Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duchess Olga, baptized Elena (c. 890 - 11 July 969), ruled Kievan Rus after the death of her husband, Prince Igor Rurikovich from 945 to 962. The first of the Russian rulers adopted Christianity even before the baptism of Rus, the first Russian saint. The name of Princess Olga is at the source of Russian history, and is associated with the greatest events of the founding of the first dynasty, with the first establishment of Christianity in Russia and the bright features of Western civilization. The Grand Duchess went down in history as the great creator of the state life and culture of Kievan Rus. After her death, the common people called her cunning, the church - saint, history - wise.

Grand Duchess Olga (c. 890 - 11 July 969) was the wife of the Grand Duke of Kiev Igor.

Basic information about Olga's life, recognized as reliable, is contained in the "Tale of Bygone Years", the Life from the Book of Degrees, the hagiographic work of the monk Jacob "Memory and Praise to Prince Volodimer of Russia" and the essay of Konstantin Porphyrogenitus "On the ceremonies of the Byzantine court." Other sources provide additional information about Olga, but their reliability cannot be accurately determined.

Olga came from the glorious family of Gostomysl (the ruler of Veliky Novgorod even before Prince Rurik). She was born in the Pskov land, in the village of Vybuty, 12 km from Pskov up the Velikaya River, into a pagan family from the Izborsky dynasty. Disputes about the exact date of birth of Olga are still ongoing. - some historians insist on a date of about 890, others on a date of 920 (although this date is absurd due to the fact that Olga married Igor under the Prophetic Oleg, who died in 912). Both dates can be questioned, so they are accepted conditionally. The names of Olga's parents have not survived.

When Olga was already 13 years old, she became the wife of the Grand Duke of Kiev Igor. According to legend, Prince Igor was engaged in hunting. Once, when he was hunting in the Pskov forests, then hunting down the beast, he went to the river bank. Having decided to cross the river, he asked Olga, who was passing by on a boat, to carry him, mistaking her at first for a young man. As they sailed, Igor, looking closely into the rower's face, saw that it was not a young man, but a girl. The girl turned out to be very beautiful, intelligent and pure in her thoughts. Olga's beauty stung Igor's heart, and he began to seduce her with words, inclining to impure fleshly confusion. However, the chaste girl, sensing the thoughts of Igor, kindled by lust, shamed him with a wise admonition. The prince was surprised at such an outstanding intelligence and chastity of a young girl, and did not harass her.

Igor was the only son of the Novgorod prince Rurik (+879). When his father died, the prince was still very young. Before his death, Rurik handed over the rule in Novgorod to his relative and voivode Oleg and appointed him Igor's guardian. Oleg was a successful warrior and a wise ruler. The people called him Prophetic... He conquered the city of Kiev and united many Slavic tribes around him. Oleg loved Igor like his own son and raised him to be a real warrior. And when it was time to look for a bride for him, in Kiev they arranged a bridal show of beautiful girls in order to find a girl worthy of a princely palace among them, but not one of them
did not like the prince. For in his heart the choice of a bride had long been made: he ordered to call that beautiful boatwoman who transported him across the river. Prince Oleg with great honor he brought Olga to Kiev, and Igor entered into marriage with her. Marrying a young prince to Olga, aging Olegbegan to diligently make sacrifices to the gods, so that Igor would be given an heir. Over the long nine years, Oleg brought many bloody sacrifices to idols, he burned so many people and bulls alive, he waited to be given slavic gods Igor's son. Not wait. He died in 912 from a snake bite that crawled out of the skull of his former horse.

Pagan idols began to disappoint the princess: many years of sacrifices to idols did not give her the desired heir. Well, how will Igor act according to human custom and take another wife, a third? The harem will lead. Who will she be then? And then the princess decided to pray to the Christian God. And Olga began at night fervently to ask Him for a son-heir.

And so in 942 ,in the twenty-fourth year living together, Prince Igor's heir was born - Svyatoslav! Prince Olga filled up with gifts. She took the most dear ones to the church of Elijah - for the Christian God. Happy little girls rushed. Olga began to think about the Christian faith and about the benefits of it for the country. Only Igor did not share such thoughts: his gods in battles never cheated on him.

According to the chronicle, in 945, Prince Igor dies at the hands of the Drevlyans after repeatedly collecting tribute from them (he became the first ruler in the history of Russia who died from popular indignation). Igor Rurikovich was executed , in the tract, with the help of an honorary "disconnect". Bending down two young, flexible oak trees, they tied them by the arms and legs, and let go ...

F. Bruni. Igor's execution

The heir to the throne Svyatoslav was then only 3 years old, therefore Olga became the actual ruler of Kievan Rus in 945 ... Igor's squad obeyed her, recognizing Olga as the representative of the legitimate heir to the throne.

After the murder of Igor, the Drevlyans sent matchmakers to his widow Olga to call her to marry their prince Mal. The princess took cruel revenge on the Drevlyans, showing cunning and strong will. Olga's revenge against the Drevlyans is described in detail and in detail in The Tale of Bygone Years.

Revenge of Princess Olga

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 from military campaigns most of the time.

Princess Olga's foreign policy was carried out not by military methods, but with the help of diplomacy. She strengthened international ties with Germany and Byzantium. Relations with Greece revealed to Olga how much the Christian faith is higher than the pagan one.

In 954, Princess Olga went to Constantinople (Constantinople) for a religious pilgrimage and diplomatic mission., where it was received with honor by the Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus. For two whole years she got acquainted with the basics of the Christian faith, attending services in the St. Sophia Cathedral. She was struck by the grandeur of Christian churches and the shrines collected in them.

The sacrament of baptism over her was performed by Patriarch Theophylact of Constantinople, and the emperor himself became the recipient. The name of the Russian princess was named in honor of the holy Empress Helena, who acquired the Cross of the Lord. The Patriarch blessed the newly-baptized princess with a cross carved from a single piece of the Life-giving tree of the Lord with the inscription: “The Russian land was renewed with the Holy Cross, and Olga, the noble princess, accepted it”.

Princess Olga became the first ruler of Russia to be baptized , although both the squad and the Russian people with it were pagan. Olga's son, the Grand Duke, also stayed in paganism. Kiev Svyatoslav Igorevich.

Upon her return to Kiev, Olga tried to introduce Svyatoslav to Christianity, but “he did not even think to listen to this; but if anyone was going to be baptized, he did not forbid, but only mocked him. " Moreover, Svyatoslav was angry with his mother for her persuasion, fearing to lose the respect of the squad. Svyatoslav Igorevich remained a convinced pagan.

Upon returning from Byzantium Olga zealously 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 Kiev over the grave of Prince Dir, the Church of the Annunciation in Vitebsk, the temple in the name of the Holy and Life-Giving Trinity in Pskov, the place for which, according to the chronicler's testimony, was indicated to her from above by the "Ray of the Trisly Deity" - on the banks of the Great River, she saw "three bright rays" descending from the sky.

Holy Princess Olga died in 969, at the age of 80 and was buried in the ground according to the Christian rite.

Sergey Efoshkin. Duchess Olga. Dormition

Her incorruptible relics rested in the Tithe Church in Kiev. Her grandson, Prince Vladimir I Svyatoslavich, the Baptist of Russia, transferred (in 1007) the relics of the saints, including Olga, to the church he founded Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Kiev (Church of the Tithes). Most likely, In the reign of Vladimir (970-988), Princess Olga began to be revered as a saint. This is evidenced by the transfer of her relics to the church and the description of miracles given by the monk Jacob in the 11th century.

In 1547 Olga was canonized as a saint equal to the apostles. Only 5 other holy women in Christian history have received such an honor (Mary Magdalene, the first martyr Thekla, martyr Apphia, Queen Helena Equal to the Apostles and the enlightener of Georgia Nina).

The memory of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Olga is celebrated by Orthodox and Catholic and other Western churches.

Princess Olga was the first of the Russian princes to officially adopt Christianity and was canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church in the pre-Mongol period. The baptism of Princess Olga did not lead to the establishment of Christianity in Russia, but she had a great influence on her grandson Vladimir, who continued her work. She did not wage wars of conquest, but directed all her energy to domestic policy, therefore, for a long time, the people kept a good memory of her: the princess carried out an administrative and tax reform, which eased the situation ordinary people and streamlined life in the state.

Saint Princess Olga is revered as the patroness of widows and newly converted Christians. Pskov residents consider Olga to be its founder. In Pskov there is the Olginskaya embankment, the Olginsky bridge, the Olginskaya chapel. The days of the liberation of the city from the fascist invaders (July 23, 1944) and the memory of St. Olga are celebrated in Pskov as the Days of the City.

Prepared by Sergey SHULYAK

for the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity on Vorobyovy Hills

In troparion Olga Equal to the Apostles, voice 8
In you, God-wise Elena, the image of salvation is known in the Russian country, / as if, having taken the bath of holy Baptism, you followed Christ, / create and teach, leave the idol's charm hedgehog, / take care of the soul, things are immortal, / the same and from the Angels rejoices, equal to the apostles, your spirit.

In the kontakion of Olga Equal to the Apostles, voice 4
Today is the grace of all God, / glorified in Russia Olga God-wise, / prayers to her, Lord, / give people / sin forgiveness.

