Olga (; ; – 11 July 969) was a

regent In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

Kievan Rus' Kievan Rus', also known as Kyivan Rus,. * was the first East Slavs, East Slavic state and later an amalgam of principalities in Eastern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Historical At ...

for her son

Sviatoslav Sviatoslav (, ; , ) is a Russian and Ukrainian given name of Slavic origin. Cognates include Svetoslav, Svatoslav, , Svetislav. It has a Pre-Christian pagan character and means "one who worships the light" (likely in reference to the sun). In C ...

from 945 until 957. Following her baptism, Olga took the name Elenа. She is known for her subjugation of the

Drevlians The Drevlians, Derevlians or Derevlianians ( or , ) were a tribe of East Slavs between the 6th and the 10th centuries, which inhabited the territories of Polesia and right-bank Ukraine, west of the Polans (eastern), eastern Polans and along the ...

, a tribe that had killed her husband Igor. Even though it was her grandson

Vladimir Vladimir (, , pre-1918 orthography: ) is a masculine given name of Slavic origin, widespread throughout all Slavic nations in different forms and spellings. The earliest record of a person with the name is Vladimir of Bulgaria (). Etymology ...

who adopted Christianity and made it the state religion, she was the first ruler to be baptized. Olga is venerated as a

saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...

in the

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and ...

with the epithet "

Equal to the Apostles Equal-to-apostles or equal-to-the-apostles is a special title given to some saints in Eastern Orthodoxy and in Byzantine Catholicism. The title is bestowed as a recognition of these saints' outstanding service in the spreading and assertion of Chri ...

". Her

feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context does n ...

is 11 July.

Early life

While Olga's birthdate is unknown, it could be as early as 890 AD and as late as 925 AD.Michael S. Flier, "St Olga," in ''The Oxford Dictionary of the Middle Ages'', ed. Robert E. Bjork (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010). According to the ''

Primary Chronicle The ''Primary Chronicle'', shortened from the common ''Russian Primary Chronicle'' (, commonly transcribed ''Povest' vremennykh let'' (PVL), ), is a Rus' chronicle, chronicle of Kievan Rus' from about 850 to 1110. It is believed to have been or ...

,'' Olga was of

Varangian The Varangians ( ; ; ; , or )Varangian
," Online Etymology Dictionary were

Viking Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...

) origin and was born in Pleskov. Little is known about her life before her marriage to Prince Igor I of Kiev and the birth of their son,

. According to

Alexey Karpov Alexey Yuryevich Karpov () is a Russian historian, obshestvoved and culturologist. The editor of the publishing house Molodaya Gvardiya. He is a specialist in the history of ancient Russia. He was awarded many scientific prizes, including the ...

, a specialist in the history of ancient Russia, Olga was no more than 15 years old at the time of her marriage. Igor was the son and heir of

Rurik Rurik (also spelled Rorik, Riurik or Ryurik; ; ; died 879) was a Varangians, Varangian chieftain of the Rus' people, Rus' who, according to tradition, was invited to reign in Veliky Novgorod, Novgorod in the year 862. The ''Primary Chronicle' ...

, founder of the

Rurik dynasty The Rurik dynasty, also known as the Rurikid or Riurikid dynasty, as well as simply Rurikids or Riurikids, was a noble lineage allegedly founded by the Varangian prince Rurik, who, according to tradition, established himself at Novgorod in the ...

. After his father's death, Igor was under the guardianship of

Oleg Oleg (), Oleh (), or Aleh () is an East Slavic given name. The name is very common in Russia, Ukraine, and Belаrus. Origins ''Oleg'' derives from the Old Norse ''Helgi'' ( Helge), meaning "holy", "sacred", or "blessed". The feminine equival ...

, who had consolidated power in the region, conquering neighboring tribes and establishing a capital in Kiev. This loose tribal federation became known as Kievan Rus', a territory covering what are now parts of

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

, and

Belarus Belarus, officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east and northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Belarus spans an a ...

. The

were a neighboring tribe with which the growing Kievan Rus' empire had a complex relationship. The Drevlians had joined Kievan Rus' in military campaigns against the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived History of the Roman Empire, the events that caused the ...

and paid

tribute A tribute (; from Latin ''tributum'', "contribution") is wealth, often in kind, that a party gives to another as a sign of submission, allegiance or respect. Various ancient states exacted tribute from the rulers of lands which the state con ...

to Igor's predecessors. They stopped paying tribute upon Oleg's death and instead gave money to a local warlord. In 945, Igor set out for the Drevlian capital, Iskorosten, to force the tribe to pay tribute to Kievan Rus'. Confronted by Igor's larger army, the Drevlians backed down and paid him. As Igor and his army rode home, however, he decided the payment was not enough and returned, with only a small escort, seeking more tribute. Upon his arrival in their territory, the Drevlians murdered Igor. According to the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

chronicler

Leo the Deacon Leo the Deacon (; born ) was a Byzantine Greek historian and chronicler. He was born around 950 at Kaloe in Asia Minor, and was educated in Constantinople, where he became a deacon in the imperial palace. While in Constantinople he wrote a histor ...

