it to the sacristy of the Hagia Sophia Cathedral, where it was seen and described at the beginning of the 13th century by the Russian diplomat Dobrynya Yadreikovich, later Archbishop Anthony of Novgorod: “The dish is a great gold service for Olga the Russian, when she took tribute while going to Constantinople: in Olga’s dish there is a precious stone “Christ is written on the same stones.”

The Patriarch blessed the newly baptized Russian princess with a cross carved from a single piece of the Life-Giving Tree of the Lord. On the cross there was an inscription: “The Russian land was renewed with the Holy Cross, and Olga, the blessed princess, accepted it.”

Olga returned to Kyiv with icons and liturgical books—her apostolic service began. She erected a temple in the name of St. Nicholas over the grave of Askold, the first Christian prince of Kyiv, and converted many Kiev residents to Christ. The princess set off to the north to preach the faith. In the Kyiv and Pskov lands, in remote villages, at crossroads, she erected crosses, destroying pagan idols.

Saint Olga laid the foundation for special veneration of the Most Holy Trinity in Rus'. From century to century, a story was passed down about a vision she had near the Velikaya River, not far from her native village. She saw “three bright rays” descending from the sky from the east. Addressing her companions, who were witnesses to the vision, Olga said prophetically: “Let it be known to you that by the will of God in this place there will be a church in the name of the Most Holy and Life-Giving Trinity and there will be a great and glorious city here, abounding in everything.” At this place Olga erected a cross and founded a temple in the name of the Holy Trinity. It became the main cathedral of Pskov, the glorious Russian city, which has since been called the “House of the Holy Trinity.” Through mysterious ways of spiritual succession, after four centuries, this veneration was transferred to St. Sergius of Radonezh.

On May 11, 960, the Church of St. Sophia, the Wisdom of God, was consecrated in Kyiv. This day was celebrated in the Russian Church as a special holiday. The main shrine of the temple was the cross that Olga received at baptism in Constantinople. The temple built by Olga burned down in 1017, and in its place Yaroslav the Wise erected the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Irene, and moved the shrines of the St. Sophia Olga Church to the still standing stone Church of St. Sophia of Kiev, founded in 1017 and consecrated around 1030. In the Prologue of the 13th century, it is said about Olga’s cross: “It now stands in Kyiv in St. Sophia in the altar on the right side.” After the conquest of Kyiv by the Lithuanians, Holga's cross was stolen from St. Sophia Cathedral and taken by Catholics to Lublin. His further fate is unknown to us. The apostolic labors of the princess met secret and open resistance from the pagans. Among the boyars and warriors in Kyiv there were many people who, according to the chroniclers, “hated Wisdom,” like Saint Olga, who built temples for Her. The zealots of pagan antiquity raised their heads more and more boldly, looking with hope at the growing Svyatoslav, who decisively rejected his mother’s entreaties to accept Christianity. “The Tale of Bygone Years” tells about it this way: “Olga lived with her son Svyatoslav, and persuaded his mother to be baptized, but he neglected this and covered his ears; however, if someone wanted to be baptized, he did not forbid him, nor mocked him... Olga often said: “My son, I have come to know God and I rejoice; so you, if you know it, you will also begin to rejoice.” He, not listening to this, said: “How can I want to change my faith alone? My warriors will laugh at this!” She told him: “If you are baptized, everyone will do the same.”

He, without listening to his mother, lived according to pagan customs, not knowing that if anyone does not listen to his mother, he will get into trouble, as it is said: “If anyone does not listen to his father or mother, he will suffer death.” Moreover, he was also angry with his mother... But Olga loved her son Svyatoslav when she said: “God’s will be done. If God wants to have mercy on my descendants and the Russian land, let him command their hearts to turn to God, as it was granted to me.” And saying this, she prayed for her son and for his people all days and nights, taking care of her son until he reached manhood.”