Prayer to the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga
O Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duchess Olga, the first pleasing of Russia, warm intercessor and prayer book for us before God! We run to you with faith and pray with love: wake us in everything for the good of a helper and a henchman and, as in our temporary life you tried to enlighten our forefathers with the light of holy faith and instruct me to do the will of the Lord, so it is now, in heavenly Lordships abide, 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 flourish in faith, piety and the love of Christ. In poverty and sorrow of the present consolation, to the needy, give a helping hand, offended and assaulted to intercede, delusions from the right faith and heresy blinded by reason, and ask us from the All-Blessed God all that is good and useful life temporal and eternal, so we have lived so pleasingly here, let us be worthy of the inheritance of eternal blessings in the endless Kingdom of Christ our God, to Him with the Father and the Holy Spirit all glory, honor and worship always, now and ever, and forever and ever. A min.

GREAT DUCHESS OLGA (890-969)

From the cycle "History of the Russian State".

2012 - YEAR OF RUSSIAN HISTORY

DEFENDERS OF FAITH

The daughters of Russian tsars, when they marry, remain loyal to their faith - this rule was well known in Europe. Therefore, their fates were not always quite happy.

ELENA MOSKOVSKAYA

Originated from the root

Let us recall the story of Princess Elena - the daughter of Tsar Ivan III. Mindful of her "noble deed", the chronicler described this remarkable Christian woman as follows: "descended from the root," "raised in unshakable piety," set up from pious parents. "

Her mother Sophia was the niece of the latter Byzantine emperor Constantine XI Palaeologus and was brought up in Italy. The Vatican had high hopes for her. It was assumed that Sophia would help convert Russia to Catholicism, but as soon as the girl stepped on the Russian land, she rushed into the temple and began to kiss the icons.

Twenty-three years have passed. It was decided to marry the Grand Duchess Helena to the Grand Duke of Lithuania Alexander. At that time, Lithuania included Belarus, Smolensk and other Russian lands. Despite the fact that most of the inhabitants there professed Orthodoxy, the Lithuanian princes chose Catholicism. True, not all - some fought on the Kulikovo field next to the holy prince Demetrius. But gradually Rome became more and more established in Western Russia. So that there was someone to defend the paternal faith, and consent was given for Elena's marriage to Alexander.

The girl set off, backed up by her father's instructions: “Memory of the Grand Duchess. Not to go to the Latin goddess, but to go to the Greek church. Out of curiosity, you can see the first or the Latin monastery, but only once or twice. If your mother-in-law is in Vilna and orders you to go with you to the goddess, then escort her to the door and say politely that you are going to your church. "

True, Alexander, who managed to fall in love, swore to Ivan III that he would not interfere with his future wife “to maintain Greek law, to force her to Roman law” and would not even allow such a transition, if she herself wanted to. But the promise was given orally, contrary to Polish law, and, finally, you never know who swears what. Seriously, the parents hoped only for Elena herself, knowing her character. The Poles and the Lithuanians also had to recognize him.

The princess was nineteen when in 1495 the Russian embassy reached Vilna. The wedding took place in the local Cathedral of St. Stanislav in two rites at once - Catholic and Orthodox. The Vilna bishop Radziwill and the Moscow priest Macarius served. There, in Vilna, the young spouses settled, not yet knowing what tests they faced. In a sense, in Rome, they hoped to recoup the princess for failure with her parents. "Russia is too strong and that is why it is so stubborn," the Catholics believed, "and Elena is just a woman, and she is unlikely to put up serious resistance."

Queen

Alexander found himself in a very difficult position. He hoped it would be okay. But it didn't work out. From Rome, letters were sent to him, allowing him from the oaths given to his father-in-law, they were mercilessly crushed. The only thing that kept him from complete obedience was a tender feeling for his wife. However, he had to annoy his wife. She was denied the promised construction of a house church. But there were enough Orthodox churches in Vilna. In one of them - Pokrovsky - Elena and began to travel to services. Much worse was the other: all the Orthodox were removed from the princess's entourage.

“Here we have,” wrote the clerk Shestakov to the sovereign in Moscow, “there is a great confusion between the Latins and our Christianity; the devil possessed our ruler of Smolensk, and also Sapieha. We embraced the Orthodox faith. The Grand Duke does not allow our Empress, Grand Duchess Elena, into the cursed Latin faith. But God taught our empress, but she remembered the science of the sovereign-father, and she refused her husband like this: "Remember what you promised to my sovereign, my father, and without the will of my sovereign, my father, I cannot do this. I will do as he teaches me." ... Yes, and all our Orthodox Christianity wants to baptize; from this our Russia and Lithuania are in great enmity. "

Tsar Ivan the Third

Upon learning of this, Ivan III sent to Lithuania faithful person Ivan Mamonov, ordering his daughter to suffer to death rather than betray her faith. It is not known how he would behave, if you know that Elena will follow his orders. I can imagine the grins of some: what is all this for? And the Orthodox bishop of Smolensk, who had betrayed Elena, was at a loss. The policy of many Orthodox hierarchs, not only in the Latin world, but also in the Ottoman Empire, was not to stick out. And here...

The angry Tsar Ivan started a war against his son-in-law, but Elena sent a letter to her father, in which she reproached him for violating the peace treaty and begged him to stop "pouring out Christian blood." She assured her that her husband was affectionate and caring to her, so that the Grand Duke even flared up, writing in response: “How ashamed you, daughter, to write me a lie! We know for certain that you are being oppressed in your faith. " The princess stood her ground, wishing to reconcile two people close to her.

A year later, Grand Duke Alexander took over the Polish throne, and Elena actually became queen - but not legally, since she refused to be crowned. After all, this required the adoption of Catholicism. The husband reacted to her decision philosophically, resigned himself. Moreover, he took his beloved through new possessions, demonstrating to everyone: here is your sovereign. Consoling, he gave Elena possessions, which she quickly transferred Orthodox churches and monasteries. What is curious: the war with Moscow continued all this time. Only three years after it began, a peace was signed, which Tsar Ivan accompanied with a warning: "And if our brother begins to compel our daughter to Roman law, then let him know that we will not let him down - we will stand for it, how much God will help us" ...

Standing

Having decided that Elena of Moscow, as she was called in Poland and Lithuania, was just obedient to her parent, the Catholics calmed down somewhat and began to wait for the death of the Russian monarch. Pope Julius II in 1505 stated so bluntly, allowing Alexander to live with a heterodox wife "in anticipation of the death of her father, already very old, or some other circumstance." They did not have to wait long: a few months later, Ivan the Third died. What is Elena? But nothing. As she believed, she continued to remain Orthodox. The next year, she also lost her beloved spouse, who was her support in the camp of ill-wishers. But her brother Vasily, who ascended to the Russian throne, continued to strengthen Elena's strength: “And you, sister, and now you remembered God and your soul, our father and mother's order, would not have fallen away from God in soul, from father and mother in disgrace would not bring reproach to our Orthodox law either. " The dowager queen had a hard time: in 1512 the treasury was taken from her and sent from Vilna to exile.

In response, a war broke out, which further worsened Elena's position, and then atrocity was committed. Voivode Nikolai Radziwill sent assassins to the queen (two Russians and one Lithuanian Zhmudin) so that they would present poison to her along with honey. On the same day in January, Elena was gone. She was only thirty-seven years old when she was martyred.

In memory of his sister, Tsar Vasily built a church in the Kremlin, which was venerated by all subsequent Russian tsars. The main shrine of the temple was the icon of St. Nicholas from the Gostunsky castle, which is associated with the names of Elena and her husband Alexander. There is a legend that before this image, two loving spouses who belonged to different faiths once prayed together.

Three centuries have passed since Elena's death. The world has changed, but history has repeated itself. Once again, the Russian princess found herself in a Catholic country - and went through many sufferings, defending her faith. Only this time she died at the age of seventeen. The heroine of our next story will be Alexandra - the palatina of Hungary, the daughter of Emperor Paul the First.

ALEXANDRA - HUNGARY PALANTINE

Early years

Empress Catherine the Great was not happy with the birth of her first granddaughter. “My health book,” she wrote, “has recently multiplied by a young lady, who was named Alexandra in honor of her elder brother. To tell the truth, I love boys incomparably more than girls ... ”This was fully reflected in the choice of the name.

It was decided that it was too risky to entrust the upbringing of the child to the mother - Grand Duchess Maria Fedorovna. Catherine herself chose her daughter-in-law from among the German princesses, appreciating wide hips and everything that is needed to produce heirs. In this case, the presence of thinking abilities was not necessary, even harmful. Unhappy Maria Feodorovna was almost forced to hide that she is smart, delicate, not devoid of talents. Her husband - the future emperor Paul - loved her dearly. Together, the spouses worried that the babies were taken away from them one by one, not allowing them to be brought up. Ekaterina, dreaming of raising a "new breed of people", decided to start with her grandchildren. True, no particular hopes were pinned on Alexandra.

A year passed, then another, everything remained as before: the little princess continued to cause irritation. “Neither fish nor meat,” the sovereign said about her, specifying that this child is “a very ugly creature, especially in comparison with her brothers,” and that even her second granddaughter, two-month-old Elena, is smarter and more alive than two-year-old Alexandra. But the ugly duckling, as if trying to please the royal grandmother, began to change dramatically.

The Empress reported with surprise about her granddaughter that she “suddenly made amazing progress: she became prettier, grew up and took on such a posture that she seemed older than her years. She speaks four languages, writes and draws well, plays the harpsichord, sings, dances, understands everything very easily and reveals an extreme meekness in her character. I became the object of her passion, and in order to please me and attract my attention, she seems to be ready to throw herself into the fire. "

It’s amazing how such a gift of love developed in this despised girl, deprived of maternal affection. No one, either before or after her, loved Catherine the Great so much and unselfishly.

