After the murder of Prince Igor, the Drevlyans decided that from now on their tribe was free and they did not have to pay tribute to Kievan Rus. Moreover, their prince Mal made an attempt to marry Olga. Thus, he wanted to seize the Kiev throne and single-handedly rule Russia. For this purpose, an embassy was assembled and sent to the princess. The ambassadors brought rich gifts with them. Mal hoped for the cowardice of the “bride” and that she, having accepted expensive gifts, would agree to share the Kiev throne with him.
At this time, Grand Duchess Olga was raising her son Svyatoslav, who, after Igor’s death, could lay claim to the throne, but was still too young. Voivode Asmud took charge of young Svyatoslav. The princess herself took up state affairs. In the fight against the Drevlyans and other external enemies, she had to rely on her own cunning and prove to everyone that the country, which had previously been ruled only by the sword, could be ruled by a woman’s hand.
War of Princess Olga with the Drevlyans
When receiving the ambassadors, Grand Duchess Olga showed cunning. By her order, the boat on which the ambassadors sailed , They picked him up and carried him into the city along the abyss. At one point the boat was thrown into the abyss. The ambassadors were buried alive. Then the princess sent a message agreeing to the marriage. Prince Mal believed in the sincerity of the message, deciding that his ambassadors had achieved their goal. He gathered noble merchants and new ambassadors to Kyiv. According to ancient Russian custom, a bathhouse was prepared for the guests. When all the ambassadors were inside the bathhouse, all exits from it were closed, and the building itself was burned. After this, a new message was sent to Mal that the “bride” was going to him. The Drevlyans prepared a luxurious feast for the princess, which, at her request, took place not far from the grave of her husband, Igor. The princess demanded that as many Drevlyans as possible be present at the feast. The prince of the Drevlyans did not object, believing that this only increased the prestige of his fellow tribesmen. All guests were given plenty to drink. After this, Olga gave a signal to her wars and they killed everyone who was there. In total, about 5,000 Drevlyans were killed that day.
In 946 Grand Duchess Olga organizes a military campaign against the Drevlyans. The essence of this campaign was a demonstration of strength. If earlier they were punished by cunning, now the enemy had to feel the military power of Rus'. The young prince Svyatoslav was also taken on this campaign. After the first battles, the Drevlyans retreated to the cities, the siege of which lasted almost the entire summer. By the end of the summer, the defenders received a message from Olga that she had had enough of revenge and did not want it anymore. She asked only for three sparrows, as well as one dove for each resident of the city. The Drevlyans agreed. Having accepted the gift, the princess’s squad tied the already lit sulfur tinder to the birds’ paws. After this, all the birds were released. They returned to the city, and the city of Iskorosten was plunged into a huge fire. The townspeople were forced to flee the city and fell into the hands of the Russian warriors. Grand Duchess Olga condemned the elders to death, some to slavery. In general, Igor’s murderers were subject to an even heavier tribute.
Olga's adoption of Orthodoxy
Olga was a pagan, but often visited Christian cathedrals, noticing the solemnity of their rituals. This, as well as Olga’s extraordinary mind, which allowed her to believe in God Almighty, was the reason for baptism. In 955, Grand Duchess Olga went to the Byzantine Empire, in particular to the city of Constantinople, where the adoption of a new religion took place. The patriarch himself was her baptizer. But this did not serve as a reason for changing the faith in Kievan Rus. This event did not in any way alienate the Russians from paganism. Having accepted the Christian faith, the princess left government, devoting herself to serving God. She also began helping to build Christian churches. The baptism of the ruler did not yet mean the baptism of Rus', but it was the first step towards the adoption of a new faith.
The Grand Duchess died in 969 in Kyiv.
Grand Duchess Olga became the first ruler of Kievan Rus to accept the Christian faith. However, after her baptism, the princely squad and all the people remained pagans. Even the son of the future saint, the Grand Duke of Kiev Svyatoslav Igorevich, was not a Christian.
According to the Tale of Bygone Years, Olga was baptized in 957 in the capital of Byzantium - Constantinople. She went there, entrusting Kyiv to her son Svyatoslav, who by that time had grown up and could rule the state. In Constantinople, Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus and Patriarch Theophylact of Constantinople baptized the Russian princess personally: “And she was given the name Elena in baptism, just like the ancient queen-mother of Emperor Constantine I.”
In the Christian East, it was customary to baptize in honor of some saint, and the name Olga was still pagan at that time, so she was baptized in honor of the mother of Emperor Constantine the Great, Helen. True, now, having a saint named Olga, Christians can name their children after her.
The Patriarch admonished Olga with the words: “Blessed are you among the Russian women, for you left darkness and loved the Light. The Russian people will bless you in all future generations, from your grandchildren and great-grandchildren to your most distant descendants.”
