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'{{short description|Grand Princess of Kyiv}} {{Infobox saint |honorific_prefix = [[Saint]] |name = Olga of Kyiv |image = St Olga by Nesterov in 1892.jpg |caption = <small>''Saint Olga'' by [[Mikhail Nesterov]]</small> |titles = Equal to the Apostles |birth_date = c. 890–925 |birth_place = [[Pskov|Pleskov]], [[Kievan Rus']] |death_date = 11 July 969 |death_place = Kyiv, Kievan Rus' |venerated_in = [[Eastern Orthodoxy]]<br/>[[Roman Catholicism]] |patronage = [[widow|Widows]], [[conversion to Christianity|converts]] |feast_day = 11 July |module = {{Infobox royalty |embed = yes |succession = [[Grand Prince of Kyiv|Grand Princess of Kyiv]] |reign = 945–960 |predecessor = [[Igor of Kyiv]] |successor = [[Sviatoslav I of Kyiv|Sviatoslav the Brave]] |spouse = [[Igor of Kyiv]] |issue = [[Sviatoslav I of Kyiv|Sviatoslav the Brave]] |dynasty = [[Rurik dynasty|Rurik]] |religion = [[Chalcedonian Christianity]]<br> {{small|''prev.'' [[Slavic paganism|Slavic pagan]]}} |module = }} }} '''Olga''' ({{lang-cu|Ольга}};{{efn|{{lang-be|Вольга}} (''Volha''); {{lang-ru|Ольга}} (''Olga''); {{lang-uk|Ольга}} (''Olha'').}} [[Old Norse]]: ''{{lang|non|Helga}}''; Christian name: ''Elena''; c. 890–925 – 969) was a [[regent]] of [[Kievan Rus']] for her son [[Sviatoslav I of Kiev|Sviatoslav]] from 945 until 960. Following her baptism, Olga took the name Elenа.<ref name=":5">''Primary Chronicle'' 82.</ref> She is known for her subjugation of the [[Drevlians]], a tribe that had killed her husband [[Igor of Kiev]]. Even though it would be her grandson [[Vladimir the Great|Vladimir]] that would convert the entire nation to Christianity, because of her efforts to spread [[Christianity]] through Rus', Olga is venerated as a [[saint]] in the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] with the epithet "[[Equal-to-apostles|Equal to the Apostles]]" and her [[Calendar of saints|feast day]] is 11 July.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ruvera.ru/svyataya_knyaginya_olga|title=Святая княгиня Ольга|website=Русская вера|language=ru-RU|access-date=2019-08-08}}</ref> == Life == === Early life === While Olga's birthdate is unknown, it could be as early as 890 AD and as late as 925 AD.<ref>Michael S. Flier, "St Olga," in ''The Oxford Dictionary of the Middle Ages'', ed. Robert E. Bjork (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010).</ref> Olga was probably of [[Varangians|Varangian]] origin, and according to the ''[[Primary Chronicle]]'' was born in [[Pskov|Pleskov]].{{sfn|Vernadsky|1948|p=39}}<ref>{{Cite book|language=ru|author=Karpov, A.Y.|title=Princess Olga |publisher= [[Molodaya Gvardiya (publisher)|Molodaya Gvardiya]] |location= Moscow |date=2009|isbn=978-5-235-03213-2|page= 22}}</ref> Little is known about her life before her marriage to Prince Igor I of Kyiv and the birth of their son, Sviatoslav.<ref name=":1">Addison Nugent, "Meet the Murderous Viking Princess Who Brought the Faith to Eastern Europe," OZY, January 22, 2018, <nowiki>https://www.ozy.com/flashback/meet-the-murderous-viking-princess-who-brought-the-faith-to-eastern-europe/83251</nowiki>.</ref> According to [[Alexey Karpov]], 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]], founder of the [[Rurik dynasty]]. After his father's death, Igor was under the guardianship of [[Oleg of Novgorod|Oleg]], who had consolidated power in the region, conquering neighboring tribes and establishing a capital in Kyiv.<ref name=":2">Thomas J. Craughwell, ''Saints Behaving Badly: The Cutthroats, Crooks, Trollops, Con Men, and Devil-Worshippers Who Became Saints'' (New York: Doubleday, 2006), 83.</ref><ref>Thomas Noonan, "European Russia, C. 500–c. 1050," in ''The New Cambridge Medieval History'', ed. Timothy Reuter (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008), 508.</ref> This loose tribal federation became known as Kievan Rus', a territory covering what are now parts of [[Russia]], [[Ukraine]], and [[Belarus]]. The [[Drevlians]] was 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]] and paid [[tribute]] 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 to the Drevlian capital, [[Korosten|Iskorosten]], to force the tribe to pay tribute to Kievan Rus'.