This was the main gift of Alexandra, not to mention the fact that she translated poetry, beautifully sculpted from wax; everything that this girl touched was transformed. Perhaps, the successful choice of the mentor affected. From infancy, the princess was entrusted with the widow of the general, Baroness Charlotte Karlovna Lieven, who was able to excellently raise six of her own children and reveal their talents. As other great princesses were born, and then princes, they all came at her disposal. General'sha Lieven was an iron man; Empress Catherine herself fell for debauchery from her. The influence of Charlotte Karlovna on the fate of the representatives of the dynasty can hardly be overestimated. Until the revolution, the upbringing of the grand dukes and princesses bore the imprint of her character.

Father Andrey Samborsky

The priest Andrei Samborsky had no less influence on Alexandra. He was one of the most educated people in St. Petersburg, who served for a long time at the Russian mission in London. From there he brought an English wife, who had been converted to Orthodoxy by him, and a number of habits unusual for an Orthodox priest: he did not wear a beard, but preferred secular dress.

The spiritual authorities were dissatisfied with this, but it is necessary to make allowances for the biography of Andrei's father. Although he was the son of a priest, he was sent to Europe to study agronomy and did not immediately decide to continue the work of his father and ancestors. But the choice was deliberate and made in very unfavorable conditions.

“This enlightened country (England. - V.G.),” he wrote, defending himself from attacks, “may he testify with what zeal and purity I performed the divine service through many years, which affirms in men pure faith, which unanimously confirms the royal thrones , with the help of which the peoples abide in silence and unanimity. After completing the sacred office in the church, I used all the rest of the time to acquire not my own benefit, but the common good - the successes of Russian artists, shipbuilders, sailors, farmers - using all possible occasions and methods. "

All the grand duchesses, then the princes, appreciated this man. Although his enemies argued that Fr Andrei instilled little religiosity in his spiritual children, remaining more an agronomist than a confessor, this is not so. For example, they write about Emperor Alexander the Blessed: “The influence of Samborskiy was negative. Alexander did not know God. " However, it is known that the sovereign used to spend whole hours on his knees in front of the icons. He just didn’t try to advertise it: Father Andrei didn’t teach him to be hypocritical.

The warmest and most trusting relationship developed between father Andrei and Alexandra. The priest was very fond of this girl, who blossomed before his eyes, she paid him the same. They did not know what trials they faced and that the princess would die in the arms of her spiritual father, breaking his heart.

Just one condition ...

According to the memoirs of contemporaries, she was not only pretty, but possessed that charm that is almost impossible to convey in a portrait. In any case, no one succeeded, although many wrote the girl: Levitsky, Vigee-Lebrun, Lampi, Zharkov, Miles, Borovikovsky, Ritt. They did not manage to completely please the relatives and friends of the princess. Mental beauty seemed to illuminate her face from the inside, but the personality of a person in that era was not yet able to appreciate in itself.

Catherine the Great very early began to think about the marriage of Alexandra (as, indeed, other great princesses). This was one of the main reasons that the queen was not happy about the birth of her granddaughters: she was afraid for them. “Everyone will be badly married off,” the empress predicted, “because nothing can be more unhappy than the Russian Grand Duchess. They will not be able to apply to anything; everything will seem small to them ... Of course, they will have seekers, but this will lead to endless misunderstandings. "

Alas, Catherine was not mistaken, although she did everything to avoid it. When Alexandra was nine years old, the grandmother decided to make her the Swedish queen. The potential groom was fifteen. Of course, he was not yet quite suitable for marriage, and the empress decided to wait for his 18th birthday. Gustav IV Adolf - that was the name of the king. The proposal from St. Petersburg looked more like an order. Negotiations began between the empress and the regent under the minor monarch - the Duke of Südermanland. Their course was not smooth, so Catherine even wrote to her faithful correspondent Baron Grimm: “If the matter does not work out, then she (Alexandra - VG) can be comforted, because he will be at a loss who marries another. I can safely say that it is difficult to find an equal to her in beauty, talents and courtesy. Not to mention the dowry, which for a poor Sweden in itself is an important subject. In addition, this marriage could consolidate the world for years to come. "

The marriage of the eldest granddaughter to the Swedish king became a fix idea for the empress, she wanted him with all her soul. The Swedes opposed him with about the same passion. It seemed to them that they wanted to humiliate them. The regent - the king's uncle - began to negotiate the marriage of his nephew with Princess Louise-Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. In November 1795, prayers for the health of this princess began to be served in Swedish churches, but Catherine was offended, asking: “Let the regent hate me, let him look for an opportunity and deceive - in a good hour! - but why does he marry his pet to an ugly ugly girl? How did the king deserve this cruel punishment, then how did he think of marrying the bride, whose beauty everyone speaks with one voice? "

Aesthetic considerations were backed up by decisive action. Count Suvorov was sent to the border - "to inspect the fortresses." It turned out they were all right. The Swedes knew who Suvorov was, so they did not want to make a closer acquaintance. For this or some other reason, the king suddenly decisively didn't want to marry Louise-Charlotte, and negotiations with Petersburg resumed. The longest debate was about the religion of the bride, but in the end the Swedish side agreed that the princess would remain Orthodox.

And what about Alexandra? Having become acquainted with the portrait of the king, she decided that she could love him, and for four years she was preparing for the wedding, studying Swedish. The meeting took place in August 1796, when Gustav arrived in St. Petersburg, taking for a while a pseudonym - "Count Gaga". The festivities lasted a whole month, and the young people immediately found a common language. The Empress was delighted, reporting: “Everyone notices that His Majesty is dancing with Alexandra more and more often and that their conversation is not interrupted ... It seems that my girl does not feel disgust for the aforementioned young man: she no longer has the same embarrassed look and speaks very freely with her gentleman. "

Meanwhile, warning signs began to haunt the capital.

On the day of the ball given by the Prosecutor General Count Samoilov in honor of the arrival of the Swedes, at the moment when Empress Catherine II was getting out of the carriage, a meteor dashed the sky, illuminating the entire capital. "The star has fallen!" - said the empress. Almost simultaneously, in Tsarskoe Selo at night, such a strong smoke appeared under the window of the Empress's bedroom that everyone was alarmed and began to look for its source. Nothing was found either in the palace or in the vicinity. Some attributed the incident to the birth of Tsarevich Nikolai Pavlovich, but he had absolutely nothing to do with it. Obviously, what happened worried Catherine. Her favorite Countess Anna Alekseevna Matyushkina, trying to console the empress, reported: “The people, mother, interpret that the star has fallen to the good, and this means that it will fly away from us grand duchess Alexandra Pavlovna to Sweden ". But the people interpreted in vain.

Catherine the Great had only a few weeks to live. The fatal blow was inflicted on her by none other than the Swedish groom, or rather, those who stood behind the young king. The betrothal was scheduled for September 11, and it was agreed that it would take place in the Greek-Russian church. Catherine was waiting for the Swedes in the hall of the palace, surrounded by the military, courtiers, clergy, Alexandra languished, dressed in a wedding dress. But the guests did not appear at the appointed time. Time passed, but they were not there - and so for more than four hours. All this time, negotiations were going on. Gustav locked himself in his bedroom, demanding to agree to the condition: the Grand Duchess must become a Protestant.

Just one condition ...

Alexandra was told that her fiance was sick. She began to cry.

To justify Gustav, one can say that pressure was exerted on him. The young man was frightened by popular unrest, and he resisted before he allowed himself to be persuaded. He really liked the Russian princess: it was hard not to fall in love with her. Perhaps the king at first hoped that the Russians would easily surrender, but then he became bitter. If Charles XII wanted to bring the whole of Russia to its knees, converting it to his faith, the arrogant Gustav decided to be content with a victory over Alexandra ... It did not work out here either.

His fate was sad. Another unsuccessful war with Russia in 1808 led the king to the loss of Finland. Then he insulted 120 guardsmen from noble families, demoted them to army officers for cowardice on the battlefield. As a result of the conspiracy, he was overthrown, led a wandering lifestyle in Europe, calling himself Colonel Gustavsson, in addition, he divorced his wife Frederica Dorothea Wilhelmina, one of the German princesses, for whom he traded Alexandra. Frederica Dorothea was a Protestant, but did not like him.

The failed marriage of Empress Catherine was just as costly. After learning about the condition of the Swedes, she suffered a slight apoplectic stroke - the first of the three that two months later would bring her to the grave.

And Princess Alexander was still married. How it happened and what happened after that, we will tell in the next issue of the newspaper.

(The ending follows)

Vladimir GRIGORYAN

The history of Rus-Ukraine is full of many victorious and tragic pages. Its prominent (and less outstanding) leaders, the princes, are also widely known. However, with rare exceptions, almost completely unknown to the general public, there are the names and fates of women who accompanied their husbands on the path of life and, one way or another, entered Russian history. Among them were Russian women and foreign women. There were Russian princesses and wives of European monarchs.

And this is not only Anna Yaroslavna - the Queen of France. Who are they? What are their names? Let's try to briefly describe a general overview of the princely women in the medieval period of our past, which is called "Russian". An attempt to create a general picture (in a kind of statistical form) of the fate of Russian princesses and princesses is made below information about the Rurik-Igorevich dynasty in its eight branches, originating from the family of the first Kiev princes known to us (Kiev, Chernigov, Galitskaya, Kiev-Galitskaya, Galitsko -Volynskaya, Polotskaya, Turovo-Pinskaya and Rostov-Suzdal) on the analysis of the evidence of about two hundred women associated with the princely life.