Despite the success of her trip to Constantinople, Olga was unable to persuade the emperor to agree on two important issues: on the dynastic marriage of Svyatoslav with the Byzantine princess and on the conditions for the restoration of the metropolis in Kiev that existed under Askold. Therefore, Saint Olga turns her gaze to the West - the Church was united at that time. It is unlikely that the Russian princess could have known about the theological differences between the Greek and Latin doctrines.

In 959, a German chronicler writes: “The ambassadors of Helen, Queen of the Russians, who was baptized in Constantinople, came to the king and asked to consecrate a bishop and priests for this people.” King Otto, the future founder of the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation, responded to Olga's request. A year later, Libutius, from the brethren of the monastery of St. Alban in Mainz, was installed as Bishop of Russia, but he soon died (March 15, 961). Adalbert of Trier was ordained in his place, whom Otto, “generously providing everything necessary,” finally sent to Russia. When Adalbert appeared in Kyiv in 962, he “did not succeed in anything for which he was sent, and saw his efforts in vain.” On the way back, “some of his companions were killed, and the bishop himself did not escape mortal danger,” as the chronicles tell about Adalbert’s mission.

The pagan reaction manifested itself so strongly that not only the German missionaries suffered, but also some of the Kyiv Christians who were baptized along with Olga. By order of Svyatoslav, Olga's nephew Gleb was killed and some of the temples she built were destroyed. Saint Olga had to come to terms with what had happened and go into matters of personal piety, leaving control to the pagan Svyatoslav. Of course, she was still taken into account, her experience and wisdom were invariably turned to on all important occasions. When Svyatoslav left Kyiv, the administration of the state was entrusted to Saint Olga. The glorious military victories of the Russian army were consolation for her. Svyatoslav defeated the longtime enemy of the Russian state - the Khazar Khaganate, forever crushing the power of the Jewish rulers of the Azov and lower Volga regions. The next blow was dealt to Volga Bulgaria, then it was the turn of Danube Bulgaria - eighty cities were taken by Kyiv warriors along the Danube. Svyatoslav and his warriors personified the heroic spirit of pagan Rus'. The chronicles have preserved the words of Svyatoslav, surrounded with his retinue by a huge Greek army: “We will not disgrace the Russian land, but we will lie with our bones here! The dead have no shame!” Svyatoslav dreamed of creating a huge Russian state from the Danube to the Volga, which would unite Rus' and other Slavic peoples. Saint Olga understood that with all the courage and bravery of the Russian squads, they could not cope with the ancient empire of the Romans, which would not allow the strengthening of pagan Rus'. But the son did not listen to his mother’s warnings.

Saint Olga had to endure many sorrows at the end of her life. The son finally moved to Pereyaslavets on the Danube. While in Kyiv, she taught her grandchildren, the children of Svyatoslav, the Christian faith, but did not dare to baptize them, fearing the wrath of her son. In addition, he hindered her attempts to establish Christianity in Rus'. In recent years, amid the triumph of paganism, she, once the universally revered mistress of the state, baptized by the Ecumenical Patriarch in the capital of Orthodoxy, had to secretly keep a priest with her so as not to cause a new outbreak of anti-Christian sentiment. In 968, Kyiv was besieged by the Pechenegs. The holy princess and her grandchildren, among whom was Prince Vladimir, found themselves in mortal danger. When news of the siege reached Svyatoslav, he rushed to the rescue, and the Pechenegs were put to flight. Saint Olga, already seriously ill, asked her son not to leave until her death. She did not lose hope of turning her son’s heart to God and on her deathbed did not stop preaching: “Why are you leaving me, my son, and where are you going? When looking for someone else's, to whom do you entrust yours? After all, Your children are still small, and I am already old, and sick, - I expect an imminent death - departure to my beloved Christ, in whom I believe; Now I don’t worry about anything except about you: I regret that although I taught a lot and convinced you to leave the wickedness of idols, to believe in the true God, known to me, but you neglect this, and I know what for your disobedience A bad end awaits you on earth, and after death - eternal torment prepared for the pagans. Now fulfill at least this last request of mine: do not go anywhere until I am dead and buried; then go wherever you want. After my death, do not do anything that pagan custom requires in such cases; but let my presbyter and the clergy bury my body according to Christian custom; do not dare to pour a grave mound over me and hold funeral feasts; but send the gold to Constantinople to the Holy Patriarch, so that he may make a prayer and offering to God for my soul and distribute alms to the poor.”