As you know, Princess Olga was famous for her intelligence and beauty. At the time of her baptism she was a widow. According to the chronicle legend, the Byzantine Emperor Constantine liked the Russian princess so much that he wanted to take her as his wife. But Olga did not like this; she rejected the emperor’s claims, citing the fact that she was a pagan, and he was a Christian, and such a marriage was not appropriate. When Olga was baptized (Emperor Constantine became her godfather), he asked her: “Well, now you are a Christian, now will you marry me?” To which she replied: “No, now I am your goddaughter, and you and I cannot get married.” Konstantin praised her for her intelligence, gave her rich gifts and sent her home.
Life of a princess
The future saint and grand duchess was born around 890. Her name - Olga - was the Russian version of the Scandinavian name Helga, which translates as “bright”, “sacred”. She was a simple, unfamous girl, although she came from a forgotten family of Izborsk princes.
Princess Olga's husband was Prince Igor of Kiev, whom she accidentally met on the banks of a river in the Pskov land. Princess Olga ascended the Kiev throne after Prince Igor was killed by the Drevlyans. She ruled for seventeen years - from 945 to 962. Olga had a son - Grand Duke Svyatoslav Igorevich.
Material on the topic
Did Olga seek baptism in Constantinople? Hardly. In any case, this could not be the main reason for her visit. She could have become Christian without leaving the “capital city” - a priest would have been found.
At the beginning of her reign, Olga became famous as a tough, even cruel ruler. Her first act was revenge on the Drevlyans who killed her husband. Olga's troops mercilessly burned, chopped down the Drevlyans, and even buried them alive.
After this, no one dared to raise a hand against Olga, and due to the early age of her son Svyatoslav, she became the sole ruler of the Novgorod, Pskov and Kyiv lands. However, even when Svyatoslav grew up, power practically remained in her hands, since her son’s passion was war, and his mother ruled the state.
Olga carried out a powerful administrative reform, developed a taxation scheme, and began active stone construction, which was previously unheard of in Rus'. And yet, in people's memory, the princess remained not a tough ruler, but a Christian - the first among the Rurikovichs.
After baptism, Olga lived a little over ten years. She died in 969 and was buried according to Christian rites. The grandson of the Grand Duchess, Saint Vladimir, Equal-to-the-Apostles, Baptist of Rus', transferred her relics to the famous Tithe Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the first stone church of the Old Russian state.
Then, during the reign of the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, Olga began to be revered as a saint. The day of remembrance of Saint Olga (in the baptism of Helen) was celebrated on July 11 (July 24, new style). In 1547, the Grand Duchess was canonized as an Equal-to-the-Apostles saint.
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According to the Tale of Bygone Years, the wedding of Prince Igor and Olga took place in 903, when Olga was already 12 years old. However, this date has been repeatedly disputed by historians due to the fact that she gave birth to her son Svyatoslav only in 942, that is, at 51 years old, which obviously looks extremely strange. According to researchers, it is most likely that the date - 903 - arose later, when they tried to bring the original ancient Russian chronicles into a relatively coherent chronological order.
The first time when the Drevlyan ambassadors arrived to Olga to ask for mercy for the murder of her husband, she ordered to dig a deep hole and bury them there alive, along with the ship. When other Drevlyan ambassadors arrived, she ordered the bathhouse to be flooded for them, where they were burned alive.
Then the princess came to the lands of the Drevlyans to celebrate a funeral feast at her husband’s grave, during which the Drevlyans were given drink and, according to some chronicle information, five thousand people were killed. After this, the Drevlyans sent Olga birds as tribute, and she ordered burning rags to be tied to their paws and sent home. The birds returned to their homes and thereby burned the city of the Drevlyans.
There are two things to understand about this story. Firstly, when performing these actions, Olga was still a pagan, and not a Christian. That is, she has not yet changed internally. Secondly, the princess’s behavior, by pagan standards, was quite natural.
In 1007, after the construction of the Tithe Church in Kyiv, the body of Princess Olga was transferred to this temple. According to legend, a window was made in the stone crypt, and it was clear that the remains of this great woman were incorrupt.
Significance in Russian history
Grand Duchess Olga went down in history as one of the creators of Russian statehood. She traveled around the Russian lands, suppressed the revolts of small local princes, and centralized government administration using the system of “cemeteries.”
Pogosts - financial, administrative and judicial centers - became a strong support of princely power in lands remote from Kyiv.
Thanks to the Grand Duchess, the defensive power of Rus' increased significantly. Under her rule, strong walls grew around cities. Historians attribute the establishment of the first state borders of Russia to the time of her reign - in the west, with Poland.
Kyiv during the time of the Grand Duchess was a center of attraction for foreign merchants; grew due to stone buildings, sometimes very skillful, such as Olga’s city palace. Archaeologists found its foundation and remains of the walls in the 70s of the 20th century.
Having converted to Christianity, Olga supported the few Christians in Kyiv by all means: she destroyed pagan idols, built temples, and encouraged the preaching of the Gospel.