Among the Russian princesses (daughters of the princes of Russia), names known to historians, thirty-three girls had Slavic names (Boleslav, Vysheslav, Verkhuslav, Vseslav, Vera, Gorodislav, Dobronega, Lord, Dubravka, Zabava, Dzvenislav (Zvenislav), Zbislav, Kiriyana, Lyubava , Lybid, Maritsa, Pereyaslav, Predslav, Premislav, Pribislav, Proksed, Rogned, Rostislav, Svyatoslav, Solomiya, Yaroslav). Of these thirty-three women of the princely family, twelve princesses became Russian princesses (we will refer to them the chronicle Lybid), four princesses enlisted with the kings of Poland, and two with the kings of Hungary. Two princesses became princesses of Pomerania. Among the daughters of princes from Russia, who had certain of the above-mentioned Slavic names, there were also Princess Mazovetskaya, Duchess Shleskaya, Duchess Poznanska. Maritza, daughter of Vladimir Monomakh, was the wife of Leon, the son of Diogenes, who claimed the Byzantine throne, and the daughter of a descendant of Vladimir Monomakh, Grand Duke of Kiev Mstislav Harald - Lord (from a marriage with the Swedish princess Christina), having adopted the Christian name of Irina, became Empress of Byzantium after marriage Andronikov Komnin. The granddaughter of Yaroslav the Wise Proxed Vsevolodovna (adopted the Christian name Eupraxia) was the wife of Margrave Nordmark Heinrich, and then the German emperor Henry IV, and is known in Europe under the name Adelgaid. Five more princesses changed their names from Slavic to Christian and became nuns, one of whom - Predslava (in Christianity - Euphrosyne) was recognized as a saint by the Orthodox Church. This daughter of the son of the Prince of Polotsk, and in the future - the Grand Duke of Kiev Vseslav I Svyatoslav, whom Mstislav Harald was forced into exile, was forced to become a nun and died in 1173. Two princesses (unknown to us name) died at a young age, and did not have time to leave get married.

The Slavic name - Malusha - was the name of the daughter of Malka Lyubchanin, who entered Russian history as the mistress of Svyatoslav Igorevich (the Brave) and had the baptist of Russia - Vladimir Svyatoslavovich. The daughter of boyar Stepan Kuchka with Slavic name- Ulita - became the princess of Vladimir, having married Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky.

With non-Slavic names (Agatha, Anastasia, Anna (Anna), Griffina, Irina, Ingeborga, Evdokia, Efrosinya, Euphemia, Elizabeth, Ekaterina, Kinegurda, Maria, Malfrida, Margarita, Marina, Elena, Olga, Ofka, Sofia, Fedora, Yanka ) the history knows another fifty-five princely daughters, of which twenty-two married Russian princes (let us include the wife of Prince Igor Rurikovich of Kiev, Olga). Four princesses were the wives of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania Olgerd, Lubart, Vitovt-Alexander and Svidrigailo-Boleslav during the times of the strengthening of Lithuania and the decline of fragmented feudal Russia. However, long before this time, the highest officials of European countries had the honor to tie their destinies to the Russian princesses not to claim the throne of the matrimonial homeland, but to enlist the support and influence of their parents and brothers.

So, three princesses from Russia became queens of Poland and the same number - queens of Hungary. The daughter of Daniel Galitsky - Sofia became the wife of Henry V Shvartsburzky. The daughter of the Prince of Belgorod and Chernigov Gleb Svyatoslavich († 1209) - Efimia - became engaged to the Byzantine Tsarevich Angelos, and the daughter of the Prince of Przemysl Sovereign Rostislavich († 1124) - Irina - married Isaac Comnenus. Anastasia († 1335), daughter of Prince Galitsky, King of Russia Lev I Danilovich († 1301), married the Polish prince Zemovit. There were princely daughters and the wife of Peter Vlast and the woman of the Polish palatinine Peter. Russian princesses also became princess Mazovsha, princess Krakow, bathhouse of Zagreb. The Russian princesses left the Queen Bordrich - Ingeborga Mstislavovna and the Queen of Bohemia - Kinegurda Rostislavna. The daughter of the Grand Duke of Kiev Mstislav I Harold (+ 1132) was married to the king of Sweden - Sigurt, and later became the wife of the Danish king Eric and is known to historians under the name Malfrid. Even earlier, the daughter of Yaroslav the Wise († 1054) - Elizabeth - 1044 married the Norwegian king Harold, and in the year 1067 she married the king of Denmark - Sven. Another daughter of Yaroslav the Wise - Anna (Agnes) - is today the most famous woman in Ukrainian-Russian history. This princess, a nineteen-year-old girl in 1051, became the wife of King Henry V of France and was a French queen for nine years, after which in 1060 she became engaged to Raoul Creny de Valois.

The daughter of the Grand Duke of Kiev Vsevolod And Yaroslavich (+ 1093) - Yanka - devoted herself to serving Christ and died as Abbess 1112. Among the princesses who had non-Slavic names, as well as among those who had Slavic names, there were also nuns. They became three princely daughters, and two of them, like the above-mentioned Predslava-Euphrosinia, were canonized by the Orthodox Church as saints. This is Efrosinya (+ 1250), a nun, daughter of Prince Galitsky, Chernigov, Grand Duke of Kiev, Ban Machva Michael (Saint) Vsevolodovich and Princess Galitskaya Elena Romanovna and daughter of the brother of St. IV - nun Margarita (+ 1250).

Four more, known to historians by the name and family of the princess, who died unmarried for various reasons. By the names of a non-Slavic root, two women of a non-princely family are also known, they became princesses in Russia, namely Nastasya Chagrova (burned in 1171) - the second woman of Prince of Galician Yaroslav Osmomysl (+ 1187) and Catherine, daughter of the Novgorod mayor Petril - the second wife of Svyatoslav Olegovich († 1164), Prince of Chernigov. Among the women of the princely family, we know about the presence of nine more daughters of the Grand Duke of Kiev Vladimir the Great, but, unfortunately, neither their names nor their destinies are known. It is known about the other daughters of the Grand Duke that Predslava (from a marriage with the Polotsk princess Rogneda) died somewhere after 1015, Premislava married the Hungarian king Ladislav I, and Dobronega Maria (1011-1087) was married to the Polish king Casimir I.

At the same time, historians know the fate and genealogy of another fifteen princesses, whose names, however, are not known. Ten of them became princesses in Russia. One princess became the wife of Vratislav - Prince of Moravian from Brno (daughter of Vasilko the Blinded (+ 1124), Prince of Terebovletskiy). She became engaged to the Hungarian king Stephen III 1167, the daughter of the Galician prince Yaroslav Osmomysl is unknown, and the daughter of the already mentioned ban Machva Rostislav Mikhailovich was the wife of twice two Bulgarian kings, first Mikhail, and then Constantine, of an unknown name. The sister of the Grand Duke Vladimir Monomakh and the daughter of Vsevolod and "Chernigov", whose name we do not know, died in 1089, remaining, obviously, not married. Remains unknown and the fate of the daughter of the son of Yaroslav Vsevolodovich "Chernigov" Yaropolk († after 1214), Prince of Novgorod.

At the same time, today the names of four princesses from Russia are known, where the unknown, however, is their origin; in particular, this is the wife of Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich of Chernigov (+ 1198) - Irina and the wife of Yaroslav the Wise - Anna (Anna), Anastasia - the wife of Vsevolod Yaropolkovich (+ c. 1261) of Prince of Chernigov and another Anna, who was the second wife of the Grand Duke of Kiev Vsevolod And Yaroslavich "Chernigovsky" (+ 1093).

Four more wives of Russian princes are known to historians, but not only their genealogy, but also their names are unknown. Among them are the first woman of Svyatoslav (the Brave) Igorevich, who died in 972. In a battle with the Pechenegs, the last wife of his son Vladimir, the second woman of Vladimir Monomakh - the princes of Kiev - and the first woman of Prince Vladimir - Andrei Bogolyubsky.

In addition, two more women, whose names are unknown to historians, were probably not princesses of a princely family. This is the so-called "priest" - the second wife of the Galician prince Vladimir (+ 1198) - the son of Yaroslav Osmomysl and the daughter of the Novgorod mayor Dmitry Zavidich, who died in 1168 And was also the second wife of the Grand Duke of Kiev Mstislav And Harald, the son of Vladimir Monomakh.

So, out of one hundred and three Russian princesses, more or less known to historians, the names and fates known to us have eighty-eight, and fifteen princesses, the testimonies of which have come down to our days, unknown today by name.

In general, from all the now known daughters of Russian princes - the descendants of Rurik (or, rather, Igor and Olga) - forty-four princesses became princesses in Russia (ten of them are of an unknown name). There were eight princes who, due to premature death or the lack of permanent chronicle evidence, leave the historical scene unmarried. The same number of Russian princesses went (and some of them were forced to do so) as nuns, three of whom were recognized as saints by the Orthodox Church. One princess became abbess.

