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 principalities. 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 strengthening of the power of the Kyiv Grand Duke, centralized public administration using the "graveyard" system. 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 Kyiv 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 as mercenaries Russian army. Rus' became a great power.
As a wise ruler, Olga saw by example Byzantine Empire that it is 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 gold, decorated precious stones dish. 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 the most important issues: about the dynastic marriage of Svyatoslav with the Byzantine princess and about the conditions for the restoration of the metropolis that existed under Askold in Kyiv. 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 ancient empire Romans, which will 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 Assumption Holy Mother of God and were 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 thousand years of history Christian Russia.
On the ninth of September, on Wednesday, a reception was held, similar in all respects to those described above, on the occasion of the arrival of the Russian Princess Olga. The princess entered with her relatives, the princesses and the most chosen servants, and she walked in front of all the other women, and they followed in order one after another; she stopped at the place where the logothete usually asked questions... When the king entered the palace in the usual manner, the second reception took place as follows. In the triclinium of Justinian, a dais was placed, covered with crimson silk fabrics, and on it was placed the large throne of King Theophilus and on the side the royal golden chair. Two silver organs of two parts (= dims) were placed below behind two curtains, wind instruments were placed outside the curtains. The princess, invited from Augusteum, passed through the apse, hippodrome and internal passages of the same Augusteum and, entering, sat down in Skili. The Empress sat on the aforementioned throne, and her daughter-in-law on the chair. The whole edicule entered and the ranks were introduced by the prepositum and ostiaries... When the king sat down with Augusta and his purplish-born children, the princess was invited from the triclinium of kenurgy and, sitting down at the invitation of the king, told him what she wanted.
On the same day, a dinner party took place in the same Triclinium of Justinian. The Empress and her daughter-in-law sat on the above-mentioned throne, and the princess stood to the side... The dinner was attended by singers from the churches of St. apostles and saints Sophia and sang the royal praises. There were also all sorts of stage performances... After the king got up from the table, dessert was served in the aristitiria, where a small golden table was placed, standing (usually) in the pectapyrgy, and dessert was placed on it on dishes decorated with enamel and expensive stones . And the king, Tsar Roman Porphyrogenitus, their purple-born children, the daughter-in-law and the princess sat down, and the princess was given 500 mil. on a golden platter with expensive stones, and 20 mil. each to her six close women. and 18 maids 8 mil each.
On Sunday, October 18th, a dinner party took place in the Golden Chamber, and the Tsar sat down with the Russians, and again another dinner was given in the pentacuvuclia of St. Paul, and the empress sat down with her scarlet-born children, her daughter-in-law and the princess...
VIOLATION OF RITUAL
At first, the audience took place as was usually customary for foreign rulers or ambassadors of large states. The Emperor, sitting on a throne in the luxurious Magnavre Hall, exchanged ceremonial greetings with Olga through the logothete. Next to the emperor was the entire court. The atmosphere was extremely solemn and pompous.
On the same day, another traditional celebration for receiving distinguished guests took place - lunch... But along with this, there were also deviations from accepted traditions, violations of the unshakable Byzantine diplomatic ritual were identified, which were absolutely incredible, especially under Constantine VII - their zealous guardian.
At the beginning of the audience, after the courtiers had taken their places and the emperor had sat on the “throne of Solomon,” the curtain separating the Russian princess from the hall was pulled back, and Olga, ahead of her retinue, moved towards the emperor. In these cases, usually the foreign representative was brought to the trail by two eunuchs, who supported the person who was suitable. Then the foreign ruler or ambassador performed praskipesps - he fell prostrate at the imperial feet. During the reception of the Kyiv princess, this order was changed. Olga alone, unaccompanied, approached the throne, did not prostrate herself before the emperor, as her retinue did, but remained standing and talked with Constantine VII while standing.
Then Olga was received separately by the Empress, whom the Russian princess greeted with only a slight bow of her head.