“Hearing this, Svyatoslav wept bitterly and promised to fulfill everything she bequeathed, refusing only to accept the holy faith. After three days, blessed Olga fell into extreme exhaustion; she received communion of the Divine Mysteries of the Most Pure Body and the Life-Giving Blood of Christ our Savior; all the time she remained in fervent prayer to God and to the Most Pure Mother of God, whom she always had as her helper according to God; she called upon all the saints; Blessed Olga prayed with special zeal for the enlightenment of the Russian land after her death; seeing the future, she repeatedly predicted that God would enlighten the people of the Russian land and many of them would be great saints; Blessed Olga prayed for the speedy fulfillment of this prophecy at her death. And there was also prayer on her lips when her honest soul was released from her body, and, as righteous, was accepted by the hands of God.” On July 11, 969, Saint Olga died, “and her son and grandchildren and all the people cried for her with great lamentation.” Presbyter Gregory fulfilled her will exactly.

Saint Olga Equal to the Apostles was canonized at a council in 1547, which confirmed her widespread veneration in Rus' even in the pre-Mongol era.

God glorified the “leader” of faith in the Russian land with miracles and incorruption of relics. Under Saint Prince Vladimir, the relics of Saint Olga were transferred to the Tithe Church of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary and placed in a sarcophagus, in which it was customary to place the relics of saints in the Orthodox East. There was a window in the church wall above the tomb of St. Olga; and if anyone came to the relics with faith, he saw the relics through the window, and some saw the radiance emanating from them, and many people possessed by illnesses received healing. For those who came with little faith, the window was opened, and he could not see the relics, but only the coffin.

So after her death, Saint Olga preached eternal life and resurrection, filling believers with joy and admonishing non-believers.

Her prophecy about the evil death of her son came true. Svyatoslav, as the chronicler reports, was killed by the Pecheneg prince Kurei, who cut off Svyatoslav’s head and made himself a cup from the skull, bound it with gold and drank from it during feasts.

The saint’s prophecy about the Russian land was also fulfilled. The prayerful works and deeds of Saint Olga confirmed the greatest deed of her grandson Saint Vladimir (July 15 (28)) - the Baptism of Rus'. The images of Saints Equal-to-the-Apostles Olga and Vladimir, mutually complementing each other, embody the maternal and paternal origins of Russian spiritual history.

Saint Olga, Equal to the Apostles, became the spiritual mother of the Russian people, through her their enlightenment with the light of the Christian faith began.

The pagan name Olga corresponds to the masculine Oleg (Helgi), which means “holy.” Although the pagan understanding of holiness differs from the Christian one, it presupposes in a person a special spiritual attitude, chastity and sobriety, intelligence and insight. Revealing the spiritual meaning of this name, the people called Oleg Prophetic, and Olga - Wise. Subsequently, Saint Olga will be called Bogomudra, emphasizing her main gift, which became the basis of the entire ladder of holiness for Russian wives - wisdom. The Most Holy Theotokos herself—the House of the Wisdom of God—blessed Saint Olga for her apostolic labors. Her construction of the St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv - the mother of Russian cities - was a sign of the participation of the Mother of God in the House-Building of Holy Rus'. Kyiv, i.e. Christian Kievan Rus, became the third Lot of the Mother of God in the Universe, and the establishment of this Lot on earth began through the first of the holy wives of Rus' - Saint Olga, Equal-to-the-Apostles.