, Igor's death was caused by a gruesome act of torture in which he was "captured by them, tied to tree trunks, and torn in two." Historian D. Sullivan has suggested that Leo may have invented this sensationalist version of Igor's death, taking inspiration from

Diodorus Siculus Diodorus Siculus or Diodorus of Sicily (; 1st century BC) was an ancient Greece, ancient Greek historian from Sicily. He is known for writing the monumental Universal history (genre), universal history ''Bibliotheca historica'', in forty ...

' account of a similar killing method used by the robber Sinis, who lived near the

Isthmus of Corinth The Isthmus of Corinth ( Greek: Ισθμός της Κορίνθου) is the narrow land bridge which connects the Peloponnese peninsula with the rest of the mainland of Greece, near the city of Corinth. The wide Isthmus was known in the a ...

and was killed by

Theseus Theseus (, ; ) was a divine hero in Greek mythology, famous for slaying the Minotaur. The myths surrounding Theseus, his journeys, exploits, and friends, have provided material for storytelling throughout the ages. Theseus is sometimes desc ...

Regency

After Igor's death in 945, Olga ruled

as regent on behalf of their son

. She was the first woman to rule Kievan Rus'. Little is known about Olga's tenure as ruler of Kiev, but the ''Primary Chronicle'' does give an account of her accession to the throne and her bloody revenge on the Drevlians for the murder of her husband. It also gives some insight into her role as civil leader of the Kievan people. According to archeologist Sergei Beletsky, Knyaginya Olga, like all the other rulers before

Vladimir the Great Vladimir I Sviatoslavich or Volodymyr I Sviatoslavych (; Christian name: ''Basil''; 15 July 1015), given the epithet "the Great", was Prince of Novgorod from 970 and Grand Prince of Kiev from 978 until his death in 1015. The Eastern Orthodox ...

, was also using the

bident A bident is a two-pronged implement resembling a pitchfork. In Renaissance art, the bident is associated with the Greek god Pluto (mythology), Pluto. Etymology The word 'bident' was brought into the English language before 1871, and is derived f ...

as her personal symbol.

Drevlian Uprising

After Igor's death at the hands of the Drevlians, Olga assumed the throne because her three-year-old son Sviatoslav was too young to rule. The Drevlians, emboldened by their success in ambushing and killing the king, sent a messenger to Olga proposing that she marry his murderer, Prince Mal. Twenty Drevlian negotiators boated to Kiev to pass along their king's message and to ensure Olga's compliance. They arrived in her court and told the queen why they were in Kiev: "to report that they had slain her husband... and that Olga should come and marry their Prince Mal." (line 6453). Olga responded:

Your proposal is pleasing to me, indeed, my husband cannot rise again from the dead. But I desire to honor you tomorrow in the presence of my people. Return now to your boat, and remain there with an aspect of arrogance. I shall send for you on the morrow, and you shall say, "We will not ride on horses nor go on foot, carry us in our boat." And you shall be carried in your boat.

When the Drevlians returned the next day, they waited outside Olga's court to receive the honor she had promised. When they repeated the words she had told them to say, the people of Kiev rose up, carrying the Drevlians in their boat. The ambassadors believed this was a great honor as if they were being carried by

palanquin The litter is a class of wheelless vehicles, a type of human-powered transport, for the transport of people. Smaller litters may take the form of open chairs or beds carried by two or more carriers, some being enclosed for protection from the el ...

. The people brought them into the court, where they were dropped into a trench that had been dug the day before under Olga's orders, where the ambassadors were buried alive. It is written that Olga bent down to watch them as they were buried and "inquired whether they found the honor to their taste." Olga then sent a message to the Drevlians that they should send "their distinguished men to her in Kiev, so that she might go to their Prince with due honor." The Drevlians, unaware of the fate of the first diplomatic party, gathered another party of men to send "the best men who governed the land of Dereva." When they arrived, Olga commanded her people to draw them a bath and invited the men to appear before her after they had bathed. When the Drevlians entered the bathhouse, Olga had it set on fire from the doors, so that all the Drevlians within burned to death. Olga sent another message to the Drevlians, this time ordering them to "prepare great quantities of mead in the city where you killed my husband, that I may weep over his grave and hold a funeral feast for him." When Olga and a small group of attendants arrived at Igor's tomb, she did indeed weep and hold a funeral feast. The Drevlians sat down to join them and began to drink heavily. When the Drevlians were drunk, she ordered her followers to kill them, "and went about herself egging on her retinue to the massacre of the Drevlians." According to the ''Primary Chronicle'', five thousand Drevlians were killed on this night, but Olga returned to Kiev to prepare an army to finish off the survivors. A09 Mshenie Olgi

The initial conflict between the armies of the two nations went very well for the forces of Kievan Rus', who won the battle handily and drove the survivors back into their cities. Olga then led her army to Iskorosten (what is today

Korosten Korosten (, ), also historically known as Iskorosten (), is a historic city and a large transport hub in Zhytomyr Oblast, northern Ukraine. It is located on the Uzh (Pripyat), Uzh River. Korosten serves as the Capital city, administrative center ...