“THE TALE OF BYE YEARS” ABOUT OLGA’S BAPTISM
Olga went to the Greek land and came to Constantinople. There was then Tsar Constantine, son of Leo. And seeing that she was beautiful in face and very intelligent, the Tsar marveled at her intelligence, talking with her, and said to her: “You are worthy to reign with us in this city.” She, having thought it over, answered the Caesar: “I am a pagan; If you want to baptize me, then baptize me yourself - otherwise I won’t be baptized.” And the Tsar and the Patriarch baptized her. [...] And she was given the name Elena in baptism, just like the ancient queen - the mother of Constantine the Great. And the patriarch blessed her and released her. After baptism, the Tsar called her and told her: “I want to take you as my wife.” She answered: “How do you want to take me when you yourself baptized me and called me daughter? But Christians are not allowed to do this - you know it yourself.” And the Tsar said to her: “You have outwitted me, Olga.” And he presented her with numerous gifts - gold, and silver, and grass, and various vessels, and sent her away, calling her his daughter. She, getting ready to go home, came to the patriarch and asked him to bless the house, and said to him: “My people and my son are pagans, may God protect me from all evil.” And the patriarch said: “Faithful child! You were baptized into Christ, and you put on Christ, and Christ will save you... He will deliver you from the snares of the devil and from his snares.” And the patriarch blessed her, and she went in peace to her land and came to Kyiv.
OLGA’S BAPTISM AND THE BEGINNING OF THE CHRISTIANIZATION OF Rus'
Byzantium's hopes for the imminent baptism of Rus' were not justified. The adoption of Christianity turned out to be a long and difficult matter for the Russians. Prince Igor soon died. His widow Olga decided to change her faith only many years after her husband’s death. The author of The Tale of Bygone Years recorded the legend that Olga was baptized by Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus in Constantinople in 955. However, the chronicle story is permeated with folklore motifs. If you believe the chronicle, the middle-aged Olga made such a strong impression on the emperor that he offered to marry her as his wife. Wise Olga answered: “How do you want to treat me, having baptized me yourself and called me daughter?” Having refused the “groom”, the Russian princess “switched” the tsar himself.
Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus mentioned the reception of "Archontes Elga". But I didn't know Christian name Elena-Elga, and therefore the princess remained a pagan during her meeting with him in 957. The composition of the Russian retinue suggests that Olga paid a visit to the emperor as a private person. In her circle there were no ambassadors from the heir Svyatoslav, Igor’s nephews and from King Sveneld. The “slavs” from Olga’s retinue received the same amount of money as her translators, which accurately reflected their position on the hierarchical ladder.
The German certificate of Olga's baptism has been preserved - the so-called Continuation of the Chronicle of the Region. The chronicle was compiled in the middle of the 10th century. The author of the Continuation is believed to have been the first Kiev bishop Adalbert. All this gives the monument exceptional value. As a German chronicler recorded, in 959, “ambassadors of Helen, queen of the Rugs (Rus), who was baptized in Constantinople under Roman Emperor of Constantinople, came to the court of the German Emperor Otto I.” The ambassadors “asked that a bishop and priests be appointed for their people.” So, Olga-Elena was baptized not under Constantine Porphyrogenitus, but under his son Roman, who ascended the throne after the death of his father in November 959. The chronology of events described in the German chronicle raises doubts. Olga would not have had time to send ambassadors to Germany within less than two months after her baptism. The delay of Otto I is inexplicable. Having listened to the ambassadors at the end of 959, the emperor granted their request and appointed a bishop to Kyiv only a year later, on Christmas 960. Apparently, the chronicler inaccurately recorded the date of the ambassadors’ arrival. German annals of the 11th century, a source of independent origin, preserved the following entry: “960. Ambassadors from the people of Rus' came to King Otto.” The above text confirms the assumption that the Russian mission came to Germany not in 959, but in 960, and by the end of the year Otto announced the appointment of a bishop.
The Russian princess did exactly the same thing as the Bulgarian Tsar Boris had done before. Having received baptism from the Greek Orthodox patriarch, she immediately invited a Latin shepherd. The German bishop, who was supposed to go to Kyiv, died suddenly on February 15, 961, and the rank of bishop of Rus' was transferred to the monk Adalbert. He left for Kyiv in 961, and a year later returned home with nothing. An attempt to establish a bishopric in Kyiv failed due to the resistance of the pagan Norman nobility, who ruled the country after the death of Igor. This fact alone destroys the myth of Olga as the ruler of Rus'. However, one should not think that the princess’s efforts to introduce Christianity in Rus' did not yield any results. Already during the first trip of the pagan Elga to Constantinople, “Prest Gregory” was in her retinue. This means that people from Olga’s inner circle changed their faith before her. In 967, Pope John XII forbade the appointment to the newly established see in Prague of persons belonging to “a rite or sect of the Bulgarian or Russian people, or Slavic language" Probably the largest Christian community of Rus was in Constantinople, and the Pope was afraid of sending a bishop from Byzantium to the Czech Republic. In Constantinople, the “baptized Rus” were engaged in various activities: traded, served in the imperial palace guard, etc. Relations between Kyiv and Constantinople Christians of Russian origin contributed to the Christianization of the Kyiv Rus.