The Christian name of Saint Olga - Helen (translated from ancient Greek as “Torch”), became an expression of the burning of her spirit. Saint Olga (Elena) received a spiritual fire that did not go out throughout the thousand-year history of Christian Russia.

Princess Olga, baptized Elena († July 11, 969) - princess, ruled Kievan Rus after the death of her husband, Prince Igor Rurikovich, as regent from 945 to approximately 960. The first of the Russian rulers accepted Christianity even before the baptism of Rus', the first Russian saint.

Elena Dovedova.Princess Olga

About 140 years after her death, an ancient Russian chronicler expressed the attitude of the Russian people towards the first ruler of Kievan Rus who was baptized:
“She was the forerunner of the Christian land, like the morning star before the sun, like the dawn before the dawn. She shone like the moon in the night; so she shone among the pagans, like pearls in the mud. »

Origin

According to the earliest ancient Russian chronicle, the Tale of Bygone Years, Olga was from Pskov.
The life of the holy Grand Duchess Olga specifies that she was born in the village of Vybuty in the Pskov land, 12 km from Pskov up the Velikaya River.
The names of Olga’s parents have not been preserved; according to the Life, they were not of noble family, “from the Varangian language.” According to Normanists, Varangian origin is confirmed by her name, which has a counterpart in Old Norse as Helga. The presence of presumably Scandinavians in those places is noted by a number of archaeological finds, possibly dating back to the 1st half of the 10th century.
On the other hand, in chronicles the name Olga is often rendered in the Slavic form “Volga”. The ancient Czech name Olha is also known.

Princess Olga at the Monument “1000th Anniversary of Russia” in Veliky Novgorod

The typographical chronicle (end of the 15th century) and the later Piskarevsky chronicler convey a rumor that Olga was the daughter of the Prophetic Oleg, who began to rule Kievan Rus as the guardian of the young Igor, the son of Rurik: “The Netsy say that Olga is Olga’s daughter.” Oleg married Igor and Olga.

The so-called Joachim Chronicle, the reliability of which is questioned by historians, reports Olga’s noble Slavic origins:

“When Igor matured, Oleg married him, gave him a wife from Izborsk, the Gostomyslov family, who was called Beautiful, and Oleg renamed her and named her Olga. Igor later had other wives, but because of her wisdom he honored Olga more than others.”

Bulgarian historians also put forward a version about the Bulgarian roots of Princess Olga, relying mainly on the message of the New Vladimir Chronicler (“Igor married [Oleg] in Bolgareh, and Princess Olga was killed for him.”) and translating the chronicle name Pleskov not as Pskov, but as Pliska is the Bulgarian capital of that time. The names of both cities actually coincide in the Old Slavic transcription of some texts, which served as the basis for the author of the New Vladimir Chronicler to translate the message of the “Tale of Bygone Years” about Olga from Pskov as Olga from the Bulgarians, since the spelling Pleskov to designate Pskov has long gone out of use.

Marriage and beginning of reign

According to the Tale of Bygone Years, the Prophetic Oleg married Igor Rurikovich, who began to rule independently in 912, to Olga in 903. This date is questioned, since, according to the Ipatiev list of the same “Tale,” their son Svyatoslav was born only in 942.

Vasiliy Sazonov (1789–1870). The first meeting of Prince Igor with Olga.

Perhaps to resolve this contradiction, the later Ustyug Chronicle and the Novgorod Chronicle, according to the list of P. P. Dubrovsky, report Olga’s 10-year-old age at the time of the wedding. This message contradicts the legend set out in the Degree Book (2nd half of the 16th century), about a chance meeting with Igor at a crossing near Pskov.
The prince hunted in those places. While crossing the river by boat, he noticed that the carrier was a young girl dressed in men's clothing.
Igor immediately “flared with desire” and began to pester her, but received a worthy rebuke in response: “Why do you embarrass me, prince, with immodest words? I may be young and humble, and alone here, but know: it is better for me to throw myself into the river than to endure reproach.”
Igor remembered about the chance acquaintance when the time came to look for a bride, and sent Oleg for the girl he loved, not wanting any other wife.