<ref name=":2" /> 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.<ref>Craughwell, ''Saints Behaving Badly: The Cutthroats, Crooks, Trollops, Con Men, and Devil-Worshippers Who Became Saints'', 84.</ref> Upon his arrival in their territory, the Drevlians murdered Igor. According to the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] chronicler [[Leo the Deacon]], 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."<ref name="Leo">{{citation | editor1-first = Alice-Mary | editor1-last = Talbot | editor2-first = Dennis F. | editor2-last = Sullivan |title = The History of Leo the Deacon: Byzantine Military Expansion in the Tenth Century | publisher = Dumbarton Oaks | year= 2005 | isbn= 978-0-88402-324-1 |location=Washington| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=RCDsV41k8A0C | pages = 156, 157 (esp. note 99)}}</ref> D. Sullivan has suggested that Leo may have invented this sensationalist version of Igor's death, taking inspiration from [[Diodorus Siculus]]' account of a similar killing method used by the robber [[Sinis (mythology)|Sinis]], who lived near the [[Isthmus of Corinth]] and was killed by [[Theseus]].<ref name="Leo"/> === Regency === {{Rurik}} [[File:Rurikids Symbols from Rurik to Svyatoslav.png|thumb|200px|right|The [[Symbols of the Rurikids|personal symbols]] of Rurik, Igor, Olga and Svyatoslav.]] [[File:Olga_and_her_dead_husband_Igor.jpg|thumb|200x200px|''Princess Olga meets the body of her husband''. A sketch by [[Vasily Surikov]].]] After Igor's death in 945, Olga ruled [[Kievan Rus]] as regent on behalf of their son [[Sviatoslav I, Prince of Kyiv|Sviatoslav]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Barbara Evans Clements|title=A History of Women in Russia: From Earliest Times to the Present|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xa2yCC2apZAC&pg=PA7|year=2012|publisher=Indiana University Press|page=7|isbn=978-0-253-00104-7}}</ref> She was the first woman to rule Kievan Rus.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hamilton |first1=George Heard |title=The Art and Architecture of Russia |date=1983 |publisher=Yale University Press |location=New Haven, Connecticut |isbn=9780300053272 |page=17 |edition=3rd |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Art_and_Architecture_of_Russia/p6Fwr_e56d4C?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=olga+of+kiev+first+woman+inpublisher:university+inpublisher:press&pg=PA17&printsec=frontcover |access-date=July 18, 2021}}</ref> Little is known about Olga's tenure as ruler of Kyiv, 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 as well as some insight into her role as civil leader of the Kievan people. According to archeologist {{ill|Sergei Beletsky|ru|Белецкий, Сергей Васильевич}}, [[Knyaginya]] Olga, like all the other rulers before [[Vladimir the Great]], was also using the [[bident]] as her [[Symbols of the Rurikids|personal symbol]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Repin |first1=Taras |title=Что на самом деле означали знаки Рюриковичей |trans-title= What did the Rurikids' symbols really mean?|url=https://cyrillitsa.ru/history/124285-chto-na-samom-dele-oznachali-znaki-ryurik.html |website=cyrillitsa.ru |access-date=24 May 2020 |language=ru |quote=Князья до Владимира (Игорь, Святослав, Ярополк), как утверждает археолог Сергей Белецкий, пользовались двузубцами}}</ref> ==== Drevlian Uprising ==== [[File:St._Olga,_1895_(priv._coll).jpg|right|thumb|200x200px|[[Romanov]] Imperial icon created in 1895 of Saint Olga. Silver, gold, color enamel, tempera. Collection V.Logvinenko]] 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, [[Mal (prince)|Prince Mal]]. Twenty Drevlian negotiators boated to Kyiv 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 Kyiv: "to report that they had slain her husband...and that Olga should come and marry their Prince Mal."<ref name=":3">Cross, Samuel Hazzard, Olgerd P. Sherbowitz-Wetzor, and Nestor. ''The Russian Primary Chronicle: Laurentian Text.'' Mediaeval Academy of America No. 60. Cambridge, Mass.: Mediaeval Academy of America, 1953''.'' 