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The iconography of Saint Princess Olga is traditional for all saints equal to the apostles. Equal to the Apostles are those saints who served the Lord, enlightening people with the light of Christ. Saint Olga is traditionally depicted standing on icons. In her right hand is a cross, a symbol of the preaching of Christ, which was preached by all the saints equal to the apostles. In the left hand is a symbolic image of the temple. Another traditional image of the princess is together with Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir.
There are several monuments to Saint Princess Olga. One of the most famous is in Kyiv, on the ancient Mikhailovskaya Square. This is a whole sculptural composition. In the center is Princess Olga, to her right is Apostle Andrew the First-Called, to her left are Saints Cyril and Methodius. The monument was opened more than a hundred years ago - in 1911. The sculptural composition was an element of the large project “Historical Path” - monuments were erected throughout Ukraine in honor of the first Russian princes. According to the authors' idea, the monuments were supposed to form a kind of alley from Sofiyskaya to Mikhailovskaya Square. Nicholas II gave the green light to the creation of this alley and allocated 10,000 rubles for construction.
During the Soviet years, the monument to Saint Olga suffered a sad fate. In 1919, the statue was thrown off its pedestal and broken into two parts. The side sculptures were boarded up. Instead of Princess Olga, a bust of the writer Taras Shevchenko was installed. In the 1920s, the sculptural composition was completely dismantled, and a park was laid out in its place.
In 1996, excavations were carried out in the park - archaeologists found some parts of the broken figure of Grand Duchess Olga. Pieces of the old monument were fastened together and placed in the Ivan Kavaleridze sculpture park on Andreevsky Spusk. And the composition on Mikhailovskaya Square was carefully recreated. Students of the first author of the monument, Ivan Kavaleridze, worked on the reconstruction.
In the Russian Church there is a women's order of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga. In 1988, it was established by Patriarch Pimen and the Holy Synod - in honor of the 1000th anniversary of the baptism of Rus'. According to the time of its establishment, this order is the third in the Russian Church. The Order of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga is awarded to abbesses of monasteries and secular women who, in one way or another, serve the Church and the cause of Christian enlightenment.
On the headband: N. A. Bruni. Holy Grand Duchess Olga. 1901. Fragment of the painting. State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg
They were also just waiting for an opportunity to plunder the Russian land. But Princess Olga, Svyatoslav’s mother, turned out to be a very smart woman, moreover, of a firm and decisive disposition; fortunately, among the boyars there were experienced military leaders devoted to her.
First of all, Princess Olga cruelly took revenge on the rebels for the death of her husband. This is what the legends say about this revenge. The Drevlyans, having killed Igor, decided to settle the matter with Olga: they chose twenty of their best husbands from among them and sent to her with an offer to marry their prince Mal. When they arrived in Kyiv and Princess Olga found out what was the matter, she told them:
“I love your speech, I can’t resurrect my husband.” I want to honor you tomorrow in front of my people. Go now to your boats; tomorrow I will send people for you, and you tell them: we don’t want to ride or walk, carry us in boats, and they will carry you.
When the next morning people came to the Drevlyans from Olga to call them, they answered as she had taught.
“We are in bondage, our prince was killed, and our princess wants to marry your prince!” - said the people of Kiev and carried the Drevlyans in a boat.
The ambassadors sat arrogantly, proud of their high honor. They brought them to the yard and threw them with the boat into a hole that had previously been dug on Olga’s orders. The princess leaned towards the pit and asked:
- Is honor good for you?
“This honor is worse for us than Igor’s death!” - answered the unfortunate ones.
Princess Olga's revenge on the Drevlyans. Engraving by F. Bruni
Princess Olga ordered to cover them alive with earth. Then she sent ambassadors to the Drevlyans to say: “If you really ask me, then send your best men for me, so that I come to you with great honor, otherwise the people of Kiev will not let me in.”
New ambassadors from the Drevlyans arrived. Olga, according to the custom of that time, ordered a bathhouse to be prepared for them. When they entered there, they were locked up by order of the princess and burned along with the bathhouse. Then she sent again to tell the Drevlyans: “I’m already on my way to you, prepare more honey - I want to create it on the grave of my husband.” funeral feast(wake)".
The Drevlyans fulfilled her demand. Princess Olga with a small retinue came to Igor’s grave, cried for her husband and ordered her people to build a high burial mound. Then they began to hold a funeral feast. The Drevlyans sat down to drink, the youths (younger warriors) Olgins served them.
-Where are our ambassadors? - the Drevlyans asked the princess.
“They are coming with my husband’s retinue,” Olga answered.
When the Drevlyans became drunk, the princess ordered her squad to cut them down with swords. Many of them were cut down. Olga hurried to Kyiv, began to gather a squad and the next year went to the Drevlyansky land; She also had her son with her. The Drevlyans thought about fighting in the field. When both armies came together, little Svyatoslav was the first to throw a spear, but his childish hand was still weak: the spear barely flew between the horse’s ears and fell at his feet.