), the city where her husband had been slain, and laid siege to the city. The siege lasted for a year without success, when Olga thought of a plan to trick the Drevlians. She sent them a message: "Why do you persist in holding out? All your cities have surrendered to me and submitted to tribute, so that the inhabitants now cultivate their fields and their lands in peace. But you had rather die of hunger, without submitting to tribute." (line 6454). The Drevlians responded that they would submit to tribute, but that they were afraid she was still intent on avenging her husband. Olga answered that the murder of the messengers sent to Kiev, as well as the events of the feast night, had been enough for her. She then asked them for a small request: "Give me three pigeons... and three sparrows from each house." The Drevlians rejoiced at the prospect of the siege ending for so small a price, and did as she asked. Olga then instructed her army to attach a piece of sulphur bound with small pieces of cloth to each bird. At nightfall, Olga told her soldiers to set the pieces aflame and release the birds. They returned to their nests within the city, which subsequently set the city ablaze. As the ''Primary Chronicle'' tells it: "There was not a house that was not consumed, and it was impossible to extinguish the flames, because all the houses caught fire at once." As the people fled the burning city, Olga ordered her soldiers to catch them, killing some of them and giving the others as slaves to her followers. She left the remnant to pay tribute.

Governance

Olga remained

ruler of Kievan Rus' with the support of the army and her people. She changed the system of tribute gathering ( poliudie) in the first legal reform recorded in Eastern Europe. Tributes were regularised under her rule. She continued to evade proposals of marriage, defended the city during the Siege of Kiev in 968, and saved the power of the throne for her son. After her dramatic subjugation of the Drevlians, the ''Primary Chronicle'' recounts how Olga "passed through the land of Dereva, accompanied by her son and her retinue, establishing laws and tribute. Her trading posts and hunting reserves are still there." As queen, Olga established trading-posts and collected tribute along the Msta and the Luga rivers. She established hunting grounds, boundary posts, towns, and trading posts across the empire. Olga's work helped to centralize state rule with these trade centers, called ''pogosti'', which served as administrative centers in addition to their mercantile roles. Olga's network of ''pogosti'' would prove important in the ethnic and cultural unification of the Rus' people, and her border posts began the establishment of national boundaries for the kingdom. During her son's prolonged military campaigns, she remained in charge of Kiev, residing in the castle of

Vyshgorod Vyshhorod (, ; ) is a city in Kyiv Oblast, central Ukraine, situated immediately north of the capital Kyiv, and part of the Kyiv metropolitan area. It is on the right (western) bank of the Dnieper river and, as the location of the Kyiv Hydroe ...

with her grandsons. She set up hunting lodges where birds (probably birds of prey) were caught to be shipped to Byzantium.

Conversion

In the 950s, Olga traveled to

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

, the capital of the Byzantine Empire, to visit Emperor

Constantine VII Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (; 17 May 905 – 9 November 959) was the fourth Byzantine emperor of the Macedonian dynasty, reigning from 6 June 913 to 9 November 959. He was the son of Emperor Leo VI and his fourth wife, Zoe Karbonopsina, an ...

. There are three primary sources about this event: a prescriptive account of formalities and etiquette in ''

De Ceremoniis The or (fully ) is the conventional Latin name for a Greek book of ceremonial protocol at the court of the Byzantine emperors in Constantinople. Its Greek title is often cited as ("Explanation of the Order of the Palace"), taken from the work' ...

'' or ''Book of Ceremonies'' ( 950s, written or commissioned by Byzantine emperor

Porphyrogennetos in

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

), a brief passage in the ''Synopsis of Histories'' (written 1070s by Byzantine historian

John Skylitzes John Skylitzes, commonly Latinized as Ioannes Scylitzes (, ; , ; early 1040s – after 1101), was a Byzantine historian of the late 11th century. Life Very little is known about his life. The title of his work records him as a '' kouropalat ...

in Greek), and a long adventurous story in the ''

'' (compiled in Kiev 1110s in

Old Church Slavonic Old Church Slavonic or Old Slavonic ( ) is the first Slavic languages, Slavic literary language and the oldest extant written Slavonic language attested in literary sources. It belongs to the South Slavic languages, South Slavic subgroup of the ...

by an unknown Rus' monk). All three sources disagree on why Olga went to Constantinople, when, what happened there, and how it happened. ;According to the ''Book of Ceremonies'' The '' Book of Ceremonies'' is concerned with etiquette at the Byzantine imperial court, describing all the formalities during ceremonies such as embassies, receptions and dinners, and uses various practical examples to illustrate established protocol. Olga's visit is used as an example of how to receive a Rus' prince(ss), portraying her in a positive manner. Olga's entourage consisted of various representatives of other Rus' princes, as well as 43 merchants, and one priest named Gregory. Olga's ladies-in-waiting and princesses who were her relatives were also present. There is no mention of baptism, nor of her taking on the Christian name 'Helena', in the ''Book of Ceremonies''. ;According to John Skylitzes' ''Synopsis of Histories''

recorded only a very brief passage in chapter 11, section 6 of his ''Synopsis of Histories'': Olga 'came to Constantinople after her husband died. She was baptized and she demonstrated fervent devotion, then she went back home.' Unlike the ''Book of Ceremonies'', Olga is said to have been baptised in Constantinople and being devout, but not doing anything else. ;According to the ''Primary Chronicle'' Once in Constantinople, Olga converted to Christianity with the assistance of the Emperor and the

Patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Roman Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and ...