79-80 (line 6453).</ref> Olga responded:<blockquote>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.<ref name=":3" /></blockquote>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 Kyiv 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 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."<ref name=":3" /> Olga then sent a message to the Drevlians that they should send "their distinguished men to her in Kyiv, so that she might go to their Prince with due honor."<ref name=":3" /> 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."<ref name=":3" /> 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.<ref name=":3" /> 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."<ref name=":3" /> 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."<ref name=":3" /> According to the ''Primary Chronicle'', five thousand Drevlians were killed on this night, but Olga returned to Kyiv to prepare an army to finish off the survivors. 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]]), 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 tide of hunger, without submitting to tribute."<ref name=":4">''Primary Chronicle'' 80-1 (line 6454).</ref> 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 Kyiv, 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."<ref name=":4" /> 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."<ref name=":4" /> 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 [[regent]] 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. She continued to evade proposals of marriage, defended the city during the [[Siege of Kyiv (968)|Siege of Kyiv]] 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 there still."<ref name=":4" /> 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 [[Pogost|''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 Kyiv, residing in the castle of [[Vyshhorod|Vyshgorod]] with her grandsons. === Christianity === The ''Primary Chronicle'' does not go into additional detail about Olga's time as regent, but does tell the story of her conversion to Christianity and subsequent effect on the acceptance of Christianity in Eastern Europe. [[File:Lemko_Church_of_Saints_Vladimir_and_Olga.jpg|right|thumb|267x267px|The [[Lemko]] church of Saints Vladimir and Olga, now located at the [[Museum of National Folk Architecture and Rural Life]] in [[Lviv]]]] ==== Conversion ==== In the 950s, Olga traveled to [[Constantinople]], the capital of the Byzantine Empire, to visit Emperor [[Constantine VII]].<ref>Thomas J. Craughwell, ''Saints Behaving Badly: The Cutthroats, Crooks, Trollops, Con Men, and Devil-Worshippers Who Became Saints'', 86.</ref> Once in Constantinople, Olga converted to Christianity with the assistance of the Emperor and the [[Patriarch]]. 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:<blockquote>The reigning Emperor was named Constantine, son of Leo. Olga came before him, and when he saw that she was very fair of countenance and wise as well, the Emperor wondered at her intellect. He conversed with her and remarked that she was worthy to reign with him in his city. When Olga heard his words, she replied that she was still a pagan, and that if he desired to baptize her, he should perform this function himself; otherwise, she was unwilling to accept baptism. The Emperor, with the assistance of the Patriarch, accordingly baptized her. When Olga was enlightened, she rejoiced in soul and body. The Patriarch, who instructed her in the faith, said to her, "Blessed art thou among the women of Rus', for thou hast loved the light, and quit the darkness. The sons of Rus' shall bless thee to the last generation of thy descendants." He taught her the doctrine of the church, and instructed her in prayer and fasting, in almsgiving, and in the maintenance of chastity. She bowed her head, and like a sponge absorbing water, she eagerly drank in his teachings. The Princess bowed before the Patriarch, saying, "Through thy prayers, Holy Father, may I be preserved from the crafts and assaults of the devil!" At her baptism she was christened Helena, after the ancient Empress, mother of Constantine the Great. The Patriarch then blessed her and dismissed her.