- The prince has already begun! - the commanders shouted. - Squad, forward, follow the prince!
The Drevlyans were defeated, fled and took refuge in cities. Princess Olga wanted to take the main one, Korosten, by storm, but all efforts were in vain. The residents defended themselves desperately: they knew what awaited them if they surrendered. The Kiev army stood under the city for a whole summer, but could not take it. Where strength does not take you, sometimes you can take it with intelligence and dexterity. Princess Olga sent to tell the Korosten people:
– Why don’t you give up? All the cities have already surrendered to me, are paying tribute and calmly cultivating their fields, and you, apparently, want to wait until you starve to death?!
The Korostenians replied that they were afraid of revenge, and they were ready to give tribute in both honey and furs. Princess Olga sent to tell them that she had already taken enough revenge and demanded only a small tribute from them: three doves and three sparrows from each yard. The besieged were glad that they could get rid of trouble so cheaply, and fulfilled her wish. Olga ordered her soldiers to tie pieces of tinder (that is, rags soaked in sulfur) to the birds’ feet and, when it got dark, light the tinder and release the birds. The sparrows flew under the roofs to their nests, the pigeons to their dovecotes. The houses at that time were all wooden, with thatched roofs. Soon Korosten was ablaze from all over, all the houses were engulfed in fire! In horror, the people rushed out of the city and fell straight into the hands of their enemies. Princess Olga took the elders captive, and ordered the common people to beat some, gave others as slaves to her warriors, and imposed a heavy tribute on the rest.
Olga sacrificed many captured Drevlyans to the gods and ordered them to be buried around Igor’s grave; then she held a funeral feast for her husband, and war games took place in honor of the late prince, as custom required.
If Olga was not so cunning, and the Drevlyans were so simple and trusting, as legend says, then still the people and the squad believed that this was exactly what happened: they praised the princess for the fact that she cunningly and cruelly took revenge on the Drevlyans for their death husband In the old days, the morals of our ancestors were harsh: bloody revenge was required by custom, and the more terrible the avenger took revenge on the murderers for the death of his relative, the more praise he deserved.
Having pacified the Drevlyans, Princess Olga with her son and retinue went through their villages and cities and established what tribute they should pay her. The next year, she and her squad walked around her other possessions, divided the lands into plots, and determined what taxes and dues the residents had to pay her. The intelligent princess, apparently, clearly understood how much evil there was from the fact that the prince and his squad took tribute as much as they wanted, but the people did not know in advance how much they were obliged to pay.
Princess Olga in Constantinople
Olga’s most important deed was that she was the first of the princely family to convert to Christianity.
Duchess Olga. Baptism. The first part of the trilogy "Holy Rus'" by S. Kirillov, 1993
Most sources consider the date of Princess Olga's baptism in Constantinople to be the fall of 957.
Upon returning to Kyiv, Olga strongly wanted to baptize her son Svyatoslav into the Christian faith.
“Now I have come to know the true God and I rejoice,” she said to her son, “be baptized, you too will know God, there will be joy in your soul.”
- How can I accept a different faith? – Svyatoslav objected. - The squad will laugh at me!..
“If you are baptized,” Olga insisted, “everyone will follow you.”
But Svyatoslav remained adamant. The soul of the warrior-prince was not ready for baptism, for Christianity with its meekness and mercy.
) from 945, after death Prince Igor, until 962.
She accepted Christianity even before the baptism of Rus' - under the name Elena, since Olga is a Scandinavian name, not a Christian one. According to The Tale of Bygone Years, she was originally from Pskov, from a poor family, and Oleg brought her together with Igor.
After Igor's death, her determination tilted her husband's squad in her favor - thanks to this, she became a ruler, which was not typical for Rus' at that time. For the death of her husband Drevlyans(who killed him) Olga took revenge four times:
- When 20 matchmakers of the Drevlyan prince Mal came to Olga on a boat to woo, she buried them alive along with the boat.
- After that, she asked to send to her a new embassy of the Drevlyans from the best husbands (they say the first twenty were not God knows what). She burned the new ambassadors alive in the bathhouse where they bathed before meeting the princess.
- Olga arrived in the lands of the Drevlyans with the official version of celebrating a funeral feast for her deceased husband at his grave. The Drevlyans fell in love again - Olga drugged them and massacred them cleanly (chronicles speak of 5 thousand dead).
- Campaign of 946 to the lands of the Drevlyans. Princess Olga surrounded the capital Korosten (Iskorosten) and, after a long unsuccessful siege, burned the city with the help of birds (tying set fire tow with sulfur to their paws). Only ordinary peasants were left alive.
Having avenged the death of her husband, Olga returned to Kyiv and ruled there until Svyatoslav came of age, and in fact even after that - because Svyatoslav was constantly on campaigns and did little to govern the principality.