"Princess Olga meets the body of Prince Igor." Sketch by V. I. Surikov, 1915

The Novgorod First Chronicle of the younger edition, which contains in the most unchanged form information from the Initial Code of the 11th century, leaves the message about Igor’s marriage to Olga undated, that is, the earliest Old Russian chroniclers had no information about the date of the wedding.
It is likely that the year 903 in the PVL text arose at a later time, when the monk Nestor tried to bring the initial ancient Russian history into chronological order.
After the wedding, Olga’s name is mentioned again only 40 years later, in the Russian-Byzantine treaty of 944.

According to the chronicle, in 945, Prince Igor died at the hands of the Drevlyans after repeatedly collecting tribute from them. The heir to the throne, Svyatoslav, was only 3 years old at the time, so Olga became the de facto ruler of Kievan Rus in 945.

Boris Olshansky

Igor's squad obeyed her, recognizing Olga as the representative of the legitimate heir to the throne. The decisive course of action of the princess in relation to the Drevlyans could also sway the warriors in her favor.

Revenge on the Drevlyans

After the murder of Igor, the Drevlyans sent matchmakers to his widow Olga to invite her to marry their prince Mal. The princess successively dealt with the elders of the Drevlyans, and then brought the people of the Drevlyans into submission. The Old Russian chronicler describes in detail Olga’s revenge for the death of her husband:

"Olga's vengeance against the Drevlyan idols." Engraving by F. A. Bruni, 1839.

* 1st revenge of Princess Olga: Matchmakers, 20 Drevlyans, arrived in a boat, which the Kievans carried and threw into a deep hole in the courtyard of Olga’s tower. The matchmaker-ambassadors were buried alive along with the boat.

“And, bending towards the pit, Olga asked them: “Is honor good for you?”
They answered: “Igor’s death is worse for us.”
And she ordered them to be buried alive; and covered them...”

Olga's second revenge on the Drevlyans. Miniature from the Radziwill Chronicle.

* 2nd revenge: Olga asked, out of respect, to send new ambassadors from the best husbands to her, which the Drevlyans willingly did.
An embassy of noble Drevlyans was burned in a bathhouse while they were washing themselves in preparation for a meeting with the princess.

* 3rd revenge: The princess with a small retinue came to the lands of the Drevlyans to, according to custom, celebrate a funeral feast at her husband’s grave. Having drunk the Drevlyans during the funeral feast, Olga ordered them to be chopped down. The chronicle reports 5 thousand Drevlyans killed.

Olga's fourth revenge on the Drevlyans. Miniature from the Radziwill Chronicle.

* 4th revenge: In 946, Olga went with an army on a campaign against the Drevlyans. According to the First Novgorod Chronicle, the Kiev squad defeated the Drevlyans in battle. Olga walked through the Drevlyansky land, established tributes and taxes, and then returned to Kyiv. In the PVL, the chronicler made an insert into the text of the Initial Code about the siege of the Drevlyan capital of Iskorosten. According to the PVL, after an unsuccessful siege during the summer, Olga burned the city with the help of birds, to whose feet she ordered lit tow with sulfur to be tied. Some of the defenders of Iskorosten were killed, the rest submitted. A similar legend about the burning of the city with the help of birds is also told by Saxo Grammaticus (12th century) in his compilation of oral Danish legends about the exploits of the Vikings and the skald Snorri Sturluson.

Olga's Revenge on the Drevlyans. Fig. Medvedev.

After the massacre of the Drevlyans, Olga began to rule Kievan Rus until Svyatoslav came of age, but even after that she remained the de facto ruler, since her son was absent most of the time on military campaigns

Olga's reign

V.M. Vasnetsov (1848-1926). Duchess Olga. Sketch.