<ref name=":5">''Primary Chronicle'' 82.</ref></blockquote>While the ''Primary Chronicle'' notes that Olga was christened with the name "Helena" after the ancient [[Helena (empress)|Saint Helena]] (the mother of [[Constantine the Great]]), Jonathan Shepard argues that Olga's baptismal name comes from the contemporary emperor's wife, Helena.<ref>Jonathan Shepard, "The Origins of Rus' (c.900–1015)," ed. Maureen Perrie (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006), 58.</ref> 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'. 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.<ref>Francis Butler, "Ol'Ga's Conversion and the Construction of Chronicle Narrative," ''The Russian Review'' 67, no. 2 (April 2008): 240.</ref> 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:<blockquote>After her baptism, the Emperor summoned Olga and made known to her that he wished her to become his wife. But she replied, "How can you marry me, after yourself baptizing me and calling me your daughter? For among Christians that is unlawful, as you yourself must know." Then the Emperor said, "Olga, you have outwitted me." He gave her many gifts of gold, silver, silks, and various vases, and dismissed her, still calling her his daughter.<ref name=":5" /></blockquote>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.<ref>Francis Butler, "Ol'Ga's Conversion and the Construction of Chronicle Narrative," 234.</ref> In fact, at the time of her baptism, Constantine already had an empress. In addition to uncertainty over the truth of the ''Chronicle''{{'s}} telling of events in Constantinople, there is controversy over the details of her conversion to Christianity.<ref>Omeljan Pritsak, "When and Where Was Ol'ga Baptized?" ''Harvard Ukrainian Studies'' 9, no. 1/2 (June 1985): 5-24.</ref> According to Russian 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 Kyiv around 955 and, following a second christening in Constantinople, took the Christian name Helen. Olga was not the first person from Kievan Rus to convert from her pagan ways-- there were Christians in Igor's court who had taken oaths at the St. Elias Church in Kyiv for the [[Rus'–Byzantine Treaty (945)|Rus'–Byzantine Treaty]] in 945--but she was the most powerful Rus' individual to undergo baptism during her life.<ref>"Olga (c. 890–969)," Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia, 2002, <nowiki>https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/olga-c-890-969</nowiki>.</ref> ==== 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:<blockquote>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."<ref name=":5" /></blockquote>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.<ref name=":5" /> 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.<ref name=":7">Addison Nugent, "Meet the Murderous Viking Princess Who Brought the Faith to Eastern Europe."</ref> Despite the resistance of her people to Christianity, Olga built churches in Kyiv, Pskov, and elsewhere.<ref>Craughwell, ''Saints Behaving Badly: The Cutthroats, Crooks, Trollops, Con Men, and Devil-Worshippers Who Became Saints,'' 88.</ref> ==== Relations with the Holy Roman Emperor ==== Seven Latin sources document Olga's embassy to Holy Roman Emperor [[Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor|Otto I]] in 959. The continuation of [[Regino of Prüm]] 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]] says that the first [[archbishop of Magdeburg]], [[Adalbert (Archbishop of Magdeburg)|Adalbert of Magdeburg]], 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, Prince of Kyiv |Sviatoslav I]]. The same data is repeated in the annals of [[Quedlinburg]] and [[Hildesheim]]. In 2018, Russian historian and writer [[Boris Akunin]] 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 Kyiv 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."