Olga's main achievements in the reign of Russia:
- Strengthened the centralization of power in Rus' by going to Novgorod and Pskov in 947, and appointed tribute (lessons) there.
- Formed a system of trade and exchange centers (the so-called “ churchyards"), which later turned into administrative-territorial units. Initially, these were small settlements with a temple and a market, as well as an inn.
- She conquered the Drevlyan lands and Volyn, opening trade routes to the west, as well as control over them.
- She was the first to start building houses in Kyiv from stone, not wood.
- Back in 945, she developed a new taxation system ( polyudya) with different terms, frequency and amounts of payments - taxes, dues, charters.
- Divided the lands subject to Kyiv into administrative units with princely administrators ( tiunami) at the head.
- She was baptized in 955 in Constantinople, then promoted Christian ideas among the Kyiv nobility.
An interesting fact from “The Tale...”: the Byzantine Emperor Constantine VII wanted to take Olga as his wife, but she replied that it was inappropriate for a pagan to marry a Christian. Then the patriarch and Constantine baptized her, and the latter repeated his request. Olga told him that he was now her godfather, and led him in this way. The Emperor laughed, presented Olga with gifts and sent her home.
Princess Olga (~890-969) – Grand Duchess, widow of the Grand Duke Igor Rurikovich killed by the Drevlyans, who ruled Russia during the childhood of their son Svyatoslav. The name of Princess Olga is at the source of Russian history, and is associated with the greatest events of the founding of the first dynasty, with the first establishment of Christianity in Rus' and the bright features of Western civilization. After her death, ordinary people called her cunning, the church - holy, history - wise.
The Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duchess Olga, in holy baptism Elena, came from the family of Gostomysl, on whose advice the Varangians were called to reign in Novgorod, was born in the Pskov land, in the village of Vybuty, into a pagan family from the dynasty of the Izborsky princes.
In 903, she became the wife of the Grand Duke of Kyiv Igor. After his murder in 945 by the rebel Drevlyans, the widow, who did not want to marry, took on the burden of public service with her three-year-old son Svyatoslav. The Grand Duchess went down in history as the great creator of state life and culture of Kievan Rus.
In 954, Princess Olga went to Constantinople for the purpose of a religious pilgrimage and a diplomatic mission, where she was received with honor by Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus. 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, Olga, the blessed princess, accepted it.”
Upon returning from Byzantium, Olga zealously carried 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 Kiev Christian prince 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 One Trinity in Pskov, the place for which, according to the chronicler, was indicated to her from above by the “Ray of the Trisplendent Deity” - on the banks of the Velikaya River she saw “three bright rays” descending from the sky.
Holy Princess Olga reposed in 969 on July 11 (old style), bequeathing her open Christian burial. Her incorruptible relics rested in the tithe church in Kyiv.
Marriage to Prince Igor and beginning of reign
Olga, Princess of Kyiv
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. Blessed Olga, having understood the thoughts of Igor, kindled by lust, stopped his conversation, turning to him, like a wise old man, with the following admonition: “Why are you embarrassed, prince, planning an impossible task? Your words reveal your shameless desire to violate me, which will not happen! I don't want to hear about it. I ask you, listen to me and suppress in yourself these absurd and shameful thoughts that you should be ashamed of: remember and think that you are a prince, and a prince should be a bright example of good deeds for people, as a ruler and judge; Are you now close to some kind of lawlessness?! If you yourself, overcome by unclean lust, commit atrocities, then how will you keep others from doing them and judge your subjects fairly? Abandon such shameless lust, which honest people abhor; and you, although you are a prince, may be hated by the latter for this and subjected to shameful ridicule. And even then, know that, although I am alone here and powerless compared to you, you still will not defeat me. But even if you could defeat me, then the depth of this river will immediately be my protection: it is better for me to die in purity, burying myself in these waters, than to be desecrated to my virginity.” She shamed Igor by reminding him of the princely dignity of a ruler and judge, who should be a “bright example of good deeds” for his subjects.
Igor broke up with her, keeping her words and beautiful image in his memory. When the time came to choose a bride, the most beautiful girls of the principality were gathered in Kyiv. But none of them pleased him. And then he remembered Olga, “wonderful in maidens,” and sent his relative Prince Oleg for her. So Olga became the wife of Prince Igor, the Grand Duchess of Russia.
After his marriage, Igor went on a campaign against the Greeks, and returned from it as a father: his son Svyatoslav was born. Soon Igor was killed by the Drevlyans. Fearing revenge for the murder of the Kyiv prince, the Drevlyans sent ambassadors to Princess Olga, inviting her to marry their ruler Mal.