Revenge of Princess Olga

Eight princesses were engaged to the kings of Poland: Vysheslava Svyatoslavovna - with Boleslav II in the Bold, Zbislava Svyatopolkivna 1102 - with Boleslav III Crooked-mouth, Verkhuslava Vsevolodovna - with the son of Zbislav Boleslav IV Kudryav, Dobronega Vladimirovna Ilena Kazisim † 97 II Fair, Elena Ivanovna - with Alexander, Evdokia Izyaslavna - with Meshko III, Agata Svyatoslavovna - with Kondraty I. In addition to them, they went to Poland to marry Mazovsha Pereyaslav Danilovna - to Prince Zemovit II, and went to Krakow to marry Leshka Cherny Griffina Rostislavovna. Duchesses became princesses: Zvenislava Vsevolodovna (after Boleslav with Schlezu) and Vysheslava Yaroslavna (after Odon from Poznan). Two Russian princesses became princesses of Pomerania: Solomiya Romanovna (after Prince Sventopolk) and Pribislava Yaroslavna (after Ratibor I). The daughter of an unknown name Vasilka, Prince Terebovletskiy, became the Princess of Moravia, having married Prince Vratislava with Brno.

For the unity and power of the Russian principalities, Ofka Danilovna (+ 1349), Anna - Princess Smolenskaya, Anna - Princess Tverskaya left for marriage to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Two princesses, which we mentioned above, became queens of the German lands and empresses of Byzantium. Among the Russian princesses were also: the queens of France, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Bohemia, Bordrich, the queen of Bulgaria, and the daughter of Roman Danilovich, Prince of Slonim and Novogrudok - Maria (+ 1253) - married Stephen IV, the ban of Zagreb. Six more princesses married the kings of Hungary: Predslava Svyatopolkivna - with Almos, Premislava Vladimirovna - with Ladislav I Efimiya Vladimirovna († 1138) - with Koloman, Efrosinya Mstislavna († 1146) - with Geyza II, Anastasia Yaroslavna and an unknown name with an unknown name daughter of Yaroslav Osmomysl - with Stephen III.

Five women became Russian princesses, although they came from a non-princely family. This is the so-called "priest" - Nastasya Chagrova, Ekaterina is the daughter of Petril, Ulita Kuchka and the unknown daughter of Dmitry Zavidich. The mistress of the prince of Kiev Svyatoslav Igorevich - Malusha - gave from him Ukraine-Rus a prince-son - Vladimir the Great. There were eight women of an unknown family of princesses in Russia, about whom the chronicle mentions, four of whom are unknown to us even by name.

Thus, of the one hundred and three princesses known to historians, only forty-four of them became princesses in Russia, and thirty-nine - wives of foreign husbands. This shows that foreign owners had the honor and were happy to marry Russian princesses.

Most of their daughters were married outside Russia by the princes of the Kiev and Galicia lines (which is natural with their leading role in the country at different times), and the least - the Turovo-Pinsk and Polotsk lines (no less naturally the same, but opposite, reasons for besides, the Polotsk princes among the owners of Russia for a long time were considered outcast princes, which, in particular, undermined, among other things, their international authority). In general, from all of the above, it is clear that the princes of Russia actively used, through the marriages of their daughters, their own state foreign policy interests and aspirations in the European direction (in particular, the Byzantine Empire), paying more attention to the close foreign countries, but the powerful of them fell in kinship with most of the then European dynasties.

But princely marriages (as a rule, almost always repeated) with foreign women were geopolitically more diverse and with a noticeable percentage of marriages with daughters of the ruling clans of neighboring eastern state entities... The tendency for Russian owners to marry with Asians appears in the XII-XIII centuries, during the increasing pressure of the eastern hordes on the borders of Ukraine-Rus and during the period of feudal fragmentation. So, forty-eight foreign princesses, known by historians of families, in Russia, eight were Polovtsi. Among them: the daughter of Khan Tugorkhan, who was married to the grandson of Yaroslav the Wise, the Grand Duke of Kiev Svyatopolk II Izyaslavich (+ 1113), the daughter of Khan Osoluk - with the prince of Chernigov, Kursk and Novgorod Oleg Svyatoslavich (+ 1115), the third wife was Polovtsian (died 1126 ) Prince of Tmutarakansky, later - the Grand Duke of Kiev Vladimir Monomakh (+ 1125) and the daughter of Khan Aepa, who married the Prince of Rostov-Suzdal and the Grand Duke of Kiev - Yuri Dolgoruky (+ 1157), an unknown name is the woman of the Volyn prince Andrei Monomakh (+ 1142) and another daughter of Khan Aepa, who became the first wife of Prince of Chernigov Svyatoslav Olegovich (+ 1164), daughter of Khan Konchak - Sloboda, who became engaged to Prince Galitsky - Vladimir Igorevich (hanged 1211) and the daughter of Khan Tigak, who married the son of Daniel Galitsky - Prince of Volyn Mstislav (+ 1292).

At the same time, at that time, marriages of princes-Rusich were spreading with the daughters of the Ossetian princes (Kasogsky), who, from the time of their defeat by the prince of Tmutarakansky, and later by Chernigov and the Grand Duke of Kiev, Mstislav Vladimirovich (+ 1034), became allies of Russia. Today, four such marriages are reliably known, when the Grand Duke of Kiev - Yaropolk II Monomakhovich (+ 1139) - married the Ossetian princess Elena, the Grand Duke of Vladimir - Andrei Bogolyubsky (killed 1174) - took some Ossetian princess for the third woman, another Grand Duke Vladimir - Vsevolod Big Nest(† 1212) - in his first marriage he had a woman Yasinya and, finally, Yasinya was also married to the son of the Grand Duke of Kiev Svyatoslav III - the victorious Chernigov prince Mstislav, who died in 1223 in a battle near the town of Kalka. Among the representatives of the Caucasian peoples, a princess in Russia was also an unknown name, a Georgian princess (Tamara?), With whom the Grand Duke of Kiev was married - Izyaslav II Mstislavich (+ 1154).

And, nevertheless, Russia remains in to a greater extent in the lens of European politics, and this can be clearly seen also taking into account princely marriages. Here, the largest percentage of princely marriages with representatives of European dynasties falls on the conclusion of family ties with women from neighboring countries - Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Byzantium and (since the 12th century) Lithuania.

The princesses in Russia were six Poles, the first of whom is now known to historians, was the daughter of the Polish king Boleslav the Brave, who married the Grand Duke of Kiev - Svyatopolk I Yaropolkovich (+ 1019). In addition to her, the Russian princes were: Gertrude (daughter of King Meshko), Elena (daughter of King Leszko the White), Agnes (daughter of King Boleslav Crooked-mouth and Kiev princess Zbislava Svyatopolkivna is the daughter of King Casimir II and the daughter of King Vladislav-German. The first Hungarian princess among foreign women in Russia was the daughter of King Bela I - Lanka, whom the prince of Tmutarakan - Rostislav Vladimirovich (+ 1067) married.

The wives of the Russian princes were also Hungarian princesses, among whom, in particular, the daughters of the kings Koloman and Ladislav and the daughter of Bela IV - Constance and Anna. According to Hungarians, there were also five Byzantine princesses (Greek women) in our history.

The first known to us princess of Greek origin in Russia, suffered a difficult fate. It is known that she was the wife of the Grand Duke of Kiev - Yaropolk and Svyatoslavovich (+ 978) And later she became a witness and victim of the fratricidal competition of the Svyatoslavichs at the Kiev table. After the defeat and death of Yaropolk, she was forced to become, being already pregnant by him, the wife of the winner - another son of Svyatoslav the Brave - Vladimir I the Great (+ 1015). Her son, Svyatopolk Yaropolkovich (+ 1019), did not hold out as a prince in Kiev for a long time and went down in history with an undeserved name - "Cursed". Princesses from Byzantium in Russia were also the sister of the Emperors of Constantinople - Anna Porfirorodny (+ 1011) - for the Grand Duke of Kiev Vladimir and the Great, Princess Monomakhovna - for the Grand Duke of Kiev Vsevolod And Yaroslavich "Chernigov" (+ 1093), Princess Anna - for Prince Volyn and Galitsky - Roman Mstislavich (killed 1205) and Elena, who was the second wife of the Grand Duke of Kiev - Yuri Dolgoruky (+ 1157).

One of the first foreign women who married Russian princes were Bulgarians. From the history of Kievan Rus there is information that the Grand Duke of Kiev - Vladimir the Great - had two Bulgarians in his wives, but who they are and what their names are is unknown. Another Bulgarian was later the Princess of Pinsk. She became the daughter of the Bulgarian Tsar Boris Georgievich - Efrosinya - after marrying the local prince Yaroslav Yurievich (+ 1186). Two Czech women who were the wives of the same Vladimir the Great also remain unknown. With an increase in the 11th century. Lithuania, family ties Russian princes of the Galicia-Volyn branch are also tied with the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. So, the Galicia-Volyn prince and king of Russia - Daniil Romanovich Galitsky (+ 1264) - had a second wife, daughter Dovsprunk, who was the sister of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Tovtivill, and his nephew - Prince Kholmsky - Shvarno (+ 1269) - was married to the daughter of the Great Prince of Lithuania - Mendovga - and subsequently takes this title.