Olga's influence on management affairs was apparently limited. In the year of Igor’s death, Prince Svyatoslav turned no less than 8-10 years old. Taking revenge on the Drevlyans for his father, Svyatoslav began the battle by throwing a heavy spear at them. The spear fell at the feet of the horse on which the boy was sitting. By the time the bishop arrived in Kyiv, Svyatoslav was more than 20 years old. He has reached adulthood. According to the chronicle, Olga-Elena repeatedly asked her son to change his faith, but he invariably refused her, citing the opinion of the squad. The young prince could not renounce paganism while the squad and its leaders adhered to the old religion. Two decades later, according to the chronicle legend, Olga’s grandson Vladimir ended a conversation about faith with the German ambassadors with a reminder of his grandmother’s times: “Go again, because our fathers did not accept the essence of this.” Vladimir spoke on behalf of the entire squad. The expression “our fathers” had a very definite meaning in his mouth. Bishop Adalbert was expelled from Kyiv by his entire squad. According to the Novgorod chronicle, the Kiev princess kept a “prezbyter” in her house secret from the people. The presbyter was probably Adalbert himself or one of the Latin priests who arrived with him.
Skrynnikov R.G. Old Russian state
FROM THE LIFE OF THE HOLY GRAND DUCHESS OLGA
...And therefore, after baptism, I lived 15 years and pleased God, and in peace gave up my holy and honest soul in the hands of Christ God in the summer of 6477, the month of July on the 11th day. And therefore, much time has passed since the repose of the saint, and her grandson, the blessed Prince Vladimer, remembered the relics of his holy woman, and came to the place himself with the metropolitan and with the entire sacred cathedral and with the name, and excavated the earth, and found tosha honest relics of the holy woman His princess Olga remains safe and indestructible. They glorified God, and took up the relics, and placed the Holy Mother of God in the church, in a small stone coffin; and on the top of that coffin you created an honest window: and there you can see the blessed body lying intact and unaffected by decay, but shining like the sun. And whoever comes with faith to the saint’s tomb: and the window, like the one on the saint’s tomb, will open on its own, and they will see an honest body and many will receive healing in abundance...
Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duchess Olga, baptized Helena (c. 890 - July 11, 969), ruled Kievan Rus after the death of her husband, Prince Igor Rurikovich from 945 to 962. The first of the Russian rulers accepted Christianity even before the baptism of Rus', the first Russian saint. The name of Princess Olga is at the source of Russian history, and is associated with greatest events the foundation of the first dynasty, with the first establishment of Christianity in Rus' and the bright features of Western civilization. The Grand Duchess went down in history as a great creator state life and culture of Kievan Rus. After her death, ordinary people called her cunning, the church - holy, history - wise.
Grand Duchess Olga (c. 890 - July 11, 969) was the wife of the Grand Duke of Kyiv Igor.
Basic information about Olga’s life, recognized as reliable, is contained in the “Tale of Bygone Years”, the Life from the Book of Degrees, the hagiographic work of the monk Jacob “Memory and Praise to the Russian Prince Volodymer” and the work of Constantine Porphyrogenitus “On the Ceremonies of the Byzantine Court”. Other sources provide additional information about Olga, but their reliability cannot be determined with certainty.
Olga came from the glorious family of Gostomysl (the ruler of Veliky Novgorod even before Prince Rurik). She was born in the Pskov land, in the village of Vybuty, 12 km from Pskov up the Velikaya River, into a pagan family from the dynasty of the Izborsky princes. Disputes about Olga's exact date of birth are still ongoing. - some historians insist on the date of about 890, others - on the date of 920 (although this date is absurd due to the fact that Olga married Igor under the Prophetic Oleg, who died in 912). Both dates can be questioned, so they are accepted conditionally. The names of Olga's parents have not been preserved.