Princess Olga's revenge on the Drevlyans
After the murder of Igor, the Drevlyans sent matchmakers to his widow Olga to invite her to marry their prince Mal. The princess successively dealt with the elders of the Drevlyans, and then brought the people of the Drevlyans into submission. The Old Russian chronicler describes in detail Olga’s revenge for the death of her husband:
1st revenge of Princess Olga: Matchmakers, 20 Drevlyans, arrived in a boat, which the Kievans carried and threw into a deep hole in the courtyard of Olga’s tower. The matchmaker-ambassadors were buried alive along with the boat.
And, bending towards the pit, Olga asked them: “Is honor good for you?” They answered: “Igor’s death is worse for us.” And she ordered them to be buried alive; and covered them...
2nd revenge: Olga asked, out of respect, to send new ambassadors from the best men to her, which the Drevlyans willingly did. An embassy of noble Drevlyans was burned in a bathhouse while they were washing themselves in preparation for a meeting with the princess.
3rd revenge: The princess with a small retinue came to the lands of the Drevlyans to, according to custom, celebrate a funeral feast at her husband’s grave. Having drunk the Drevlyans during the funeral feast, Olga ordered them to be chopped down. The chronicle reports 5 thousand Drevlyans killed.
4th revenge: In 946, Olga went with an army on a campaign against the Drevlyans. According to the First Novgorod Chronicle, the Kiev squad defeated the Drevlyans in battle. Olga walked through the Drevlyansky land, established tributes and taxes, and then returned to Kyiv. In the PVL, the chronicler made an insert into the text of the Initial Code about the siege of the Drevlyan capital of Iskorosten. According to the PVL, after an unsuccessful siege during the summer, Olga burned the city with the help of birds, to whose feet she ordered lit tow with sulfur to be tied. Some of the defenders of Iskorosten were killed, the rest submitted. A similar legend about the burning of the city with the help of birds is also told by Saxo Grammaticus (12th century) in his compilation of oral Danish legends about the exploits of the Vikings and the skald Snorri Sturluson.
After the reprisal against the Drevlyans, Olga began to rule Kievan Rus until Svyatoslav came of age, but even after that she remained the de facto ruler, since her son was absent most of the time on military campaigns.
Reign of Princess Olga
Having conquered the Drevlyans, Olga in 947 went to the Novgorod and Pskov lands, assigning lessons there (a kind of tribute measure), after which she returned to her son Svyatoslav in Kyiv. Olga established a system of “cemeteries” - centers of trade and exchange, in which taxes were collected in a more orderly manner; Then they began to build churches in graveyards. Princess Olga laid the foundation for stone urban planning in Rus' (the first stone buildings of Kyiv - the city palace and Olga's country tower), and paid attention to the improvement of the lands subject to Kyiv - Novgorod, Pskov, located along the Desna River, etc.
In 945, Olga established the size of the “polyudya” - taxes in favor of Kyiv, the timing and frequency of their payment - “rents” and “charters”. The lands subject to Kyiv were divided into administrative units, in each of which a princely administrator was appointed - “tiun”.
On the Pskov River, where she was born, Olga, according to legend, founded the city of Pskov. On the site of the vision of three luminous rays from the sky, which the Grand Duchess was honored with in those parts, the temple of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity was erected.
Constantine Porphyrogenitus, in his essay “On the Administration of the Empire” (chapter 9), written in 949, mentions that “the monoxyls coming from external Russia to Constantinople are one of Nemogard, in which Sfendoslav, the son of Ingor, the archon of Russia, sat.”
From this short message it follows that by 949 Igor held power in Kyiv, or, which seems unlikely, Olga left her son to represent power in the northern part of her state. It is also possible that Constantine had information from unreliable or outdated sources.
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, but loved by her own people, as a merciful and pious ruler, as a righteous judge who did not offend anyone, inflicting punishment with mercy and rewarding the good; She instilled fear in all the 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.”
As a wise ruler, Olga saw from the example of the Byzantine Empire that it was not enough to worry only about state and economic life. It was necessary to start organizing the religious and spiritual life of the people.
The author of the “Book of Degrees” writes: “Her (Olga’s) feat was that she recognized the true God. Not knowing the Christian law, she lived a pure and chaste life, and she wanted to be a Christian by free will, with the eyes of her heart she found the path of knowing God and followed it without hesitation.” The Rev. Nestor the Chronicler narrates: “Blessed Olga from an early age sought wisdom, which is the best in this world, and found a pearl of great value - Christ.”