Old Russian princess. Historical reconstruction. Festival "Warrior Field 2010"

Such a classic unification of the two states of that time - Galicia-Volyn and Lithuanian - through kinship enters its final phase in the XIV century. † 1340) - accepts as wife Ofka, daughter of the Grand Duke of Lithuania - Gediminas. From Western European lands, princesses in Russia became princesses from Pomerania and Italian Teofania Muzalona, ​​Efimia from Moravia and sister of the Bishop of Trier Burgard - Cilicia, daughter of Count Otto - Kunegurda and daughter of Count Lippold - Oda, and also - an unknown name German princess (+ 1151) who is known as the wife of the Grand Duke of Kiev - Izyaslav II Mstislavich. The daughter of King Olaf of Sweden - Irina-Ingigerda (+ 1051) - became the princess of Kiev after her marriage to Yaroslav the Wise. The second daughter of the Swedish king in the history of Ukraine-Rus', she became a Russian princess, was Princess Christina (+ 1122), who married the son of Vladimir Monomakh - the Grand Duke of Kiev Mstislav I - Harald. The very first woman of the Grand Duke himself (at first he was the prince of Tmutarakan) Vladimir Vsevolodovich Monomakh (+ 1125) was the daughter of the King of England - Guide. Among the princesses in Russia was the former queen Ricks, the widow of the king of Denmark - Magnus, married to the prince of Novgorod - Vladimir Vsevolodovich (+ 1140).

Five more princesses of Russia, whose origin is unknown, there is reason to consider foreigners (who, according to some researchers, is the wife of Igor Rurikovich - Princess of Kiev - Olga), taking into account the years of the reign of their men, combined with an analysis of the then historical events and their names. These are, first of all, three wives of the Grand Duke of Kiev Vladimir I Svyatoslavovich (the Great) - Olav, Malfrid and Adlag, who, obviously, were Varyazhko (from Scandinavia) and two Anna (Anna) - one of them was the wife of the son of the same Vladimir the big - Prince of Kiev - Yaroslav the Wise, and the other, died 1111, the wife of his grandson, also the Grand Duke of Kiev - Vsevolod And Yaroslavich "Chernigov". Thus, fifty-three foreign women (of those that we know) became the wives of Russian princes, with whom representatives of the Kiev, Kiev-Galicia and Galicia-Volyn princely lines most often connected their fate, and the princes of the Polotsk line remained "the least popular" ...

In the general examination, we note that of the nearly two hundred stories of women we studied, known to historians to a greater or lesser extent, associated with the princely Russian branches, princesses in Russia became sixty-nine Rusynians (of which six were not of a princely family), fifty-three foreign women ( with five of the aforementioned probable strangers) and eight women of unknown ancestry. Thirty-nine Russian princesses known to us married foreigners, and the fate of nine more daughters of the Grand Duke of Kiev Vladimir I the Great is unknown, as are their names. Of course, these data are not exhaustive, but on the whole they are indicative.

Summing up all of the above, by the conclusion of marriages, one can trace not only the family ties of the then rulers and learn about the fates and names of women associated with the historical past of our country, but, accordingly, the periods of rise and fall of the power of Russia, the foreign policy activity of princes and expand it. However, it should be noted that in the X-XIII centuries. Russia was and remained a significant factor in the then international politics until its final state collapse and decline.

3rd princess of Kiev

Princess Olga, baptized Elena († July 11, 969) - princess, ruled Kievan Rus after the death of her husband, Prince Igor Rurikovich, as regent from 945 to about 960. The first of the Russian rulers adopted Christianity even before the baptism of Rus, the first Russian saint.

Elena Dovedova, Princess Olga

About 140 years after her death, the ancient Russian chronicler expressed the attitude of the Russian people to the first ruler of Kievan Rus, who was baptized:
“She was a harbinger of the Christian land, like a day before the sun, like the dawn before dawn. She shone like the moon in the night; so she shone among the pagans like pearls in the mud. "

Origin

According to the earliest Old Russian chronicle, "The Tale of Bygone Years," Olga was from Pskov.
The Life of the Holy Grand Duchess Olga specifies that she was born in the village of Vybuty, Pskov land, 12 km from Pskov up the Velikaya River.
The names of Olga's parents have not survived, according to the Life they were not of a noble family, "from the Varangian language." According to the Normanists, the Varangian origin is confirmed by her name, which has a correspondence in Old Norse as Helga. The presence of presumably Scandinavians in those places is marked by a number of archaeological finds, possibly dating back to the 1st half of the 10th century.
On the other hand, in the annals Olga's name is often rendered in the Slavic form "Volga". The Old Bohemian name Olha is also known.

Princess Olga at the 1000th Anniversary of Russia Monument in Veliky Novgorod

The typographic chronicle (end of the 15th century) and the later Piskarevsky chronicler convey the rumor that Olga was the daughter of Prophetic Oleg, who began to rule Kievan Rus as the guardian of the young Igor, the son of Rurik: "Netzii is saying, like Olga's daughter Olga." Oleg married Igor and Olga.

The so-called Joachim Chronicle, the reliability of which is questioned by historians, reports about Olga's noble Slavic origin:

“When Igor matured, Oleg married him, gave him his wife from Izborsk, the Gostomyslov clan, which was called Prekrasa, and Oleg renamed her and named Olga in his name. Then Igor had other wives, but Olga, because of her wisdom, honored her more than others. "

Bulgarian historians also put forward a version about the Bulgarian roots of Princess Olga, relying mainly on the message of the New Vladimir Chronicler (“Igor is married [Oleg] to Bolgarekh, they will sing Princess Olga for him.”) And translating the chronicle name of Pleskov not as Pskov, but as Pliska is the Bulgarian capital of that time. The names of both cities really coincide in the Old Slavic transcription of some texts, which served as the basis for the author of the New Vladimir Chronicler to translate the message "The Tale of Bygone Years" about Olga from Pskov as about Olga from the Bulgarians, since the spelling of Pleskov to designate Pskov has long been out of use.

Marriage and the beginning of reign

Based on the "Tale of Bygone Years" Prophetic Oleg married Igor Rurikovich, who began to rule independently in 912, to Olga in 903. This date is being questioned, since, according to the Ipatiev list of the same "Tale", their son Svyatoslav was born only in 942.

Vasiliy Sazonov (1789-1870). The first meeting of Prince Igor with Olga.

Perhaps to resolve this contradiction, the later Ustyug Chronicle and the Novgorod Chronicle, according to the list of P.P. Dubrovsky, report that Olga was 10 years old at the time of the wedding. This message contradicts the legend set forth in the Book of Degrees (2nd half of the 16th century), about a chance meeting with Igor at the crossing near Pskov.
The prince hunted in the local area. Crossing the river by boat, he noticed that the carrier was a young girl dressed in men's clothes.
Igor immediately “flushed with desire” and began to pester her, but received a worthy reprimand in response: “Why are you embarrassing me, prince, with immodest words? I may be young and ignorant, and alone here, but know: it is better for me to throw myself into the river than to endure the reproach. "
O casual acquaintance Igor remembered when it was time to look for a bride for himself, and sent Oleg for his beloved girl, not wanting any other wife.

“Princess Olga meets the body of Prince Igor”. Sketch by V.I.Surikov, 1915

The Novgorod First Chronicle of the younger version, which contains in the most unchanged form information from the Primary Code of the XI century, leaves the message about Igor's marriage to Olga not dated, that is, the earliest Old Russian chroniclers did not have information about the date of the wedding.
It is likely that 903 in the PVL text arose at a later time, when the monk Nestor tried to bring the initial ancient Russian history in chronological order.
After the wedding, Olga's name was mentioned again only 40 years later, in the Russian-Byzantine treaty of 944.

According to the chronicle, in 945, Prince Igor died at the hands of the Drevlyans after repeatedly collecting tribute from them. The heir to the throne Svyatoslav was then only 3 years old, so Olga became the actual ruler of Kievan Rus in 945.

Boris Olshansky

Igor's squad obeyed her, recognizing Olga as the representative of the legitimate heir to the throne. The princess's decisive course of action in relation to the Drevlyans could also persuade the warriors in her favor.

Revenge of the Drevlyans

After the murder of Igor, the Drevlyans sent matchmakers to his widow Olga to call her to marry their prince Mal. The princess consistently dealt with the elders of the Drevlyans, and then brought the people of the Drevlyans to obedience. An ancient Russian chronicler sets out in detail Olga's revenge for the death of her husband:

"Olga's vengeance against the idols of the Drevlyans." Engraving by F.A. Bruni, 1839.

* 1st revenge of Princess Olga: Matchmakers, 20 Drevlyans, arrived in a boat, which the Kievites carried and threw into a deep hole in the courtyard of Olga's tower. The matchmakers-ambassadors were buried alive along with the boat.

“And, bowing to the pit, Olga asked them:“ Is your honor good? ”
They answered: "We are bitter than Igor's death."
And she commanded them to fall asleep alive; and covered them .. "

Olga's second revenge against the Drevlyans. Miniature from the Radziwill Chronicle.

* 2nd revenge: Olga asked for respect to send new ambassadors from the best husbands to her, which was eagerly performed by the Drevlyans.
The embassy of the noble Drevlyans was burned in the bathhouse, while they washed, preparing for a meeting with the princess.

* 3rd revenge: The princess with a small retinue arrived in the lands of the Drevlyans to, according to custom, celebrate a funeral at her husband's grave. Having drunk the Drevlyans during the funeral feast, Olga ordered to chop them down. The chronicle reports about 5 thousand killed Drevlyans.

Olga's fourth revenge against the Drevlyans. Miniature from the Radziwill Chronicle.

* 4th revenge: In 946, Olga went with an army on a campaign against the Drevlyans. According to the Novgorod First Chronicle, the Kiev squad defeated the Drevlyans in battle. Olga walked along the Drevlyansky land, established tributes and taxes, after which she returned to Kiev. In the PVL, the chronicler made an insert into the text of the Primary Code on the siege of the Drevlyansk capital of Iskorosten. On PVL, after an unsuccessful siege during the summer, Olga burned the city with the help of birds, to whose feet she ordered to tie a lighted tow with sulfur. Some of Iskorosten's defenders were killed, the rest obeyed. A similar legend about the burning of the city with the help of birds is also set forth by Saxon Grammaticus (XII century) in his compilation of oral Danish legends about the exploits of the Vikings and Snorri Sturluson's skald.