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Akunin |first1=Boris |author-link=Boris Akunin|title=История Российского государства. Книга 1. От истоков до монгольского нашествия. Часть Европы|trans-title=History of the Russian state. Book 1. From the origins to the Mongol invasion. Part of Europe|date=2018 |isbn=9785457497665 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hN0YAgAAQBAJ |publisher=[[AST (publisher)|AST]]|access-date=8 June 2020 |language=ru |quote={{lang-ru|Неудача византийской поездки Ольги должна была нанести сильный удар по её партии...|Neudacha vizantiyskoy poyezdki Ol'gi dolzhna byla nanesti sil'nyy udar po yeyo partii}}}}</ref> According to Russian historian [[Vladimir Petrukhin]], Olga invited the Roman rite bishops because she wanted to motivate Byzantine priests to [[Catechesis|catechize]] the Rus' people more enthusiastically, by introducing competition.<ref>{{cite web |title=Испытание верой: мифы о крещении Руси |trans-title=Test by faith: myths about the baptism of Rus|url=https://tass.ru/opinions/4443603 |publisher=[[TASS]] |access-date=8 June 2020|date=26 July 2019|language=ru}}</ref> == Death == According to the ''Primary Chronicle'', Olga died from illness in 969, soon after the [[Pechenegs|Pechenegs']] siege of the city.<ref>Ciaran Conliffe, "Saint Olga, Queen of Kyiv," HeadStuff, May 10, 2016, , <nowiki>https://www.headstuff.org/culture/history/saint-olga-queen-of-kiev/</nowiki>.</ref> 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 passed away and her family and all of Kievan Rus’ wept:<blockquote>Sviatoslav announced to his mother and his boyars, "I do not care to remain in Kyiv, but should prefer to live in [[Pereyaslavets|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.<ref name=":8">''Primary Chronicle'' 86.</ref></blockquote>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.<ref name=":6">"Olga (c. 890–969)," Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia, 2002, <nowiki>https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/olga-c-890-969</nowiki>.</ref> Her tomb remained in Kiev for over two centuries, but was destroyed by the Mongolian-Tatar armies of [[Batu Khan]] in 1240.<ref name=":6" /> == Legacy == === Sainthood === 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, [[Vladimir the Great|Vladimir]], who officially adopted [[Christianity]] in 988.<ref name=":6" /> 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:<blockquote>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.<ref name=":8" /></blockquote>In 1547, nearly 600 years after her 969 death, the [[Russian Orthodox Church]] named Olga a saint.<ref name=":7" /> Because of her proselytizing influence, the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], the [[Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church]], and the [[Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church]] call Olga by the honorific Isapóstolos, "Equal to the Apostles". She is also a saint in the [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic Church]]. Olga's feast day is July 11, the date of her death.<ref>Michael S. Flier, "St Olga," in ''The Oxford Dictionary of the Middle Ages'', ed. Robert E. Bjork (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010).</ref> In keeping with her own biography, she is the patron of widows and converts.<ref name=":0">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, "St. Olga," Encyclopædia Britannica, January 01, 2019, <nowiki>https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Olga</nowiki>.</ref> Olga is venerated as saint in East Slavic-speaking countries where churches uses the Byzantine Rite: [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] (especially in [[Russian Orthodox Church]]), [[Greek Catholic Church]] (especially in the [[Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church]]), in churches with [[Byzantine Rite Lutheranism]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.resurrectionpeople.org/saints.html |title=Notable Lutheran Saints |website=Resurrectionpeople.org}}</ref> and in the [[Catholic Church in Russia|Roman Catholic Church in Russia]] (Latin rite).