The Orthodox Church considers the figure of Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga to be one of the most important and influential in our history.
Interesting facts about Princess Olga
1. Princess Olga avenged her husband’s death four times. In 945, the Derevlyans killed Prince Igor, Olga’s husband. According to the “tale of bygone years”, the widow took revenge four times.
2. Princess Olga is the only female ruler of Kievan Rus. Olga ruled the state as regent after the death of her husband Prince Igor in 945 until their son Svyatoslav came of age. Her title was recognised by the boyars and local leaders of Rus’.
3- Olga – The first Christian among the princes of Kiev. She became the first Kiev governor who has accepted Christianity. It has christened Emperor Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus. It has taken place in Constantinople in 957. Then Olga has established diplomatic relations with the Byzantium Empire. She concluded trade and political agreements with Constantine, which strengthened the ties between Kievan Rus’ and Byzantium.
4. Princess Olga established a system of taxes in Russia. She reformed the system of collecting tribute by establishing “pogosts” and “lessons”. Pogosts were places of collecting tribute, and lessons – its size. According to the chronicles, Olga travelled the state with the new rules. This strengthened the financial position of Rus’ and centralised power in Kiev.
5. Olga laid the foundation for the baptism of Russia. after travelling to Constantinople, the princess tried to introduce Christianity as the state religion, but faced resistance from pagans. But the ruler nurtured Christian values in her grandson, Vladimir the Great. It was Olga’s education that contributed to Vladimir’s decision to christen Kievan Rus’ in 988. The introduction of Christianity soon became an important pledge for the development of the state.
6. princess Olga was inspired by Ivan Franko. her image became a symbol of wisdom, determination and diplomatic talent, and many writers and poets of different epochs turned to it. Thus, Ivan Franko wrote a poem “Olga” about the princess. In the work he outlined the image of a wise and strong ruler who was able to save and strengthen the state after the death of her husband.
7. In 1547 Princess Olga was canonised by the Orthodox Church as Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles. This title is given to persons who have made a significant contribution to the spread of the Christian faith, like the Apostles. This is how the Church appreciated the spiritual and political legacy of the Kievan ruler.