Day of Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duchess Olga

On July 24 (July 11), 969, the earthly journey of Grand Duchess Olga, the “leader of the faith” of the Russian state, ended Saint Olga, Equal to the Apostles, is called the “Root of Orthodoxy” She was the first of the Russian rulers to move away from pagan customs and accept the Christian faith, taking this step 30 years before the baptism of Rus' Like the apostles, the Grand Duchess spread the Gospels in Rus', promoting the widespread conversion of her fellow tribesmen to the Christian faith Saint Olga Equal to the Apostles was canonized in 1574 The cathedral confirmed her widespread veneration in Rus' even in the pre-Mongol period Everyone has their own difficult path to God A clear example of this is Saint Olga Her biography contains many mysteries and chronological inaccuracies But there are also documented facts about the life of this wonderful woman She was brought up according to pagan laws She was destined to become the wife of Igor, Prince of Kyiv, and give birth to a son, Svyatoslav Svyatoslav was orphaned at the age of three due to the fault of the Drevlyans, who killed the Kyiv prince The pagan Olga, who revered the laws of faith of that time, cruelly avenged her husband by performing a funeral rite with sacrifices befitting a princely title The victims were the ambassadors of the hated tribe, buried alive and burned, and thousands of murdered men - the Drevlyans Perhaps it was this monstrous cruelty of revenge that became the starting point from paganism to Christianity Having taken revenge on Igor’s killers, Olga took upon herself full responsibility for Kievan Rus, without giving a single drop of power to outside hands, she saved it for her son While waiting for Svyatoslav to grow up, the Grand Duchess took up the economic and political development of Rus', defending herself from enemies not like a woman - like a reasonable, strong husband Under her leadership, Rus' became a great power The first state borders of Kievan Rus appeared during the reign of Olga She introduced centralized government administration using a systematic taxation scheme During her reign, they began to erect buildings made of stone Chroniclers testify to the nationwide love of their subjects The merciful, pious ruler was a righteous judge, generous, merciful to everyone who was poor, poor, and needy The wisest princess realized that economic and political activity alone was not enough for the prosperity of the state There is also a vital component of the success of any country - the spiritual life of the people In adulthood, having transferred power to her grown-up son, the princess returned to Constantinople to watch the Christian service and personally verify the correctness of the Christian faith There, in 957, she decided to become a Christian Patriarch Theophylact of Constantinople performed the sacrament of baptism over Olga Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus became the godfather Upon returning to Kyiv, the apostolic ministry of the Grand Duchess began She converted many of her compatriots to Christ She failed to turn her only son Svyatoslav to Orthodoxy He did not want to give up pagan customs, but he also did not create obstacles for those who listened to Olga’s sermons and were baptized, becoming a Christian Grandmother taught Svyatoslav’s children the Christian faith But she did not dare to baptize them without her son’s knowledge However, the righteous labors of Saint Olga were not in vain - grandson Vladimir, having become a ruler, decided to be baptized In 988, the clergy of Constantinople baptized the people of Kiev in the Dnieper waters Then the baptism of other peoples of ancient Rus' took place Historians give a positive assessment of the baptism of Rus' Life itself appreciated the significance of the event: the adoption of Christianity brought about great changes and influenced the further political development of the country and the formation of the spiritual culture of the people For the second millennium, Russian Christians have been honoring the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga, admiring her courage, patience, wisdom, and piety In 1988, Patriarch Pimen and the Holy Synod established the women's order of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga This order is awarded to the abbess of monasteries, and it is also awarded to secular women serving the cause of Christian enlightenment Let us bow to Saint Olga, who opened the path to Orthodoxy for Russia