Polyeuctus Saint Polyeuctus (also Polyeuctes, Polyeuktos, Late Greek, Greek: Πολύευκτος) of Melitene (died 10 January 259) is a Christian saint from the ancient Rome, Roman era. Life Christianity, Christian tradition states that he was a weal ...

. While the ''Primary Chronicle'' does not divulge Olga's motivation for her visit or conversion, it does go into great detail on the conversion process, in which she was baptized and instructed in the ways of Christianity. While the ''Primary Chronicle'' notes that Olga was christened with the name "Helena" after the ancient

Saint Helena Saint Helena (, ) is one of the three constituent parts of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, a remote British overseas territory. Saint Helena is a volcanic and tropical island, located in the South Atlantic Ocean, some 1,874 km ...

(the mother of

Constantine the Great Constantine I (27 February 27222 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was a Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337 and the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He played a Constantine the Great and Christianity, pivotal ro ...

), Jonathan Shepard argues that Olga's baptismal name comes from the contemporary emperor's wife, Helena.Jonathan Shepard, "The Origins of Rus' (c. 900–1015)," in ''The Cambridge History of Russia'', vol. 1, ed. Maureen Perrie (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006), 58. The observation that Olga was "worthy to reign with him in his city" suggests that the emperor was interested in marrying her. While the ''Chronicle'' explains Constantine's desire to take Olga as his wife as stemming from the fact that she was "fair of countenance and wise as well," marrying Olga could certainly have helped him gain power over Rus'.Francis Butler, "Ol'Ga's Conversion and the Construction of Chronicle Narrative," ''The Russian Review'' 67, no. 2 (April 2008): 240. The ''Chronicle'' recounts that Olga asked the emperor to baptize her knowing that his baptismal sponsorship, by the rules of spiritual kinship, would make marriage between them a kind of spiritual incest. Though her desire to become Christian may have been genuine, this request was also a way for her to maintain political independence. After the baptism, when Constantine repeated his marriage proposal, Olga answered that she could not marry him since church law forbade a goddaughter to marry her godfather. ;Interpretation of the sources Francis Butler argues that the story of the proposal was a literary embellishment, describing an event that is highly unlikely to have ever actually occurred. In fact, at the time of her baptism, Constantine already had an empress. In addition to uncertainty over the truth of the ''Chronicle'' telling of events in Constantinople, there is controversy over the details of her conversion to Christianity. According to Church Slavonic sources, she was baptized in Constantinople in 957. Byzantine sources, however, indicate that she was a Christian prior to her 957 visit. It seems likely that she was baptized in Kiev around 955 and, following a second christening in Constantinople, took the Christian name Helen. Olga was not the first person from Rus' to convert from her pagan ways—there were Christians in Igor's court who had taken oaths at the St. Elias Church in Kiev for the Rus'–Byzantine Treaty in 945—but she was the most powerful Rus' individual to undergo baptism during her life.

Efforts to Christianize Kievan Rus'

''The Primary'' ''Chronicle'' reports that Olga received the Patriarch's blessing for her journey home, and that once she arrived, she unsuccessfully attempted to convert her son to Christianity:

Now Olga dwelt with her son Sviatoslav, and she urged him to be baptized, but he would not listen to her suggestion, though when any man wished to be baptized, he was not hindered, but only mocked. For to the infidels, the Christian faith is foolishness. They do not comprehend it, because they walk in darkness and do not see the glory of God. Their hearts are hardened, and they can neither hear with their ears nor see with their eyes. For Solomon has said, "The deeds of the unrighteous are far from wisdom. Inasmuch as I have called you, and ye heard me not, I sharpened my words, and ye understood not. But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would have none of my reproach. For they have hated knowledge, and the fear of Jehovah they have not chosen. They would none of my counsel, but despised all my reproof."

This passage highlights the hostility towards Christianity in Kievan Rus' in the tenth century. In the ''Chronicle,'' Sviatoslav declares that his followers would "laugh" if he were to accept Christianity. While Olga tried to convince her son that his followers would follow his example if he converted, her efforts were in vain. However, her son agreed not to persecute those in his kingdom who did convert, which marked a crucial turning point for Christianity in the area. Despite the resistance of her people to Christianity, Olga built churches in Kiev, Pskov, and elsewhere.