Having conquered the Drevlyans, Olga in 947 went to the Novgorod and Pskov lands, assigning lessons there (a kind of tribute measure), after which she returned to her son Svyatoslav in Kyiv. Olga established a system of “cemeteries” - centers of trade and exchange, in which taxes were collected in a more orderly manner; Then they began to build churches in graveyards. Princess Olga laid the foundation for stone urban planning in Rus' (the first stone buildings of Kiev - the city palace and Olga's country tower), and paid attention to the improvement of the lands subject to Kiev - Novgorod, Pskov, located along the Desna River, etc.

In 945, Olga established the size of the “polyudya” - taxes in favor of Kyiv, the timing and frequency of their payment - “rents” and “charters”. The lands subject to Kyiv were divided into administrative units, in each of which a princely administrator was appointed - “tiun”.

Kira Skripnichenko. Princess Olga.

On the Pskov River, where she was born, Olga, according to legend, founded the city of Pskov. On the site of the vision of three luminous rays from the sky, which the Grand Duchess was honored with in those parts, the temple of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity was erected.

Constantine Porphyrogenitus, in his essay “On the Administration of the Empire” (chapter 9), written in 949, mentions that “the monoxyls coming from external Russia to Constantinople are one of Nemogard, in which Sfendoslav, the son of Ingor, the archon of Russia, sat.”

From this short message it follows that by 949 Igor held power in Kyiv, or, which seems unlikely, Olga left her son to represent power in the northern part of her state. It is also possible that Constantine had information from unreliable or outdated sources.

Olga's baptism in Constantinople. Miniature from the Radziwill Chronicle.

Olga’s next act, noted in the PVL, is her baptism in 955 in Constantinople. Upon returning to Kyiv, Olga, who took the name Elena in baptism, tried to introduce Svyatoslav to Christianity, but “he did not even think of listening to this; but if someone was going to be baptized, he did not forbid it, but only mocked him.” Moreover, Svyatoslav was angry with his mother for her persuasion, fearing to lose the respect of the squad.

In 957, Olga paid an official visit to Constantinople with a large embassy, ​​known from the description of court ceremonies by Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus in his work “Ceremonies”. The Emperor calls Olga the ruler (archontissa) of Rus', the name of Svyatoslav (in the list of retinue “Svyatoslav’s people” are indicated) is mentioned without a title.

Radziwill Chronicle Reception of Olga by Constantine Porphyrogenitus

Apparently, the visit to Byzantium did not bring the desired results, since PVL reports Olga's cold attitude towards the Byzantine ambassadors in Kyiv shortly after the visit. On the other hand, Theophanes' Successor, in his story about the reconquest of Crete from the Arabs under Emperor Roman II (959-963), mentioned the Rus as part of the Byzantine army.

It is not known exactly when Svyatoslav began to rule independently. PVL reports his first military campaign in 964.

The Western European chronicle of the Successor Reginon reports under 959:

The ambassadors of Helena, Queen of Rugov, who was baptized in Constantinople under the Constantinople Emperor Romanus, came to the king (Otto I the Great), as it later turned out to be false, and asked to consecrate a bishop and priests for this people.
Original text (Latin)

Legati Helenae reginae Rugorum, quae sub Romano imperatore Constantinopolitano Constantinopoli baptizata est, ficte, ut post clariut, ad regem venientes episcopum et presbiretos eidem genti ordinari petebant.

Reginonis abbatis prumiensis Chronicon, cum continuatione treverensi

Thus, in 959 Olga, baptized Helen, was officially considered the ruler of Rus'.

The Baptism of Grand Princess St Olga (Sergei Kirillov, 1992) (Painting One of the triptych Holy Rus)

Archontissa Olga. Drawing from an old book.

The convinced pagan Svyatoslav Igorevich turned 18 in 960, and the mission sent by Otto I to Kyiv failed, as the Continuer of Reginon reports:

“962 year. This year Adalbert returned back, having been appointed bishop of Rugam, because he did not succeed in anything for which he was sent, and saw his efforts in vain; on the way back, some of his companions were killed, but he himself barely escaped with great difficulty.”