<ref name="Roman">{{cite web|url=http://svyat-olga-lyublino.ru/ourchurch|title=Римско-католический приход святой Ольги|trans-title=St. Olga Roman Catholic Parish|access-date=September 15, 2019|quote=founded in 1991}}</ref> === Churches and monuments === [[File:Vladimir and Olga (Annunciation Cathedral).jpg|thumb|right|250px|Fresco of Saints Vladimir and Olga, in the [[Cathedral of the Annunciation, Moscow]]]] ;Ukraine * Cathedral of St. Olga, Kyiv (inaugurated 2010) * [[Church of Sts. Olha and Elizabeth, Lviv]] * Church of Volodymyr and Olha, [[Khodoriv]] * Church of Sts. Volodymyr and Olha, [[Podusiv]], [[Peremyshliany Raion]] * Saint Vladimir and Olha church, [[Dobrotvir|Staryi Dobrotvir]], [[Kamenka-Buzky Raion]] * Church of Saints Volodymyr and Olha, [[Birky, Yavoriv Raion]] * Church of Saints Volodymyr and Olha, [[Horodok, Lviv Oblast]] * Saint Olga Orthodox church in [[Korosten]], [[Zhytomyr Oblast]] ; Ukraine * {{ill|Monument of St. Olga|ru|Памятник княгине Ольге (Псков)}} by [[Vyacheslav Klykov]], [[Pskov]] (2003).<ref>{{cite web |title=От Ольги до Ольги |trans-title=From Olga to Olga |url=https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/398756 |publisher=[[Kommersant]] |access-date=8 June 2020 |language=ru|date=24 July 2003}}</ref> * Monument of St. Olga by [[Zurab Tsereteli]], Pskov (2003).<ref>{{cite web |title=The monument to Saint Olga Equal-to-apostles |url=http://www.pskovgorod.ru/cats.html?id=3416&do=print |website=pskovgorod.ru |publisher=Gorod Pskov |access-date=2 August 2020}}</ref> * {{ill|Olga bridge|ru|Ольгинский мост}} in Pskov. * {{ill|St. Olga's chapel|ru|Ольгинская часовня}} in Pskov. * [[Pskov Airport|Princess Olga Airport]] in Pskov (since 2019, through a win in a poll against [[Aleksandr Nevsky]]).<ref>{{cite web |title=Псковский аэропорт назовут в честь княгини Ольги |url=https://www.mk-pskov.ru/politics/2018/12/04/pskovskiy-aeroport-nazovut-v-chest-knyagini-olgi.html |publisher=[[Moskovsky Komsomolets]] |access-date=8 June 2020|date=4 December 2018|language=ru|trans-title=Pskov airport to be renamed after Princess Olga}}</ref> * Monument of St. Olga in [[Vladimir, Russia|Vladimir]]. * Monument of St. Olga in [[Moscow]]. * St. Olga is present on the ''[[Millennium of Russia]]'' monument in [[Veliky Novgorod]]. * St. Olga Roman Catholic Cathedral in [[Lyublino District|Lyublino]], Moscow (inaugurated 2003).<ref name="Roman"/> * St. Olga [[Equal-to-apostles]] Russian Orthodox Cathedral in [[Ostankinsky District|Ostankino]], Moscow (inaugurated 2014).<ref>{{cite web |title=История храма |trans-title=Cathedral History|url=http://hram-olgi.ru/about/history/ |website=hram-olgi.ru |access-date=8 June 2020 |language=ru |quote=20 September 2014}}</ref> * St. Olga Equal-to-apostles Russian Orthodox Cathedral in [[Solntsevo District|Solntsevo]], Moscow (inaugurated 2015).<ref>{{cite web |title=История |trans-title=History |url=http://hram-olgi.moseparh.ru/1569-2/ |website=hram-olgi.moseparh.ru |access-date=8 June 2020 |language=ru}}</ref> * St. Olga Equal-to-apostles Russian Orthodox Cathedral in [[Olga, Russia|Olga, Primorje]]. ;United States * [[Sts. Volodymyr and Olha Ukrainian Catholic Church]], [[Chicago]] ;Canada * Saints Vladimir and Olga Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral and Parish Hall, [[Winnipeg, Manitoba]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/sites/stsvladimirolgacathedral.shtml|title=Historic Sites of Manitoba: Sts. Vladimir and Olga Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral and Parish Hall (115 McGregor Street, Winnipeg)|website=www.mhs.mb.ca|access-date=2019-05-01}}</ref> * Saints Vladimir and Olga Ukrainian Catholic Church, [[Dauphin, Manitoba]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/sites/valleyriverukrainiancatholic.shtml|title=Historic Sites of Manitoba: Sts. Vladimir and Olga Ukrainian Catholic Church (Valley River, RM of Dauphin)|website=www.mhs.mb.ca|access-date=2019-05-01}}</ref> * Saints Vladimir and Olga Ukrainian Catholic Church, [[Windsor, Ontario]] ;Australia * Saints Volodymyr and Olha Church, [[Woodville, South Australia]] === Modern reception === [[File:Coat of Arms of Lachčycy, Belarus.png|thumb|150px|right|Image of Saint Olga on a seal of [[Lyachchyzy]] village in [[Belarus]]. A sword is pretty common in her modern iconography linking Olga to the [[Bogatyr#Female_bogatyr|female bogatyr]] image.