Relations with the Holy Roman Emperor

Seven Latin sources document Olga's embassy to Holy Roman Emperor

Otto I Otto I (23 November 912 – 7 May 973), known as Otto the Great ( ) or Otto of Saxony ( ), was East Francia, East Frankish (Kingdom of Germany, German) king from 936 and Holy Roman Emperor from 962 until his death in 973. He was the eldest son o ...

in 959. The continuation of

Regino of Prüm Regino of Prüm or of Prum (, ; died 915 AD) was a Benedictine Order, Benedictine monk, who served as abbot of Prüm Abbey, Prüm (892–99) and later of St. Maximin's Abbey, Trier, Saint Martin's at Trier, and chronicler, whose ''Chronicon'' is ...

mentions that the envoys requested the emperor to appoint a bishop and priests for their nation. The chronicler accuses the envoys of lies, commenting that their trick was not exposed until later.

Thietmar of Merseburg Thietmar (also Dietmar or Dithmar; 25 July 9751 December 1018), Prince-Bishop of Merseburg from 1009 until his death in 1018, was an important chronicler recording the reigns of German kings and Holy Roman Emperors of the Ottonian (Saxon) dynas ...

says that the first

archbishop of Magdeburg The Archbishopric of Magdeburg was a Latin Catholic archdiocese (969–1552) and Prince-Archbishopric (1180–1680) of the Holy Roman Empire centered on the city of Magdeburg on the Elbe River. Planned since 955 and established in 967, the arch ...

Adalbert of Magdeburg Adalbert of Magdeburg (c. 91020 June 981), sometimes incorrectly shortened to "Albert", known as the Apostle of the Slavs, was the first Archbishop of Magdeburg (from 968) and a successful missionary to the Polabian Slavs to the east of what was ...

, before being promoted to this high rank, was sent by Emperor Otto to the country of the Rus' (''Rusciae'') as a simple bishop but was expelled by pagan allies of

Sviatoslav I Sviatoslav or Svyatoslav I Igorevich (; Old Norse: ''Sveinald''; – 972) was Prince of Kiev from 945 until his death in 972. He is known for his persistent campaigns in the east and south, which precipitated the collapse of two great powers ...

. The same data is repeated in the annals of

Quedlinburg Quedlinburg () is a town situated just north of the Harz mountains, in the Harz (district), district of Harz in the west of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. As an influential and prosperous trading centre during the early Middle Ages, Quedlinburg becam ...

and

Hildesheim Hildesheim (; or ; ) is a city in Lower Saxony, in north-central Germany with 101,693 inhabitants. It is in the district of Hildesheim (district), Hildesheim, about southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste River, a small tributary of t ...

. In 2018, Russian historian and writer

Boris Akunin Grigori Chkhartishvili (; ka, გრიგორი ჩხარტიშვილი), better known by his pen name Boris Akunin (, born 20 May 1956), is a Georgian and Russian writer residing in the United Kingdom. He is best known as a write ...

pointed out the importance of a 2-year gap between invitation and arrival of bishops: "The failure of Olga's Byzantine trip has inflicted a severe blow to her party. The Grand Knyaginya made a second attempt to find a Christian patron, now in the West. But it seems, in the period between the sending of the embassy to Emperor Otto in 959 and the arrival of Adalbert in Kiev in 961, a bloodless coup took place. Pagan party prevailed, the young Sviatoslav pushed his mother into the background, and that's why the German bishops had to return empty-handed." According to Russian historian

Vladimir Petrukhin Vladimir Petrukhin (full name: Vladimir Yakovlevich Petrukhin, ; born on July 25, 1950, in Pushkino, Moscow Oblast, Soviet Union) is a Russian historian, archaeologist and ethnographer, Doctor of Historical Sciences (since 1994), chief research f ...

, Olga invited the Roman rite bishops because she wanted to motivate Byzantine priests to catechize the Rus' people more enthusiastically, by introducing competition.

Death

According to the ''Primary Chronicle'', Olga died from illness in 969, soon after the Pechenegs' siege of the city. When Sviatoslav announced plans to move his throne to the Danube region, the ailing Olga convinced him to stay with her during her final days. Only three days later, she died and her family and larger parts of Kievan Rus' mourned:

Sviatoslav announced to his mother and his boyars, "I do not care to remain in Kiev, but should prefer to live in Peryaslavets on the Danube, since that is the centre of my realm, where all riches are concentrated; gold, silks, wine, and various fruits from Greece, silver and horses from Hungary and Bohemia, and from Rus' furs, wax, honey, and slaves." But Olga made reply, "You behold me in my weakness. Why do you desire to depart from me?" For she was already in precarious health. She thus remonstrated with him and begged him first to bury her and then to go wheresoever he would. Three days later Olga died. Her son wept for her with great mourning, as did likewise her grandsons and all the people. They thus carried her out, and buried her in her tomb. Olga had given command not to hold a funeral feast for her, for she had a priest who performed the last rites over the sainted Princess.