The date of the beginning of Svyatoslav’s independent reign is quite arbitrary; Russian chronicles consider him to be the successor to the throne immediately after the murder of his father Igor by the Drevlyans.

"Saint Olga" Sketch for a mosaic by N.K. Roerich. 1915

Svyatoslav was constantly on military campaigns against the neighbors of Rus', entrusting the management of the state to his mother. When in 968 the Pechenegs first raided the Russian lands, Olga and Svyatoslav’s children locked themselves in Kyiv. Having returned from a campaign against Bulgaria, Svyatoslav lifted the siege, but did not want to stay in Kyiv for long. When the next year he was about to go back to Pereyaslavets, Olga restrained him:

“You see, I’m sick; where do you want to go from me? - because she was already sick.
And she said: “When you bury me, go wherever you want.” Three days later, Olga died, and her son, and her grandchildren, and all the people cried for her with great tears, and they carried her and buried her in the chosen place, Olga bequeathed not to perform funeral feasts for her, since she had a priest with her - he and buried blessed Olga."

The monk Jacob, in the 11th century work “Memory and Praise to the Russian Prince Volodymer,” reports the exact date of Olga’s death: July 11, 969.

Olga's baptism and church veneration

Akimov Ivan Akimovich

Princess Olga became the first ruler of Kievan Rus to be baptized, although both the squad and the ancient Russian people under her were pagan. Olga’s son, the Grand Duke of Kiev Svyatoslav Igorevich, also remained in paganism.

The date and circumstances of the baptism remain unclear. According to the PVL, this happened in 955 in Constantinople, Olga was personally baptized by Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus with the Patriarch (Theophylact):
“And she was given the name Elena in baptism, just like the ancient queen-mother of Emperor Constantine I.”

PVL and the Life decorate the circumstances of the baptism with the story of how the wise Olga outwitted the Byzantine king. He, marveling at her intelligence and beauty, wanted to take Olga as his wife, but the princess rejected the claims, noting that it was not appropriate for Christians to marry pagans. It was then that the king and the patriarch baptized her. When the tsar again began to harass the princess, she pointed out that she was now the tsar’s goddaughter.
Then he richly presented her and sent her home.

From Byzantine sources only one visit of Olga to Constantinople is known. Konstantin Porphyrogenitus described it in detail in his essay “Ceremony”, without indicating the year of the event.
But he indicated the dates of official receptions: Wednesday, September 9 (on the occasion of Olga’s arrival) and Sunday, October 18. This combination corresponds to 957 and 946 years.
Olga's long stay in Constantinople is noteworthy.
When describing the technique, the name is basileus (Konstantin Porphyrogenitus himself) and Roman - basileus Porphyrogenitus. It is known that Romanus II the Younger, the son of Constantine, became his father's formal co-ruler in 945.
The mention of Roman's children at the reception indicates the year 957, which is considered the generally accepted date for Olga's visit and her baptism.

However, Konstantin never mentioned Olga’s baptism, nor did he mention the purpose of her visit.
A certain priest Gregory was named in the princess’s retinue, on the basis of which some historians suggest that Olga visited Constantinople already baptized. In this case, the question arises why Constantine calls the princess by her pagan name, and not Helen, as the Successor of Reginon did.

Another, later Byzantine source (11th century) reports baptism precisely in the 950s:

“And the wife of the Russian archon, who once set sail against the Romans, named Elga, when her husband died, arrived in Constantinople. Baptized and having openly made a choice in favor of the true faith, she, having received great honor for this choice, returned home.”

The successor of Reginon, quoted above, also speaks about baptism in Constantinople, and the mention of the name of Emperor Romanus testifies in favor of baptism in 957.
The testimony of the Continuer Reginon can be considered reliable, since, as historians believe, Bishop Adalbert of Magdeburg, who led the unsuccessful mission to Kyiv (961) and had first-hand information, wrote under this name.