<ref>{{cite web |title=Princess Olga. Spiritual Mother of All Rus' |url=http://rossiyanavsegda.ru/read/1164/ |publisher=Russia Forever |access-date=23 October 2020 |date=August 1, 2013}}</ref>]] [[File:1000 Olga.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Olga on the ''[[Millennium of Russia]]'' monument (1862) by M. Mikeshin]]{{More citations needed section|date=September 2021}} As an important figure in the history of Christianity, Olga's image as a saint lives on. But the question of Olga as a historical figure and character in the ''Primary Chronicle'' has been taken up in recent years. Olga's historical characterization as a vengeful princess, juxtaposed with her estimation within the Orthodox tradition as a saint, has produced a variety of modern interpretations of her story. Scholars tend to be more conservative with their interpretations, focusing on what the ''Primary Chronicle'' makes explicit: Olga's role in the spread of Christianity to Eastern Europe and Russia. These texts, generally speaking, focus on Olga's role as advisor to her son, whose decision not to persecute Christians in the Kievan Rus' was a pivotal moment in the religious history of Russia and its neighboring lands. Academic work on Olga tends not to dwell on the narrative twists and turns of her story, instead of focusing on extracting historical facts from the story. Modern publications, however, have focused on her as a historical character. Journalists have penned articles with titles ranging from "Saint Olga of Kyiv is the Best Warrior Princess You Never Knew"<ref>Natasha Sheldon, "Saint Olga of Kyiv Is the Best Warrior Princess You Never Knew," HistoryCollection.co, February 12, 2018, <nowiki>https://historycollection.co/saint-olga-kiev-best-warrior-princess-never-knew/</nowiki>.</ref> to "Meet the Murderous Viking Princess Who Brought the Faith to Eastern Europe."<ref name=":1" /> These texts, written for a broader audience, tend to focus on Olga's exploits as a sort of historical drama. Her Viking heritage is always brought up and often used as an explanation for her fiery spirit and military accomplishments. Authors focus on the most dramatic details of her story: her murder of two Drevlian negotiating groups, her wily deception of the Drevlian ruler, and her ultimate conquest of his people. A number of sources make her out to be a proto-feminist figure, a woman who did not allow contemporaneous expectations of gender roles to lock her out of the leadership role. Because there is little evidence to support the idea that Olga's rule was ever questioned by her people, this characterization of her rule is a [[medievalism]] — that is, an assumption made about history based not on facts but on preconceptions about the past, in this case, the rigid relationship between gender and medieval rulership. Though a number of these contemporary sources refer to Olga as a "warrior princess", there is little evidence to suggest she actually participated in the fighting and killing of her enemies. Based on historical precedent, it is more likely that she was a commander of troops, a sort of general or commander-in-chief, than a warrior of a particular skill. These assertions have still made their way into the public imagination, however, as evidenced by the appropriation of her image in the Eastern European heavy metal scene. This duality of Olga's character — on the one hand, a venerated saint, on the other a bloodthirsty commander of troops — has made her an attractive figure for subversive artists. Her image has been taken up in the heavy metal scene in some cases, most notably as the muse and cover figure for [[A Perfect Absolution]], a concept album by French band [[Gorod (band)|Gorod]] about Olga of Kyiv. According to Russian historian [[Boris Akunin]], the facts about Olga can be relatively clearly separated from the legends. For him, it's only plausible she murdered the envoys who wanted to replace her husband Igor with their