Although he disapproved of his mother's Christian tradition, Sviatoslav heeded Olga's request that her priest, Gregory, conduct a Christian funeral without the ritual pagan burial feast. Her tomb remained in Kiev for over two centuries, but was destroyed by the Mongolian-Tatar armies of

Batu Khan Batu Khan (–1255) was a Mongol ruler and founder of the Golden Horde, a constituent of the Mongol Empire established after Genghis Khan's demise. Batu was a son of Jochi, thus a grandson of Genghis Khan. His '' ulus'' ruled over the Kievan ...

in 1240. The

sarcophagus A sarcophagus (: sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a coffin, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek language, Greek wikt:σάρξ, σάρξ ...

found in 1826 during excavations of

Church of the Tithes Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

conducted by architect Nikolai Efimov was attributed as being Olga's and moved first to the Historical Museum and then to St. Sophia Cathedral.

Legacy

Sainthood

Lemko_Church_of_Saints_Vladimir_and_Olga

At the time of her death, it seemed that Olga's attempt to make Kievan Rus' a Christian territory had been a failure. Nonetheless, Olga's Christianizing mission would be brought to fruition by her grandson,

, who officially adopted

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

in 988. The ''Primary Chronicle'' highlights Olga's holiness in contrast to the pagans around her during her life as well as the significance of her decision to convert to Christianity:

Olga was the precursor of the Christian land, even as the day-spring precedes the sun and as the dawn precedes the day. For she shone like the moon by night, and she was radiant among the infidels like a pearl in the mire, since the people were soiled, and not yet purified of their sin by holy baptism. But she herself was cleansed by this sacred purification.... She was the first from Rus' to enter the kingdom of God, and the sons of Rus' thus praise her as their leader, for since her death she has interceded with God in their behalf.

It is unclear when Olga was canonized, but

John Fennell John Fennell (born May 28, 1995) is an American-Canadian luger who has competed since 2011. He competed for Canada in the first-ever Youth Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, where he finished 7th, and at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, ...

argued that this was most likely in 1284, together with Vladimir, when Metropolitan Maxim summoned the bishops to a council, and was recorded the next year visiting "all the Russian land (i.e. Suzdalia, northeast Russia), teaching, instructing and administering," and spreading news about their canonization, including in Novgorod and Pskov. A northern Russian manuscript from the 15th century mentions that "when Vladimir unearthed the body of Olga, his grandmother nd discovered that it wasuncorrupted, e thenplaced it in a wooden coffin in the Church of the Tithe". In 1547, nearly 600 years after her 969 death, the

Russian Orthodox Church The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC; ;), also officially known as the Moscow Patriarchate (), is an autocephaly, autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox Christian church. It has 194 dioceses inside Russia. The Primate (bishop), p ...

officially named Olga a saint,

equal-to-the-apostles Equal-to-apostles or equal-to-the-apostles is a special title given to some saints in Eastern Orthodoxy and in Byzantine Catholicism. The title is bestowed as a recognition of these saints' outstanding service in the spreading and assertion of Chri ...

. Because of her proselytizing influence, the

, the

Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church The Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church, also known in the United States as the Byzantine Catholic Church, is a '' sui iuris'' (autonomous) Eastern Catholic particular church based in Eastern Europe and North America that is part of the worldwide ...

, and the

Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) is a Major archiepiscopal church, major archiepiscopal ''sui iuris'' ("autonomous") Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Catholic church that is based in Ukraine. As a particular church of the Cathol ...

call Olga by the honorific Isapóstolos, "Equal to the Apostles". Olga's feast day is July 11, the date of her death. The

Orthodox Church of Ukraine The Orthodox Church of Ukraine (; OCU), also called the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, is an Eastern Orthodox Church in Ukraine. It was granted autocephaly by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople on . Some of the Eastern Orthodox Churche ...

celebrates her memory on 24 July. In keeping with her own biography, she is the patron of widows and converts.The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, "St. Olga," Encyclopædia Britannica, 2019, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Olga . Olga is venerated as a saint in East Slavic-speaking countries where churches use the Byzantine Rite:

(especially in the

Greek Catholic Church Greek Catholic Church or Byzantine-Catholic Church may refer to: * The Catholic Church in Greece * The Eastern Catholic Churches that use the Byzantine Rite, also known as the Greek Rite: ** The Albanian Greek Catholic Church ** The Belarusian Gre ...

(especially in the

), in churches with

Byzantine Rite Lutheranism Eastern Lutheranism (also known as Byzantine Lutheranism or Byzantine Rite Lutheranism) refers to Eastern Protestant Lutheran churches, such as those of Ukraine and Slovenia, that use a form of the Byzantine Rite as their liturgy. It is unique ...

, and among Western Catholics in Russia.

Feast Day

* 11 July – main commemoration (

death anniversary A death anniversary (or deathday) is the anniversary of the death of a person. It is the opposite of birthday. It is a custom in several Asian cultures, including Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, China, Georgia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India, Myanmar ...

Fixed Fixed may refer to: * ''Fixed'' (EP), EP by Nine Inch Nails * ''Fixed'' (film), an upcoming animated film directed by Genndy Tartakovsky * Fixed (typeface), a collection of monospace bitmap fonts that is distributed with the X Window System * Fi ...
Feast Day ( Synaxes)

* 25 May – Synaxis of Saints of Volhynia (

ROCOR The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (), also called Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia or ROCOR, or Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (ROCA), is a semi-autonomous part of the Russian Orthodox Church, Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Pat ...

and

Greek Orthodox Church Greek Orthodox Church (, , ) is a term that can refer to any one of three classes of Christian Churches, each associated in some way with Christianity in Greece, Greek Christianity, Antiochian Greek Christians, Levantine Arabic-speaking Christian ...