Olga's revenge to the Drevlyans. Fig. Medvedev.

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 from military campaigns most of the time.

Olga's board

V.M. Vasnetsov (1848 1926). Duchess Olga. Sketch.

Having conquered the Drevlyans, Olga in 947 went to the Novgorod and Pskov lands, appointing lessons there (a kind of tribute), after which she returned to her son Svyatoslav in Kiev. Olga established a system of "graveyards" - centers of trade and exchange, in which the collection of taxes took place in a more orderly manner; then temples began to be built along the churchyards. Princess Olga laid the foundation for stone urban planning in Russia (the first stone buildings in Kiev - the city palace and Olga's country house), paid attention to the improvement of the lands subject to Kiev - Novgorod, Pskov, located along the Desna River, etc.

In 945 Olga established the size of "polyudya" - taxes in favor of Kiev, the timing and frequency of their payment - "quitrent" and "statutes". The lands subject to Kiev were divided into administrative units, in each of which a princely administrator, "tiun", was appointed.

Kira Skripnichenko, Princess Olga.

On the Pskov River, where she was born, Olga, according to legend, founded the city of Pskov. In place of the vision of three luminiferous rays from the sky, which the Grand Duchess was honored in those parts of, the Church 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 outer Russia to Constantinople are one of Nemogard, in which Sfendoslav, the son of Ingor, Archon of Russia, was sitting."

From this short message it follows that by 949 Igor held power in Kiev, or, which looks 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 baptism of Olga in Constantinople. Miniature from the Radziwill Chronicle.

Olga's next deed, noted in the PVL, is her baptism in 955 in Constantinople. Upon her return to Kiev, Olga, who was baptized as Helen, tried to introduce Svyatoslav to Christianity, but “he did not even think to listen to this; but if anyone was going to be baptized, he did not forbid, but only mocked him. " Moreover, Svyatoslav was angry with his mother for her persuasion, fearing to lose the respect of the squad.

In 957, Olga paid an official visit to Constantinople with a large embassy, ​​known from the description of court ceremonies by Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus in his composition "Ceremonies". The emperor calls Olga the ruler (archontissa) of Russia, the name of Svyatoslav (in the enumeration of the retinue, “the people of Svyatoslav” are indicated) is mentioned without a title.

The Radziwill Chronicle Olga's reception by Konstantin Porphyrogenitus

Apparently, the visit to Byzantium did not bring desired results, since the PVL reports Olga's cold attitude towards the Byzantine ambassadors in Kiev shortly after the visit. On the other hand, the Successor of Theophanes in the story of the conquest of Crete from the Arabs under the Emperor Roman II (959-963) mentioned the Rus as part of the Byzantine army.

It is not known exactly when Svyatoslav began to rule on his own. PVL reports on his first military campaign in 964.

The Western European Chronicle of the Continuer of Reginon reports under the year 959:

They came to the king (Otto I the Great), as it turned out later in a deceitful way, the ambassadors of Helena, Queen of Rugov, who was baptized in Constantinople under the Emperor of Constantinople Romanus, and asked to consecrate a bishop and priests for this people.
Original text (lat.)

Legati Helenae reginae Rugorum, quae sub Romano imperatore Constantinopolitano Constantinopoli baptizata est, ficte, ut post clariut, ad regem venientes episcopum et presbiretos eidem genti ordinari petebant.

Reginonis abbatis prumiensis Chronicon, cum continuatione treverensi

Thus, in 959 Olga, baptized Elena, was officially regarded as the ruler of Russia.

The Baptism of Grand Princess St Olga (Sergei Kirillov, 1992) (Painting One of the triptych Holy Rus)

Archontissa Olga. Drawing from an old book.

The convinced pagan Svyatoslav Igorevich turned 18 in 960, and the mission sent by Otto I to Kiev failed, as the Successor of Reginon reports:

“The year 962. In this year, Adalbert returned back, made bishop of Rugam, for he did not have time in anything for which he was sent, and saw his efforts in vain; on the way back, some of his companions were killed, but he himself, with great difficulty, barely escaped. "

The date of the beginning of the independent reign of Svyatoslav is rather arbitrary, the Russian chronicles consider him to be his successor to the throne immediately after the murder of his father Igor by the Drevlyans.

"Saint Olga". Sketch for the mosaic by N.K. Roerich. 1915

Svyatoslav was all the time on military campaigns against the neighbors of Russia, entrusting the government with the mother. When in 968 the Pechenegs first raided the Russian lands, Olga and Svyatoslav's children locked themselves in Kiev. Svyatoslav, who returned from a campaign against Bulgaria, lifted the siege, but did not want to stay in Kiev for a long time. When the next year he was about to go back to Pereyaslavets, Olga held him back:

“You see, I'm sick; where do you want to get away from me? " - for she was already sick.
And she said, "When you bury me, go wherever you want." Three days later Olga died, and her son and her grandchildren, and all the people cried for her with great lamentation, and carried her and buried her in the chosen place, Olga bequeathed not to perform funeral feasts on her, since she had a priest with her. and buried blessed Olga. "

Monk Jacob in the 11th century essay "Memory and Praise to Prince Volodimer of Rus" reports the exact date of Olga's death: July 11, 969.

Olga's baptism and church veneration

Akimov Ivan Akimovich

Princess Olga became the first ruler of Kievan Rus to be baptized, although both the squad and the Old Russian people were pagan under her. The son of Olga, the Grand Duke of Kiev Svyatoslav Igorevich, also stayed in paganism.

The date and circumstances of the baptism remain unclear. According to the PVL, this happened in 955 in Constantinople, Olga was personally baptized by Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus with the patriarch (Theophylact):
“And she was named in baptism by the name Helen, as well as the ancient queen-mother of Emperor Constantine I.”

PVL and Life adorn the circumstances of baptism with a story about how the wise Olga outwitted the Byzantine king. He, marveling at her intelligence and beauty, wanted to take Olga as his wife, but the princess rejected the claims, noting that it was not proper for Christians to marry pagans. It was then that the tsar and the patriarch baptized her. When the king again began to solicit the princess, she pointed out that she was now the goddaughter of the king.
Then he richly presented her and sent her home.

Only one visit of Olga to Constantinople is known from Byzantine sources. Konstantin Porphyrogenitus described it in detail in the composition of The Ceremony, without indicating the year of the event.
But he indicated the dates of official receptions: Wednesday 9 September (on the occasion of Olga's arrival) and Sunday 18 October. This combination corresponds to 957 and 946 years.
Olga's long stay in Constantinople is noteworthy.
When describing the technique, they are called basileus (Konstantin Porphyrogenitus himself) and Roman - purplish basileus. It is known that Roman II the Younger, the son of Constantine, became the formal co-ruler of his father in 945.
The mention of Roman's children at the reception testifies in favor of 957, which is considered the generally accepted date of Olga's visit and her baptism.

However, Konstantin never mentioned Olga's baptism, as well as the purpose of her visit.
In the retinue of the princess, a certain priest Gregory was named, on the basis of which some historians suggest that Olga visited Constantinople already baptized. In this case, the question arises why Constantine calls the princess by her pagan name, and not Helen, as the Successor of Reginon did.

Another, later Byzantine source (XI century) reports on baptism precisely in the 950s:

“And the wife of a Russian archon who once set out on a voyage against the Romans, named Elga, when her husband died, arrived in Constantinople. Baptized and openly made a choice in favor of the true faith, she, having received the great honor of this choice, returned home. "

The successor of Reginon, cited above, also speaks of baptism in Constantinople, and the mention of the name of the emperor Roman testifies in favor of baptism in 957.
The testimony of the Continuer of Reginon can be considered reliable, since, as historians believe, Bishop Adalbert of Magdeburg wrote under this name, who led an unsuccessful mission to Kiev (961) and had first-hand information.

According to most sources, Princess Olga was baptized in Constantinople in the fall of 957, and was probably baptized by Roman II, the son and co-ruler of Emperor Constantine VII, and Patriarch Polyeuctus. Olga made the decision to accept the faith in advance, although the chronicle legend presents this decision as spontaneous.

Holy Princess Olga. Sketch for the painting of the Cathedral of St. Vladimir in Kiev. M.V. Nesterov, 1892.

Nothing is known about those people who spread Christianity in Russia. Perhaps these were the Bulgarian Slavs (Bulgaria was baptized in 865), since the influence of the Bulgarian vocabulary can be traced in the early Old Russian chronicle texts. The penetration of Christianity into Kievan Rus is evidenced by the mention of the cathedral church of Elijah the Prophet in Kiev in the Russian-Byzantine treaty (944).

Olga was buried in the ground (969) according to the Christian rite. Her grandson Prince Vladimir I Svyatoslavich the Baptist transferred (1007) the relics of the saints, including Olga, to the Church of the Holy Mother of God in Kiev, which he founded.
According to the Life and the monk Jacob, the body of the blessed princess was preserved from decay.
Her “shining like the sun” body could be observed through a window in a stone coffin, which was slightly opened for any true believing Christian, and many found healing there. All the others saw only the coffin.