When Olga was already 13 years old, she became the wife of the Grand Duke of Kyiv Igor. According to legend, Prince Igor was engaged in hunting. One day, when he was hunting in the Pskov forests, tracking down an animal, he went out to the river bank. Deciding to cross the river, he asked Olga, who was passing by on a boat, to transport him, at first mistaking her for a young man. As they swam, Igor, carefully peering into the rower’s face, saw that it was not a young man, but a girl. The girl turned out to be very beautiful, smart and pure in intentions. Olga's beauty stung Igor's heart, and he began to seduce her with words, inclining her to unclean carnal mixing. However, the chaste girl, having understood the thoughts of Igor, fueled by lust, shamed him with a wise admonition. The prince was surprised at such an outstanding intelligence and chastity of the young girl, and did not harass her.
Igor was only son Novgorod prince Rurik (+879). When his father died, the prince was still very young. Before his death, Rurik handed over the rule in Novgorod to his relative and governor Oleg and appointed him Igor’s guardian. Oleg was a successful warrior and wise ruler. People called him Prophetic. He conquered the city of Kyiv and united many Slavic tribes around him. Oleg loved Igor as his own son and raised him to be a real warrior. And when the time came to look for a bride for him, a show of beautiful girls was organized in Kyiv in order to find among them a girl worthy of a princely palace, but none of them
the prince did not like it. For in his heart the choice of a bride had long been made: he ordered to call that beautiful boatwoman who carried him across the river. Prince Oleg with great honor he brought Olga to Kyiv, and Igor married her. Having married the young prince to Olga, the aging OlegHe began to diligently make sacrifices to the gods so that they would give Igor an heir. For nine long years, a lot bloody victims Oleg brought it to the idols, burned so many people and bulls alive, and waited for the Slavic gods to give Igor a son. Not wait. He died in 912 from the bite of a snake that crawled out of the skull of his former horse.
Pagan idols began to disappoint the princess: many years of sacrifices to idols did not give her the desired heir. Well, what will Igor do according to human custom and take another wife, a third? He'll start a harem. Who will she be then? And then the princess decided to pray to the Christian God. And Olga began to fervently ask Him at night for a son-heir.
And so in 942 ,twenty-fourth year life together, an heir was born to Prince Igor - Svyatoslav! The prince overwhelmed Olga with gifts. She took the most expensive ones to the Church of Elijah - for the Christian God. Happy years have passed. Olga began to think about the Christian faith and about its benefits for the country. Only Igor did not share such thoughts: his gods never betrayed him in battle.
According to the chronicle, in 945, Prince Igor dies at the hands of the Drevlyans after repeatedly exacting tribute from them (he became the first ruler in Russian history to die from popular indignation). Igor Rurikovich was executed , in the tract, with the help of an honorary “unlock”. They bent over two young, flexible oak trees, tied them by the arms and legs, and let them go...
F.Bruni. Igor's execution
The heir to the throne, Svyatoslav, was only 3 years old at that time, so Olga became the de facto ruler of Kievan Rus in 945 . Igor's squad obeyed her, recognizing Olga as the representative of the legitimate heir to the throne.
After the murder of Igor, the Drevlyans sent matchmakers to his widow Olga to invite her to marry their prince Mal. The princess cruelly took revenge on the Drevlyans, showing cunning and strong will. Olga's revenge on the Drevlyans is described in detail in The Tale of Bygone Years.
Princess Olga's Revenge
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 most was away on military campaigns for a while.
Princess Olga's foreign policy was carried out not through military methods, but through diplomacy. She strengthened international ties with Germany and Byzantium. Relations with Greece revealed to Olga how Christian faith higher than pagan.
In 954, Princess Olga went to Constantinople (Constantinople) for the purpose of a religious pilgrimage and a diplomatic mission., where she was received with honor by Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus. For two whole years she became acquainted with the fundamentals of the Christian faith, attending services in the St. Sophia Cathedral. She was struck by the grandeur of Christian churches and the shrines collected in them.
The sacrament of baptism was performed over her by the Patriarch of Constantinople Theophylact, and the emperor himself became the recipient. The name of the Russian princess was given in honor of the holy Queen Helena, who found the Cross of the Lord. The Patriarch blessed the newly baptized princess with a cross carved from a single piece of the Life-Giving Tree of the Lord with the inscription: “The Russian land was renewed with the Holy Cross, and Olga, the blessed princess, accepted it.”
Princess Olga became the first ruler of Rus' to be baptized , although both the squad and the Russian people under it were pagan. Olga’s son, the Grand Duke of Kiev Svyatoslav Igorevich, also remained in paganism.