According to most sources, Princess Olga was baptized in Constantinople in the fall of 957, and she was probably baptized by Romanos II, son and co-ruler of Emperor Constantine VII, and Patriarch Polyeuctus. Olga made the decision to accept the faith in advance, although the chronicle legend presents this decision as spontaneous.

Holy Princess Olga. Sketch of the painting of the Cathedral of St. Vladimir in Kyiv. M. V. Nesterov, 1892.

Nothing is known about those people who spread Christianity in Rus'. Perhaps these were Bulgarian Slavs (Bulgaria was baptized in 865), since the influence of Bulgarian vocabulary can be traced in the early ancient Russian chronicle texts. The penetration of Christianity into Kievan Rus is evidenced by the mention of the cathedral church of Elijah the Prophet in Kyiv in the Russian-Byzantine treaty (944).

Olga was buried in the ground (969) according to Christian rites. Her grandson, Prince Vladimir I Svyatoslavich the Baptist, transferred (1007) the relics of saints, including Olga, to the Church of the Holy Mother of God in Kyiv, which he founded.
According to the Life and the monk Jacob, the body of the blessed princess was preserved from decay.
Her body, “glowing like the sun,” could be observed through a window in the stone coffin, which was opened slightly for any true Christian believer, and many found healing there. All the others saw only the coffin.

Most likely, during the reign of Vladimir (970-988), Princess Olga began to be revered as a saint. This is evidenced by the transfer of her relics to the church and the description of miracles given by the monk Jacob in the 11th century.
Since that time, the day of remembrance of Saint Olga (Elena) began to be celebrated on July 11, at least in the Tithe Church itself. However, official canonization (churchwide glorification) apparently occurred later - until the middle of the 13th century.

Her name early becomes baptismal, in particular among the Czechs.

In 1547, Olga was canonized as Saint Equal to the Apostles. Only 5 other holy women in Christian history have received such an honor (Mary Magdalene, First Martyr Thekla, Martyr Apphia, Queen Helen Equal to the Apostles and Nina, the enlightener of Georgia).

The memory of Equal-to-the-Apostles Olga is celebrated by Orthodox churches of the Russian tradition on July 11 according to the Julian calendar; Catholic and other Western churches - July 24 Gregorian.

She is revered as the patroness of widows and new Christians.

Princess

Valentina Kyle

Olga sobbed at her husband’s grave.
Buried in the land of the Drevlyan prince,
Where the crows circle in the darkened sky,
And the forest approaches from all sides.
A cry swept through the dark oak groves,
Through the path of animals and windfall...
And she imagined a river crossing
And any heart, kind father's home...
From there Olga, a modest girl,
When the first snow fell to the ground,
They took me to the tower, to Kyiv - the city, the capital:
This is what Grand Duke Oleg commanded.
Having wooed the commoner Igor,
He saw pride in Olga:
"She belongs only in the princely chambers,
The princess will be assigned her inheritance!
There is no Igor... The husband's killers are smerds -
Life was ruined, love was taken away...
Having sent a funeral feast to her husband, Olga died
She punished cruelly: “Blood for blood!”
The pitiful shacks of the rebellious were burning,
Corpses were lying on the ground of the Drevlyans
Like food for dogs, and in shameful nakedness
They were a horror for the worldly villagers.
The law of the pagans is harsh. And with revenge
And death can only be frightening.
But the prince chose a bride from among the people,
And it is up to her to manage this people.
There are enemies around. And evil slander.
Disobedience and machinations of princes...
The princess heard: somewhere in the world
There is faith not in pagan gods
And the worship is not of idols, but of God.
Recognition of the One Creator!
The princess set off on her journey,
So that hearts in Rus' thaw.
And faith, merciful, holy,
Olga was one of the first to accept.
Blessing to the native land
What a bright, kind mind she brought.
From time immemorial Russia has been strong
Not the fabulous decoration of cities -
In the sacred faith, Rus' nourished strength,
The canon of which: LOVE FOR YOUR NEIGHBOR.