Prince Mal, as Iskorosten was just two days' ride from Kyiv, so it was impossible to conceal the first public murder. He also considers it obvious that she reconquered the Drevlians. Still, her large-scale administrative-economic reforms have some controversial implications: "Olga has secured for herself "traps" ({{lang-ru|ловища|lovishcha}}) (hunting lands) and "camps" ({{lang-ru|становища|stanovishcha}}) (guesting places). She was generally very concerned about the separation of her personal property from the state. It gave the Grand Knyazes the opportunity to dispose of the funds more voluntary, but at the same time it has inserted a time bomb into the centralized state: after a period of time, the division of the country into "Grand Kniaz's" and "non-Grand-Kniaz's" parts will become one of the reasons for Kievan Rus' collapse. However, Olga had secured her family's power and wealth for the upcoming 100 years."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Akunin |first1=Boris |author-link=Boris Akunin|title=История Российского государства. Книга 1. От истоков до монгольского нашествия. Часть Европы|trans-title=History of the Russian state. Book 1. From the origins to the Mongol invasion. Part of Europe|date=2018 |isbn=9785457497665 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hN0YAgAAQBAJ |publisher=[[AST (publisher)|AST]]|access-date=8 June 2020 |language=ru |quote={{lang-ru|Ольга закрепила за собой ловища (охотничьи угодья) и становища (места стоянок)...|Ol'ga zakrepila za soboy lovishcha (okhotnich'i ugod'ya) i stanovishcha (mesta stoyanok)}}}}</ref> === Arts and literature === In 1981 a new [[Olga (ballet)|ballet based on Olga's life]] was composed to commemorate the 1500th anniversary of the city of [[Kyiv]].<ref>Черкашина-Губаренко М. Р. ''Театральні університети Володимира Рожка''. Часопис Національної музичної академії України імені П. І. Чайковського. 2016. № 3 (32). с. 52.</ref> == Gallery == <gallery class="center" caption="Illuminations from the [[Radziwiłł Chronicle]]" 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 [[Korosten|Iskorosten]] File:Приём Ольги Константином Багрянородным (2).jpg|''Reception of Olga by Constantine VII'' </gallery> <gallery class="center" caption="Portraits" widths="200" heights="150"> File:Святая великая княгиня Ольга.jpg|Nikolai Bruni's ''{{ill|Saint Grand Duchess Olga|ru|Святая великая княгиня Ольга}}'' (1901) File:Saint Olga by Nicholas Roerich - 1915.jpg|[[Nicholas Roerich]]'s ''Saint Olga'' (1915) </gallery> == See also == * [[Pskov Airport|Princess Olga Pskov Airport]] * [[Order of Princess Olga]] (established in [[Ukraine]] in 1997) * [[Olga Bay]] and [[Olga, Russia]] * [[Christianization of Kievan Rus']] *[[A Perfect Absolution]] - concept album by French band [[Gorod (band)|Gorod]] about Olga of Kiev ==Notes== {{notelist}} ==References== {{reflist}} ==Sources== *{{cite book |title=Kievan Russia |first=George |last=Vernadsky |publisher=Yale University Press |year=1948 }} == External links == {{Commons category|Olga of Kiev}} * [http://orthodoxwiki.org/Olga_of_Kiev Olga of Kiev - OrthodoxWiki] {{s-start}} {{s-bef | before = [[Igor of Kiev]] }} {{s-ttl | title = [[Rulers of Kievan Rus|Princess of Kiev]]<br> <small>as Regent</small> | years = 945–960s }} {{s-aft | after = [[Sviatoslav I of Kiev|Sviatoslav the Brave]] }} {{s-end}} {{Catholic saints}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Olga of Kiev}} [[Category:Kievan Rus' princesses]] [[Category:Rulers of Kievan Rus']] [[Category:Varangians]] [[Category:Russian saints]] [[Category:Year of birth uncertain]] [[Category:969 deaths]] [[Category:Rurik dynasty]] [[Category:10th-century rulers in Europe]] [[Category:10th-century women rulers]] [[Category:10th-century princes in Kievan Rus']] [[Category:10th-century Christian saints]] [[Category:Christian female saints of the Middle Ages]] [[Category:Christian royal saints]] [[Category:Roman Catholic royal saints]] [[Category:Converts to Christianity from pagan religions]] [[Category:Eastern Orthodox monarchs]] [[Category:Burials at the Church of the Tithes]] [[Category:Female regents]]'