Upon returning to Kyiv, Olga 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. Svyatoslav Igorevich remained a convinced pagan.
Upon returning from Byzantium Olga zealously brought the Christian gospel to the pagans, began to erect the first Christian churches: in the name of St. Nicholas over the grave of the first Prince of Kyiv-Christian Askold and St. Sophia in Kyiv over the grave of Prince Dir, the Church of the Annunciation in Vitebsk, the temple in the name of the Holy and Life-Giving Trinity in Pskov, the place for which, according to the chronicler, was indicated to her from above by the “Ray of the Tri-radiant Deity” - on the bank of the Velikaya River she saw “three bright rays” descending from the sky.
Holy Princess Olga died in 969, at the age of 80. and was buried in the ground according to Christian rites.
Sergey Efoshkin. Duchess Olga. Dormition
Her incorruptible relics rested in the Tithe Church in Kyiv. Her grandson Prince Vladimir I Svyatoslavich, Baptist of Rus', transferred (in 1007) the relics of saints, including Olga, to the church he founded Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Kyiv (Tithe Church). More 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.
In 1547, Olga was canonized as Saint Equal to the Apostles. Only 5 other holy women have received this honor. Christian history(Mary Magdalene, First Martyr Thekla, Martyr Apphia, Queen Helen Equal to the Apostles and Enlightener of Georgia Nina).
The memory of Equal-to-the-Apostles Olga is celebrated by Orthodox, Catholic and other Western churches.
Princess Olga was the first of the Russian princes to officially convert to Christianity and was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church back in the pre-Mongol period. The baptism of Princess Olga did not lead to the establishment of Christianity in Rus', but she had a great influence on her grandson Vladimir, who continued her work. She did not wage wars of conquest, but directed all her energy to domestic politics, so for many years the people retained a good memory of her: the princess carried out an administrative and tax reform, which eased the situation ordinary people and streamlined life in the state.
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Holy Princess Olga is revered as the patroness of widows and Christian converts. Residents of Pskov consider Olga its founder. In Pskov there is Olginskaya embankment, Olginsky bridge, Olginsky chapel. Days of liberation of the city from fascist invaders(July 23, 1944) and the memory of Saint Olga are celebrated in Pskov as City Days.
Material prepared by Sergey SHULYAK
for the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity on Sparrow Hills
Troparion of Equal-to-the-Apostles Olga, tone 8
In you, God-wise Elena, the image of salvation was known in the Russian country, / as if, having received the bath of holy Baptism, you followed Christ, / creating and teaching, to leave idolatry’s charms, / to take care of souls, things more immortal, / also With Angels, Equal-to-the-Apostles, your spirit rejoices.
Kontakion of Equal-to-the-Apostles Olga, tone 4
Today the grace of all God has appeared, / having glorified Olga the God-Wise in Rus', / through her prayers, Lord, / grant to people the abandonment of sin.
Prayer to Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga
O holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duchess Olgo, the First Lady of Russia, warm intercessor and prayer book for us before God! We resort to you with faith and pray with love: be your helper and accomplice in everything for our good, and just as in temporal life you tried to enlighten our forefathers with the light of the holy faith and instruct me to do the will of the Lord, so now, in heavenly grace, you are favorable With your prayers to God, help us in enlightening our minds and hearts with the light of the Gospel of Christ, so that we may advance in faith, piety and love of Christ. In poverty and sorrow, give comfort to the needy, give a helping hand to those in need, stand up for those who are offended and mistreated, those who have gone astray from the right faith and blinded by heresies, bring them to their senses and ask us from the All-Bountiful God for all the good and useful life of temporal and eternal life, so that having lived here well, we will be worthy of the inheritance of eternal blessings in the endless Kingdom of Christ our God, to Him, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, belongs all glory, honor and worship always, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. A min.
GRAND DUCHESS OLGA (890-969)
From the series “History of the Russian State.”
Princess Olga is one of the few female rulers in Russian history. Its role in strengthening the power of the ancient Russian state cannot be underestimated. This is the image of a wise, intelligent and at the same time cunning woman who, like a real warrior, was able to avenge the death of her husband Igor the Old.
There are few facts about her, like other rulers; in the history of her personality there are controversial points about which historians debate to this day.
Origin of Princess Olga
There is a lot of controversy about her origin, some believe that Olga was a peasant from Pskov, others consider the princess to be from a noble Novgorod family, and still others generally believe that she is from the Varangians.