First prayer
O holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duchess Olgo, the first saint of Russia, a 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 the heavenly lordship, 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 are blinded by heresies, and ask us from the all-generous God for all that is good and useful in temporal and eternal life, so that having lived well here, we will be worthy of an inheritance 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. Amen
Second prayer
O holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olgo, accept praise from us, unworthy servants of God (names), before your honest icon, praying and humbly asking: protect us with your prayers and intercession from misfortunes and troubles, and sorrows, and fierce sins; We will also be delivered from future torments by honestly creating your holy memory and glorifying God, glorified in the Holy Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen
Second prayer
O great saint of God, God-chosen and God-glorified, equal to the apostles Grand Duchess Olgo! You rejected pagan evil and wickedness, you believed in the One True Trinitarian God and you accepted holy baptism and laid the foundation for the enlightenment of the Russian land with the light of faith and piety. You are our spiritual ancestor, you, according to Christ our Savior, are the first culprit of the enlightenment and salvation of our race. You are a warm prayer book and intercessor for the kingdom of all Russia, for its kings, rulers, the army and for all people. For this reason, we humbly pray to you: look at our weaknesses and beg the most merciful King of Heaven, so that He will not be angry with us, as through our weaknesses we sin all day long, and may He not destroy us with our iniquities, but may He have mercy and save us in His mercy, may He implant His saving fear in our hearts, may He enlighten our minds with His grace, so that we understand the ways of the Lord, leave the paths of wickedness and error, and strive in the paths of salvation and truth, the unwavering fulfillment of the commandments of God and the statutes of the Holy Church. Pray, blessed Olgo, to God, the Lover of Mankind, to add His great mercy to us: may he deliver us from the invasion of foreigners, from internal disorder, rebellion and strife, from famine, deadly diseases and from all evil; may he give us the goodness of the air and the fruitfulness of the earth, may he give the shepherds zeal for the salvation of their flock, may all people hasten to diligently correct their services, have love among themselves and like-mindedness, to strive faithfully for the good of the Fatherland and the Holy Church, may the light of saving faith in Our Fatherland, in all its ends; may unbelievers turn to faith, may all heresies and schisms be abolished; Yes, having lived in peace on earth, we will be worthy of eternal bliss in heaven, praising and exalting God forever and ever. Amen
Baptism of Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga
“Blessed Olga from an early age sought wisdom, which is the best in this world,
and found a pearl of great price - Christ"
Having made her choice, Grand Duchess Olga, entrusting Kyiv to her grown-up son, sets off with a large fleet to Constantinople. Old Russian chroniclers will call this act of Olga “walking”; it combined a religious pilgrimage, a diplomatic mission, and a demonstration of the military power of Rus'. “Olga wanted to go to the Greeks herself in order to look at the Christian service with her own eyes and be fully convinced of their teaching about the true God,” the life of Saint Olga narrates. According to the chronicle, in Constantinople Olga decides to become a Christian. The Sacrament of Baptism was performed on her by Patriarch Theophylact of Constantinople (933 - 956), and the successor was Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus (912 - 959), who left a detailed description of the ceremonies during Olga’s stay in Constantinople in his essay “On the Ceremonies of the Byzantine Court”. At one of the receptions, the Russian Princess was presented with a golden dish decorated with precious stones. Olga donated it to the sacristy of the Hagia Sophia Cathedral, where it was seen and described at the beginning of the 13th century by the Russian diplomat Dobrynya Yadreikovich, later Archbishop Anthony of Novgorod: “The dish is a great gold service for Olga the Russian, when she took tribute while going to Constantinople: in Olga’s dish there is a precious stone , on the same stones Christ is written.”
The chronicle story about the events preceding Olga's baptism is very peculiar. Here Olga is waiting, waiting for a long time, for months, for the emperor to receive her. Her dignity as a Grand Duchess receives a severe test, just as her desire to receive the true faith, to become a participant in the faith through Holy Baptism, is tested. The main test is before baptism itself. This is the famous “marriage proposal” of the Byzantine emperor, who admired the Russian princess. And the chronicle version, I think, is not accurate. According to it, according to the chronicle, Olga reproaches the emperor, saying how you can think about marriage before baptism, but after baptism - we’ll see. And asks the emperor to be her successor, i.e. godfather. When, after the baptism, the emperor returns to his marriage proposal, Olga reminds him that there can be no marriage between “godfathers”. And the delighted emperor exclaims: “You outwitted me, Olga!”
This message has an unconditional historical basis, but there is also a distortion, perhaps “according to the reason” of those who preserved the tradition. The historical truth is as follows. On the throne of the “universal” Byzantine Empire was then Constantine Porphyrogenet (i.e., “Porphyrogenitus”). He was a man of more than extraordinary intelligence (he is the author of the famous book “On the Administration of the Empire,” which also contains news of the beginning of the Russian Church). Konstantin Porphyrogenet was a hardened politician and a successful politician. And, of course, he was educated enough to remember the impossibility of marriage between a godfather and a goddaughter. In this episode, the chronicler’s “stretch” is visible. But the truth is that there most likely was a “marriage proposal”. And it was probably quite in the spirit of the famous Byzantine treachery, and not simple-minded admiration for the “barbarian”, in the perception of the Byzantine, princess of distant Russia. This proposal put the Russian princess in a very unpleasant position.
This is what the essence of the imperial “marriage proposal”, its subtext, should have been truly “Byzantine” in cunning.