Most likely, during the reign of Vladimir (970-988), Princess Olga began to be revered as a saint. This is evidenced by the transfer of her relics to the church and the description of miracles given by the monk Jacob in the 11th century.
Since that time, the day of remembrance of St. Olga (Helena) began to be celebrated on July 11, at least in the Church of the Tithes itself. However, the official canonization (general church glorification) took place, apparently, later - until the middle of the 13th century.

Her name early becomes baptismal, in particular among the Czechs.

In 1547 Olga was canonized as a saint equal to the apostles. Only 5 other holy women in Christian history have received such an honor (Mary Magdalene, the first martyr Thekla, martyr Apphia, Queen Helena Equal to the Apostles and the enlightener of Georgia Nina).

The memory of Olga Equal to the Apostles is celebrated Orthodox churches Russian tradition on July 11 according to the Julian calendar; Catholic and other Western churches - July 24 Gregorian.

Revered as the patroness of widows and newly converted Christians.

Princess

Valentina Keil

Olga sobbed at her husband's grave.
Buried in the land of the Drevlyan prince,
Where the crows are circling in the darkened sky,
And the forest is approaching from all sides.
Crying swept through the dark oak groves,
Through the path of animals and windbreak ...
And she dreamed of a river crossing
And any heart, kind father's house ...
From there Olga, a modest girl,
When the first snow fell to the ground,
They took them to the tower, to Kiev - the city, the capital:
So Grand Duke Oleg ordered.
Having married a commoner Igor,
He became in Olga and saw pride:
"She has a place only in the princely chambers,
The princess will be assigned her destiny! "
No Igor ... the murderers of her husband are smerds -
They ruined life, took away love ...
Having sent a feast to her husband, Olga with death
She punished the cruel one: "Blood for blood!"
The wretched shacks of the disobedient were burning,
Corpses were lying on the land of the Drevlyans
Like food for dogs, and in shameful nakedness
They were horror to the mundane villagers.
The law of the Gentiles is harsh. And revenge
And death can only be frightening.
But the prince chose a bride from the people,
And she - to rule the people.
Enemies are all around. And malicious slander.
Disobedience and intrigues of princelings ...
The princess heard: somewhere in the world
There is no belief in pagan gods
And worship is not idols, but God.
Recognition of the One Creator!
The princess set off on a journey,
So that hearts thaw in Russia.
And faith, merciful, holy,
Olga was one of the first to accept it.
Blessing to the native land
As a bright, kind mind brought.
Russia was strong for centuries
Not the fabulous decoration of cities -
In the sacred faith, Russia nourished strength,
The canon of which: TO THE NEAR LOVE.

The establishment of Christianity in Russia under the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir of Kiev was preceded by the reign of the Grand Duchess Olga, who in ancient times was called the root of Orthodoxy. During her reign, the seeds of the faith of Christ were successfully planted in Russia. According to the chronicler, St. Olga, Equal to the Apostles, "is the first ruiner of idols and orthodoxy throughout the land of Rus'."

Equal-to-the-Apostles Olga was born in the Psovo land, her lineage goes back to Gostomysl. The Joachim Chronicle reports that Saint Olga belonged to the family of the ancient Russian princely Izborsk dynasty. She was born into a pagan family in the village of Vytuby, near Pskov, on the Velikaya River. She was already in her youth with a deep mind and exceptional moral purity in a pagan environment. The ancient authors call the holy princess the God-wise, the wisest of the family, and it was purity that was the good soil on which the seeds of the Christian faith bore such rich fruit.

Saint Olga was also distinguished by her external, bodily beauty. When the future Kiev prince Igor saw her while hunting in the northern forests, he inflamed with unclean lust for her and began to incline her to carnal sin. However, the wise and chaste girl began to admonish the prince not to be a slave to his passions. “Remember and think,” she said, “that you are a prince, and for people a prince, like a ruler and judge, should be a bright example of good deeds.” She talked so wisely with Igor that the prince was ashamed.

When Igor established himself in Kiev, he decided to choose his wife among the most beautiful girls in the principality. But none of them pleased him. Then he remembered Olga and sent his guardian and relative, Prince Oleg, for her. In 903, Saint Olga became the wife of Prince Igor. Since 912, after the death of Prince Oleg, Igor began to rule in Kiev with absolute power. He successfully completed several military campaigns. During the reign of Igor, who was loyal to the Christian religion, the faith of Christ spread in Kiev so much that Christians made up a significant part of society. That is why the peace treaty with the Greeks, concluded shortly before the death of Prince Igor, was approved by two religious communities in Kiev: Christians and pagans. In 945, Prince Igor was killed by the Drevlyans. Fearing revenge for the murder of the Kiev prince and wishing to strengthen their position, the Drevlyans sent ambassadors to Princess Olga, inviting her to marry their ruler Mal. But Olga, then still a pagan, rejected the proposal of the Drevlyans. Cunningly luring the elders and all the noble men of the Drevlyans to Kiev, she avenged them with a painful death for the death of her husband. Olga repeatedly took revenge on the Drevlyans until they submitted to Kiev, and their capital, Korosten, was not burnt to the ground. As a pagan, she could not then ascend to the commandment of forgiveness and love for enemies.

After the death of Prince Igor, she successfully ruled the state and strengthened the power of the Kiev Grand Duke. The Grand Duchess traveled around the Russian land in order to streamline the civil and economic life of the people. Under her, the Russian land was divided into regions, or volosts, in many places she set up graveyards, which became administrative and judicial centers. God-wise Olga went down in history as a great creator of the culture of Kievan Rus. She resolutely refused secondary marriage, keeping the grand-princely throne for the growing son of Svyatoslav. Saint Princess Olga put in a lot of work to strengthen the country's defense. Historians attribute the establishment of the first state borders of Russia to the time of Olga's reign - in the west, with Poland.

History has not preserved the names of the first Christian mentors of Saint Olga, probably because the conversion of the blessed princess to Christ was associated with Divine admonition. One of the ancient texts says about it this way: “O divinity! They themselves do not lead the Scriptures, nor the Christian law, and have not heard of the teacher about piety, but by the nature of piety you diligently study and love the Christian faith with all your soul. About the ineffable Providence of God! Not from the blessed man learned the truth, but from above the teacher has the Wisdom of God. " Saint Olga went to Christ through the search for Truth, seeking satisfaction for her inquiring mind; the ancient author calls her "God's chosen steward of wisdom." The Monk Nestor the Chronicler narrates: "Blessed Olga from an early age sought wisdom, which is the best in this light, and found a precious pearl - Christ."

In 955, the princess went to Constantinople, where she was honorably received by Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus (913-959) and Patriarch Theophylact (933-956). According to the chronicle, she soon received holy Baptism with the name Helena, in honor of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Queen Helena (1327; Comm. 21 May). The emperor Constantine himself became its receiver. Patriarch Theophylact instructed the Russian princess in the truths of the Orthodox faith and gave her commandments about preserving the Church Rite, about prayer, fasting, alms, and keeping cleanliness. “She, bowing her head, stood listening to the teaching like a sponge to drink,” writes the Monk Nestor. Saint Olga returned to Kiev, taking with her the holy cross, icons, and liturgical books. Here her apostolic ministry began. She led many Kievites to Christ and Holy Baptism, made attempts to influence her son, a convinced pagan, faint-heartedly afraid of the condemnation of the squad. But Prince Svyatoslav remained deaf to the calls of his mother. Without forcing her son, Saint Olga prayed with humility: “The will of God be done. If God wants to have mercy on my family and the Russian land, let him put it on their hearts to turn to God, as God gave me a gift too. " Saint Olga built in Kiev, on the grave of Prince Askold, a temple in the name of Saint Nicholas, laid a wooden temple in the name of Saint Sophia the Wisdom of God.

Then, preaching the holy faith, the holy princess set off to the north. On the way, she smashed idols and installed stone crosses in the places of pagan temples, from which numerous miracles took place to enlighten the pagans. When it flows into the river The great river In the Pskovs, Saint Olga saw the "ray of the Trisly Divinity" - a sign of God's care for Russia. The blessed princess put a cross in that place and founded a temple in the Name of the Holy Life-Giving Trinity. She prophetically announced that "a great city" would be erected here. It is historically reliable that St. Olga, Equal to the Apostles, was the founder of Pskov. Upon her return to Kiev, she sent a lot of gold and silver to the construction of the Pskov temple.

At the end of her life, blessed Olga endured many sorrows. Svyatoslav, who did not receive Holy Baptism, left his elderly mother and moved to the city of Pereyaslavets on the Danube. In addition, he interfered with her activities to establish Christianity in Russia. In 968 Kiev was besieged by the Pechenegs. The holy princess and her grandchildren, including Prince Vladimir, found themselves in mortal danger. When the news of the siege reached Svyatoslav, he hastened to help, and the Pechenegs were put to flight. The holy princess, already seriously ill, asked her son not to leave until her death. She did not lose hope to turn her son's heart to God and on her deathbed did not stop preaching. On July 11, 969, Saint Olga reposed in the Lord, bequeathed not to arrange funerals for herself, but to perform a Christian burial.

After 19 years, the grandson of the holy princess Olga, the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir, was baptized. He built in Kiev a stone church in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos (Church of the Tithes), where the incorruptible relics of St. Olga were transferred. A window was built over her tomb, which opened itself if one approached the relics with faith. By faith, Christians were honored to see the radiant relics of the holy princess and receive healing from them. The Russian people honor the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Olga as the founder of Christianity in Russia, addressing her with the words of the Monk Nestor: "Rejoice, Russian knowledge of God, the beginning of our reconciliation with Him."