Princess Olga Igor's wife
The princess was a worthy wife of the Kyiv prince, and had in her possession Vyshgorod, which is near Kiev, the villages of Budutino, Olzhichi and other Russian lands. While her husband was hiking, she was studying internal politics Russian state.
She even had her own squad, and her own ambassador, who was third on the list of persons participating in negotiations with Byzantium, after Igor’s successful campaign.
Revenge of Princess Olga on the Drevlyans
In 945, Igor the Old dies at the hands of the Drevlyans. Their son was still small, and therefore the entire burden of governing the state fell on the shoulders of the princess. First of all, she took revenge on the Drevlyans for the death of her husband.
Revenge is almost mythical, but the story about it is truly impressive. It was this time that the princess’s wisdom and her cunning manifested themselves most clearly.
The Drevlyans wanted Olga to marry their prince Mal, and sent their embassy in a boat. They said: “We are neither riding on horses nor walking on foot, but carry us in the boat.” She agreed and ordered to dig a large hole and send people for the Drevlyans. The Kievans carried them in a boat, threw them into a large hole, and buried them alive.
Then she sent a messenger to the Drevlyans with a message: “If you really ask me, then send best husbands“To marry your prince with great honor, otherwise the people of Kiev will not let me in.” The Drevlyans, hearing this, sent their best men. The princess ordered the bathhouse to be lit for them, and while they were washing, the doors were locked for them and the bathhouse was set on fire.
After this, Olga again sends a messenger to the Drevlyans - “Now I’m coming to you, prepare a lot of honey near the city where they killed my husband, so that I will cry at his grave and arrange a funeral feast for him.” She took a small squad with her and moved lightly to the Drevlyan lands.
Having mourned her husband at his grave, she ordered a great grave to be filled and a funeral feast to begin. Then the feast began. The Drevlyans got tipsy. The princess stepped aside and ordered the Drevlyans to be cut down, and five thousand of them were killed.
Then she returned to Kyiv and began to prepare for the capture of the Drevlyan capital - Iskorosten. The siege of Iskorosten lasted a long time. Here she again showed cunning. Realizing that the city could defend itself for a long time, she sent ambassadors to the city, and they made peace and obliged the Drevlyans to pay tribute in the amount of... three doves and a sparrow from the yard. The Drevlyans were delighted, collected tribute and gave it to Olga. She promised to leave the very next day.
When it got dark, she ordered her warriors to tie tinder (smoldering material) to each dove and sparrow and release the birds. The birds flew to their nests, which were located in barns and haylofts.
The city of Iskorosten was on fire. People fled from the city. The squad grabbed defenders and ordinary civilians. People were enslaved, killed, and some were left alive and forced to pay heavy tribute. This is how she gracefully and insidiously took revenge for the death of her husband Igor the Old.
Years of reign
Princess Olga reigned from 945 to 964.
Domestic policy of Princess Olga
After the reprisal against the Drevlyans, Olga begins to actively study. Instead of polyudya, she established clear tribute amounts for lands under the rule of Kyiv. Established “statutes and lessons”, “camps and traps”, “cemeteries”. Pogosts, a place where tribute was collected, seemed to become small centers of princely power.
The meaning of the princess's reforms was to normalize duties, centralize power, and weaken tribal power. For a long time she put this reform into action, honing its mechanisms. This work did not bring her fame, was not overgrown with legends, but had great importance in the formation of the Russian state. Now the Russian economy had an administrative economic system.
Foreign policy of Princess Olga
There was a lull during her reign. There were no major campaigns, Russian blood was not shed anywhere. Having completed domestic affairs, she decided to take care of the prestige of Rus' on the world stage. And, if the predecessors Rurik, Oleg, and Igor gained authority for Rus' with the help of force and military campaigns, then Olga preferred to use diplomacy. And here her baptism into Orthodoxy acquired special significance.
Princess Olga and Orthodoxy
“From an early age, Olga searched with wisdom for what is best in this world, and found a pearl of great value - Christ.” The princess converted to Orthodoxy and became the first Christian ruler in Rus'.
Historians argue where she accepted the Orthodox faith, in Kyiv or Constantinople? Most likely, in Kyiv she only became acquainted with Christianity, and received direct baptism in Byzantium, where she was accompanied by the Kiev priest Gregory.