), * 15 July – Synaxis of All Saints of Kiev ( ROC), * 10 October – Synaxis of Saints of Volhynia ( ROC),

Moveable Feast Day ( Synaxes)

* Synaxis of Saints of Pskov – movable holiday on the 3rd Sunday of Pentecost,

Churches and monuments

;Ukraine * Cathedral of St. Olha, Kiev (inaugurated 2010) * Monument to Princess Olga, Saint Apostle Andrew the First-Called and enlighteners Cyril and Methodius, Kiev * Church of Sts. Olha and Elizabeth, Lviv * Church of Volodymyr and Olha,

Khodoriv Khodoriv (, ; ) is a city in Stryi Raion, Lviv Oblast, western Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Khodoriv urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Its population is approximately History The city was first mentioned in 1394. In m ...

* Church of Sts. Volodymyr and Olha, Podusiv,

Lviv Raion Lviv Raion () is a raion (district) of Lviv Oblast, Ukraine. It was created on 18 July 2020 as part of the reform of administrative divisions of Ukraine. The center of the raion is the city of Lviv. Four abolished raions, Horodok, Peremyshliany, ...

Lviv Oblast Lviv Oblast (, ), also referred to as Lvivshchyna (, ), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast in western Ukraine. The capital city, capital of the oblast is the city of Lviv. The current population is History Name The region is named ...

* Saint Volodymyr and Olha church, Staryi Dobrotvir,

Chervonohrad Raion Sheptytskyi Raion () is a Raions of Ukraine, raion (district) of Lviv Oblast, Ukraine. It was known as Chervonohrad Raion () from 2020 until 2024. The center of the raion is the city of Sheptytskyi. Population: History From the 12th century, th ...

, Lviv Oblast * Church of Saints Volodymyr and Olha,

Birky, Yavoriv Raion, Lviv Oblast Birky (, formerly known as ''Birky Yanivski'' () and ''Birky Dominikanski'' () is a village ( selo) in Yavoriv Raion, Lviv Oblast (province) of Western Ukraine. It belongs to Ivano-Frankove settlement hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Po ...

* Church of Saints Volodymyr and Olha,

Horodok, Lviv Oblast __NOTOC__ Horodok (, ; ) is a city in Lviv Raion, Lviv Oblast, western Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Horodok urban hromada, Lviv Oblast, Horodok urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: History Horodok was first men ...

* Saint Olga Orthodox church in

Zhytomyr Oblast Zhytomyr Oblast (), also referred to as Zhytomyrshchyna (), is an Administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) in northwestern Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Zhytomyr. Its population is approximately H ...

; Russia * Monument of St. Olga by

Vyacheslav Klykov Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Klykov (; 19 October 1939 — 2 June 2006) was a Russian sculptor who specialized in public monuments to key figures of national history and culture. Biography He was born into a peasant family near Kursk and studied i ...

Pskov Pskov ( rus, Псков, a=Ru-Псков.oga, p=psˈkof; see also Names of Pskov in different languages, names in other languages) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in northwestern Russia and the administrative center of Pskov O ...

(2003). * Monument of St. Olga by

Zurab Tsereteli Zurab Konstantinovich Tsereteli ( ka, ზურაბ კონსტანტინეს ძე წერეთელი, tr'';'' 4 January 1934 – 22 April 2025) was a Georgian painter, sculptor and architect known for large-scale and at ti ...

, Pskov (2003). * Olga bridge in Pskov. * St. Olga's chapel in Pskov. * Princess Olga Airport in Pskov (since 2019, through a win in a poll against

Aleksandr Nevsky Alexander Yaroslavich Nevsky (; ; monastic name: ''Aleksiy''; 13 May 1221 – 14 November 1263) was Prince of Novgorod (1236–1240; 1241–1256; 1258–1259), Grand Prince of Kiev (1249–1263), and Grand Prince of Vladimir (1252–1263). Co ...

). * Monument of St. Olga in

. * Monument of St. Olga in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

. * St. Olga is present on the ''

Millennium of Russia The Millennium of Russia () is a bronze monument in the Novgorod Kremlin. It was erected in 1862 to celebrate the millennium of Rurik's arrival to Novgorod, an event traditionally taken as a starting point of the history of Russian statehoo ...

'' monument in

Veliky Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( ; , ; ), also known simply as Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the oldest cities in Russia, being first mentioned in the 9th century. The city lies along the ...

. * St. Olga Roman Catholic Cathedral in Lyublino, Moscow (inaugurated 2003). * St. Olga

Equal-to-apostles Equal-to-apostles or equal-to-the-apostles is a special title given to some saints in Eastern Orthodoxy and in Byzantine Catholicism. The title is bestowed as a recognition of these saints' outstanding service in the spreading and assertion of Chri ...

Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Ostankino, Moscow (inaugurated 2014). * St. Olga Equal-to-apostles Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Solntsevo, Moscow (inaugurated 2015). * St. Olga Equal-to-apostles Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Olga, Primorje. ;United States * Sts. Volodymyr and Olha Ukrainian Catholic Church,

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

;Canada * Saints Vladimir and Olga Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral and Parish Hall,

Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

* Saints Vladimir and Olga Ukrainian Catholic Church,

Dauphin, Manitoba Dauphin () is a city in Manitoba, Canada, with a population of 8,368 as of the 2021 Canadian Census. The community is surrounded by the Dauphin, Manitoba (rural municipality), Rural Municipality of Dauphin. The city takes its name from Lake Daup ...

* Saints Vladimir and Olga Ukrainian Catholic Church,

Windsor, Ontario Windsor ( ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is situated on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from the U.S city of Detroit, Detroit, Michigan. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Esse ...

;Australia * Saints Volodymyr and Olha Church,

Woodville, South Australia Woodville is a suburb of Adelaide, situated about north-west of the Adelaide city centre. It lies within the City of Charles Sturt. The Postal code, postcode of Woodville is 5011. Woodville is bound by Cheltenham Parade to the west, Torrens Roa ...

Modern reception

Scholarship has traditionally focused on Olga's role in the spread of Christianity to Eastern Europe and Russia as well as her role in advising her son against persecution of Christians in the Kievan Rus'. Modern publications, on the other hand, reflect a broader interest in Olga beyond her role in expanding

Christendom The terms Christendom or Christian world commonly refer to the global Christian community, Christian states, Christian-majority countries or countries in which Christianity is dominant or prevails.SeMerriam-Webster.com : dictionary, "Christen ...

. Detailing her story, a 2018 article claimed she showed her countrymen how "a woman could rule with strength and decision." ''The Russian Primary Chronicle's'' claim that Olga was of

descent also received attention for its possible contribution to her "warrior spirit". Russian historian

argues though she certainly reconquered the Drevlians, only her killing of their first envoy is plausible, since Iskorosten was just two days' ride from Kiev, making it difficult to conceal the first public murder.

Arts and literature

In 1981 a new ballet based on Olga's life was composed to commemorate the 1500th anniversary of the city of

Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

.Черкашина-Губаренко М. Р. ''Театральні університети Володимира Рожка''. Часопис Національної музичної академії України імені П. І. Чайковського. 2016. № 3 (32). с. 52.

Toponyms

In most cities of

there is Knyagini Olga Street. There is Olhynska Street in the city of Kiev.

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

has Saint Olga Ave. There is also St. Olga Street in the city of

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

(

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

Gallery

Radziwiłł Chronicle The ''Radziwiłł Chronicle'', also known as the ''Königsberg Chronicle'', is a collection of illuminated manuscripts from the 15th-century; it is believed to be a copy of a 13th-century original. Its name is derived from the Radziwiłł family ...

" widths="200" heights="150"> File:Месть княгини Ольги.jpg, Olga's revenge for her husband's death File:Radzivill Olga-Avenge-to-Drevlians.jpg, Fourth revenge of Olga: Burning of Derevlian capital Iskorosten File:Приём Ольги Константином Багрянородным (2).jpg, ''Reception of Olga by Constantine VII'' File:Olga illustration from 1869 book.jpg, Kievan Rus ruler Olga (1869) File:Святая великая княгиня Ольга.jpg, 's ' (1901) File:Saint Olga by Nicholas Roerich - 1915.jpg,

Nicholas Roerich Nikolai Konstantinovich Rerikh (), better known as Nicholas Roerich (; October 9, 1874 – December 13, 1947), was a Russian painter, writer, archaeologist, theosophist, philosopher, and public figure. In his youth he was influenced by Russ ...

's ''Saint Olga'' (1915)

Notes

Bibliography

Primary sources

;Old Church Slavonic * ''

'' ( 1110s). ** *** (The first 50 pages are a scholarly introduction). ** ;Greek * ''

'' ( 950s), written or commissioned by Byzantine emperor

Porphyrogennetos. *

, ''Synopsis of Histories'' ( 1070s). ;Latin * ''Adalberti continuato Reginonis'', continuation of

's ''Chronicon'' ( 970).

Literature

* * ** ** * Historical Dictionary of Ukraine. By Z. Kohut, B.Nebesio, M. Yurkevich. The Scarecrow Press, Inc. Lanham, Maryland. Toronto. Oxford. 2005. * Plokhy, Serhii, ''The Gates of Europe. A History of Ukraine.'' New York: Basic Books, 2015. * (e-book) *

References

External links

* {{Authority control Princesses consort of Kiev (before 1019) Princes of Kiev Varangians Christian saints from Kievan Rus' Year of birth uncertain 969 deaths Rurikids 10th-century women regents 10th-century regents 10th-century princes from Kievan Rus' 10th-century Christian saints Christian female saints of the Middle Ages Eastern Orthodox royal saints Roman Catholic royal saints Converts to Christianity from pagan religions Eastern Orthodox monarchs Burials at the Church of the Tithes Princesses regnant