Saint Olga

WOODEN ICON 23×17 cm — A COPY OF THE ICONOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY XENOPHONT MONASTERY.
Handmade icons crafted by the monks of Xenophont.
MADE ON MOUNT ATHOS.

Saint Olga, Equal-to-the-Apostles
Святая равноапостольная Ольга
† July 11, 969
Canonized in 1547
Commemorated on July 11

Saint Olga was a Bulgarian princess and the wife of Prince Igor of Kyiv. After the early death of her husband, she governed the principality until her son Sviatoslav reached adulthood. Princess Olga worked diligently to strengthen and organize the state. She traveled through many regions of the land, leaving behind evidence of her wise rule, justice, and order. Through this she earned the love of the people and became renowned as a wise and just ruler.

In the 10th century the Rus’ people were still pagans, though Christianity had already begun spreading among them from the mid-9th century. Churches were built in some places, and Christians freely practiced their worship. There was also a church in Kyiv. Princess Olga observed the lives of Christians and learned about their faith, comparing it to Slavic paganism. With her sharp and discerning mind she understood that paganism could not cultivate the kind of people she saw among Christians. Her conversations with Christian teachers revealed to her the heavenly purity and depth of the Christian faith. Her heart was captivated by the truth of the Gospel.

However, Olga feared unrest among the pagan elders and people if she were to accept baptism openly in Kyiv. She also wished to receive precise instruction in the faith in the very center of Christianity, so that she would not make any error. Therefore, in the year 955 she set out for Constantinople. Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus received her with great honor. Patriarch Polyeuctus instructed her in the faith and baptized her, giving her the Christian name Helena.

“Blessed are you among your people,” said the patriarch, “for you have loved the light and abandoned the darkness. The sons of Rus’ will bless you!”

Saint Olga returned to Kyiv deeply convinced of the truth and greatness of the Christian faith. She desired to bring others out of the darkness of paganism into the light of Christ. Above all, as a loving mother, she spoke to her son Sviatoslav about her newly found faith:

“I have come to know the true God, my son, and I rejoice. You too will know Him, and you will rejoice. The Christian faith is light and joy for the soul. It shows its divine origin by the life it brings to the heart. Accept this faith, and not only will you never regret it — you will find yourself the happiest of men, just as I consider myself the happiest of women!”

But Sviatoslav, who cherished military glory above all, replied:
“How can I alone accept another faith? My warriors would laugh at me.”

Though he would not accept baptism, he did not hinder others. Many were persuaded by Saint Olga’s wise and loving teachings and accepted the Christian faith. Ancient chronicles mention that Saint Olga planted the first seeds of Christianity in her young grandson Vladimir (later Saint Vladimir, Baptizer of Rus’) and in his brothers.

For twelve years Saint Olga tirelessly spread the faith far beyond the borders of Kyiv. She fell asleep in the Lord on July 11, 969.

The chronicler Saint Nestor the Monk wrote about her:

“She was the forerunner of Christianity in our land, like the dawn before the sun, like the morning star before the full daylight, like the moon among those who dwell in darkness. She was the first from Rus’ to ascend into the Kingdom of Heaven. The sons of Rus’ praise her as their leader. She prays to God for Rus’ even after her death, and her incorrupt relics continue to work miracles.”