The Byzantine Emperor himself became godfather Russian princess. This state of affairs sharply increased the prestige of Kyiv and elevated the princess among other representatives of other states. It's worth a lot to be the godson of the Byzantine Emperor. Her baptism did not entail the introduction of Christianity in Rus', but her grandson will continue the work he started.
Olga is the first Russian saint. It was from her that Orthodoxy began. Her name will forever go down in the history of our country as the name of a heroine woman who sincerely loved her husband, her Motherland and her people.
Olga and her son Svyatoslav
Olga was the mother of the famous Prince Svyatoslav Igorevich, who would continue her work in establishing and strengthening the Russian state. There were many contradictions in the relationship between mother and son. Olga was Orthodox. Svyatoslav did not want to be baptized, he was afraid that the squad would not approve of his action; he was an ardent defender of paganism. The son went down in history as a talented commander and a good warrior.
Princess Olga and her life in tables
The main directions of the domestic and foreign policy of Princess Olga in the table
Icon of Princess Olga
Princess Olga video
In fact, one can only talk about the biography of Princess Olga with a stretch - very little is known about the circumstances of the life of the first Russian ruler. Nowadays it is customary to praise her for her Christian missionary work. But this fact at that time had almost no significance for the life of the state, but Olga’s cunning, intelligence and calculating cruelty did matter, and it did.
Prince Igor and Olga
Olga's year of birth and origin are unknown. Pskov is most often cited as her homeland, but Olga was clearly not a Slav (Olga (Helga) is a Scandinavian name). There are no contradictions here. There are many options for the year of birth, from 893 to 928, and all are based on scanty data from written sources.
The same goes for origin. The most common option is that Olga was the daughter of low-ranking Varangians. A more “patriotic” version - she came from a noble Slavic family, had a local name, and received a Scandinavian name from Prince Oleg, who decided to make her his daughter-in-law. There is also an assumption that Oleg was Olga’s father. Next to it is the version that the prophetic prince himself wanted to marry a smart Pskov woman, but abandoned this idea due to the huge difference in age.
The marriage of Olga and Igor, according to the most common version, took place in 903, and the bride was either 10 or 12 years old. But this version is often subject to doubt.
According to the Life, Prince Igor met Olga by chance, while hunting, and began to persuade her to lust, but the girl shamed him. Subsequently, when choosing a bride, Igor remembered her and decided that he could not find a better wife.
The statement accepted by many historians that Svyatoslav (the future prince) was Olga’s eldest child also looks strange. Yes, older children are not mentioned in the sources. But girls are rarely mentioned there, and the infant mortality rate in those days easily reached ¾ of the number of births. So Svyatoslav could easily have been the first survivor, or even the first boy to survive, and have half a dozen older sisters.
Olga, Princess of Kyiv
But the fact is not disputed that in 945, when Igor was punished for greed, Svyatoslav “could barely throw a spear between a horse’s ears,” that is, he was no older than 7-8 years. Therefore, Olga became the de facto ruler of the Russian state.
The terrible revenge against the Drevlyans described in The Tale of Bygone Years is almost certainly fiction, and all the better for it. But the fact remains that Olga managed to achieve the subordination of the tribal princes to the central government - they recognized her authority, and for some time the internecine clashes ceased. To his credit Kyiv princess Tax reform should also be introduced, establishing the exact amount of tribute, the place and timing of its payment - Olga made the right conclusions from the fate of her husband.
It is a fact and . International trade agreements concluded by her are recorded (usually an extension of those already concluded by her husband, but this is also important), as well as a visit to Byzantium (around 955). Relations with this powerful empire meant a lot to Rus', and Byzantine sources give Olga brilliant characteristics.
The princess continued to be involved in domestic politics even when her son “came of age.” Svyatoslav was almost never at home and was only interested in the war. Therefore, Olga was his co-ruler until her death in 968.
Princess Olga's baptism
Holy Princess Olga became the first ruler in Rus' to convert to Christianity. For her enormous services in spreading faith in Christ, the Church recognizes her as Equal to the Apostles. The ruler was baptized during her stay in Byzantium. According to the Tale of Bygone Years, the baptism of Princess Olga took place in Constantinople in 955, and Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus himself became her godfather (who, according to the same Tale) even wanted to marry her. At the same time, many historians believe that in fact the baptism took place in 957, and Olga was baptized by Emperor Roman II, the son of Constantine.
It is noteworthy that Saint Princess Olga is revered not only by all Orthodox Christians, but also by Catholics.
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