“You, newcomer, princess of a distant but powerful state, which is inhabited by ambitious warriors who have more than once shaken the walls of the “capital of the world” Constantinople, where you are now looking for the true Faith. About what kind of warrior your son, Svyatoslav, is, fame resounds throughout all countries and is known to us. And we know about you how strong you are in spirit, your powerful hand holds in submission the many tribes inhabiting your land. So why did you come, princess from a family of ambitious conquerors? Do you really want to get the true Faith and nothing more? Hardly! Both I, the emperor, and my court suspect that by acquiring baptism and becoming our fellow believer, you want to get closer to the throne of the Byzantine emperors. Let's see how you handle my offer! Are you as wise as your fame says! After all, to refuse the emperor directly is a disregard for the honor bestowed on the “barbarian”, a direct insult to the imperial throne. And if you, princess, despite your advanced age, agree to become the empress of Byzantium, then it is clear why you came to us. It’s clear why you, despite your wounded pride, waited for months for the imperial reception! You are as ambitious and cunning as all your Varangian ancestors. But we will not allow you, barbarians, to be on the throne of noble Romans. Your place is the place of mercenary soldiers - to serve the Roman Empire.”
Olga's answer is simple and wise. Olga is not only wise, but also resourceful. Thanks to her answer, she immediately receives what she is looking for - Baptism into the Orthodox Faith. Her answer is the answer of both a politician and a Christian: “I thank you for the honor of becoming related to the great Macedonian (that was the name of the then ruling dynasty) imperial house. Come on, Emperor, let's become related. But our relationship will not be according to the flesh, but spiritual. Be my successor, godfather!”
“I, princess, and we, Russian Christians, need the true, saving Faith, which you, the Byzantines, are rich in. But only. And we don’t need your throne, drenched in blood, disgraced by all the vices and crimes. We will build our country on the basis of the Faith we share with you, and let the rest of yours (and the throne too) remain with you, as given by God in your care.” This is the essence of Saint Olga’s answer, which opened the path to Baptism for her and Russia.
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 Kyiv, 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. The apostolic labors of the princess met secret and open resistance from the pagans.
Equal to the Apostles Princess Olga
God-wise princess, protector of the Orthodox,
Together with the apostles you glorify the Creator.
Let, as before, so now, according to your prayers, princess,
God will enlighten our hearts with His eternal light.
You, Olgo, are more beautiful than many wives and to you, our princess,
We pray to glorify the Creator in you.
Do not reject us, princess, and hear how we all are now
We tearfully beg you not to leave us forever!
Among worldly idols and banners,
A living spring feeds the name “Olya”,
The severity of ancient princely times,
And the sound of hooves across the morning field...
For eternity, like the Motherland, like Rus',
Like the sound of a river, like the rustle of falling leaves,
It has a springtime pensive sadness
And the light whisper of the morning garden.
It contains life, and light, and tears, and love,
And the luxury of a wild summer,
A call coming from the depths of centuries,
And a song that has not yet been sung.
There is a riot of wind in it, a flood of feelings,
The dawn is thoughtful and stern,
Hope is the light, loss is a painful burden,
And the road calling to someone’s dreams.
Roman Manevich
Olga sobbed at her husband’s grave.
Buried in the land of the Drevlyan prince,
Where the crows circle in the darkened sky,
And the forest approaches from all sides.
A cry swept through the dark oak groves,
Through the path of animals and windfall...
And she imagined a river crossing
And any heart, kind father's home...
From there Olga, a modest girl,
When the first snow fell to the ground,
They took me to the tower, to Kyiv - the city, the capital:
This is what Grand Duke Oleg commanded.
Having wooed the commoner Igor,
He saw pride in Olga:
"She belongs only in the princely chambers,
The princess will be assigned her inheritance!
There is no Igor... The husband's killers are smerds -
Life was ruined, love was taken away...
Having sent a funeral feast to her husband, Olga died
She punished cruelly: “Blood for blood!”
The pitiful shacks of the rebellious were burning,
Corpses were lying on the ground of the Drevlyans
Like food for dogs, and in shameful nakedness
They were a horror for the worldly villagers.
The law of the pagans is harsh. And with revenge
And death can only be frightening.
But the prince chose a bride from among the people,
And it is up to her to manage this people.
There are enemies around. And evil slander.
Disobedience and machinations of princes...
The princess heard: somewhere in the world
There is faith not in pagan gods
And the worship is not of idols, but of God.
Recognition of the One Creator!
The princess set off on her journey,
So that hearts in Rus' thaw.
And faith, merciful, holy,
Olga was one of the first to accept.
Blessing to the native land
What a bright, kind mind she brought.
From time immemorial Russia has been strong
Not the fabulous decoration of cities -
In the sacred faith, Rus' nourished strength,
The canon of which: LOVE FOR YOUR NEIGHBOR.
Valentina Kyle
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last years of life
Saint Princess Olga
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.
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.
