The "root of Orthodoxy" is referred to by the people as the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga, whose icon has become one of the most revered in Russia since the 16th century. She and her grandson, St. Prince Vladimir, who, by the light of Christ's faith, expelled the darkness of paganism from the Dnieper banks, complementing each other, became in our history the embodiment of the motherly and fatherly spiritual principle.
The bride of the Kiev prince
The oldest of the annals, called the "Tale of Bygone Years", is the first literary monument that has come down to us, mentioning the name of Princess Olga, this "spiritual mother of Russia", whose image the icon stored in most churches today shows us. St. Olga is presented in this document as the young bride of Kiev Prince Igor
The legend tells that it belonged to the oldest family of the Izborsk princes and was born in 894 in the village of Vybuty, located near Pskov. Her first meeting with her future groom took place there, leaving in his heart a memory of a pure and chaste beauty living on the banks of the Velikaya River.
The bitterness of early widowhood
It was her who he preferred to all the other brides who had come to Kiev when it was time to name his chosen one. And he made her his wife and Grand Duchess of Kievan Rus. But Olga was not given long family happiness. As soon as the first-born Svyatoslav was born to them, when the young princess suffered a disaster, Igor received a fierce death in the thick forest thicket at the hands of the treacherous drevlyans who inhabited those lands.
The inconsolable widow was warming up, but grief could not be helped, and her son needed to be raised, and now she was the sole ruler of the Russian land. From now on, all state concerns fell on her female shoulders. But first, in order to reassure the soul, and to honor men's memory as it should, Olga conceived to punish the murderers of her husband.
This later, becoming a Christian, she began, according to the teachings of the true faith, to pray for enemies and forgive insults. Then she poured out on the destroyers of her husband all the mad fury of a dark pagan. Twice luring their embassies to Kiev, she commanded some to be alive alive, and to burn others with fire. And so that I could give my soul blood to the edges of the enemy’s blood, I moved my squads to the cities of the Drevlyans, where thousands of enemies counted for the dead enemies.
The ruler of Russia
No, not this image is shown to us today by the temple icon. Saint Olga was born later from the font of Constantinople, and then before the tribes and peoples who inhabited Ancient Russia, a strong and merciless ruler appeared, who showed herself a power worthy of an outstanding statesman. And with difficulty, but her subjects obeyed.
The wise princess achieved the consolidation of her centralized power by dividing the lands subject to her into "graveyards" - separate areas in which the governor set up, and each of them introduced a quitrent, which armed forces sent to collect. The very name "pogosts", as it is believed, came from these same "guests" who never left empty-handed. It was expensive for the people, but the treasury was in abundance, and, therefore, the state benefited.
And guided by the firm hand of the many-wise ruler, Russia was strengthened in every way. The economy developed, and at the same time, new cities appeared. Every year the young prince Svyatoslav grew up, who, upon reaching the set years, had to take control of the state into his own hands.
Caring for the spiritual enlightenment of the people
Having an example of one of the most powerful states at that time - Byzantium, Princess Olga understood that for the prosperity of the state it was not enough just to worry about its economic well-being and military power. She recognized that only a community of spiritual life can bring together its inhabitants and become a reliable basis for the formation of a nation.
The Lord helped her to make the right choice, and leaving the state in the care of her already sufficiently grown son, Olga, at the head of a large fleet, went to Constantinople in order to personally see the earthly fruits brought by faith, and at the same time to solve pressing diplomatic issues and demonstrate military power.
Spiritual birth in the holy font
In the Byzantine capital, the princess's imagination was struck by the abundance of temples and the splendor of the services performed in them. She listened fascinatedly to church singing and for the first time comprehended new concepts for her - confession, liturgy, cross and icon. St. Olga was baptized by the patriarch of Constantinople Theophylact, and during the ceremony, her emperor was Constantine Bogryanorodny himself.
Upon completion of the sacrament, the princess was awarded the name Helen, in honor of the holy mother of Emperor Constantine the Great, who gained the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord and became famous for the spread of the true faith in the Roman state. Having become like her, the newly baptized ruler of Russia, returning to her homeland, became a preacher of Christianity in the lands subject to her.
Pious writings in the homeland
Princess Olga arrived home with a large baggage of icons and liturgical books. Several Orthodox priests came to Russia with her, who were to convert to Kiev the Kievites, who had worshiped idols until then. Olga's command in Kiev on the grave of the first Christian Prince Askold erected the church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, in which the icon brought from Constantinople was placed.
The Holy Princess Olga also worked hard to glorify the Holy Trinity in Russia . There is a legend that not far from her native village on the banks of the Velikaya River she was able to see three shining rays coming down from the sky and at the same time predicted that a temple in honor of the Holy Trinity would be erected in that place and the big trading city would make a noise over time. She herself erected a worship cross on the shore and founded a temple, which laid the foundation for the construction of Pskov.
In Kiev itself, the god-wise ruler built the church of Hagia Sophia, which was consecrated in 960. His main shrine was the cross, which the Patriarch of Constantinople blessed her in holy baptism. It was made from the Life-giving Tree of the Lord; many miracles of healing were revealed through it.
Sorrow of the Princess
However, another hour did not strike Russia to leave the darkness of paganism and to shine with the light of the Orthodox faith. The chronicler reports that there were fairly boyars and warriors in Kiev who hated the Wisdom of God, and among them was Prince Svyatoslav, who had matured and strengthened by that time the son of Olga.
No matter how his mother instructed in true faith, no matter how she persuaded to be baptized, he invariably continued to persist. However, those of the close ones who turned to Christ did not interfere in this and others did not allow them to mock them. Over time, the fullness of power passed to his son, and his pious mother completely devoted herself to serving God and doing charity. But she was engaged in state affairs only in those days when Svyatoslav was on campaigns with his retinue.
The last years of the righteous
She spent the last years of her life in Kiev, raising her grandchildren, among whom the future baptist of Russia, Prince Vladimir, grew up. The pious grandmother instructed them in the faith, spoke of the One God and how He created heaven and earth, but did not dare to baptize them, fearing the wrath of his pagan son.
She even had to receive the priest secretly. Her only joy was the prayer book and icon. Saint Olga until her last days did not stop asking the Lord for the enlightenment of the Russian land. And the Almighty heeded her pleas, entrusting this great deed to her equally apostolic grandson. The righteous himself called to Himself in 969.
Canonization and Church veneration
The canonization of the “head of faith in the Russian land” took place at the Cathedral of 1547. There she was confirmed her universal veneration in the pre-Mongol period. From this moment begins its history and its iconography. It is also important to note that in the entire history of Christianity, among the six women ranked as equal apostles, Saint Olga was also awarded this honor.
The icon, the meaning of which is clear from its very composition, represents the saint of God holding a cross in one hand, symbolizing faith, and in the other the image of the temple is a symbol of her missionary work and the spread of Christianity in pagan lands. The same symbols can be seen on the icons of other bearers of the faith, for example, Princess Tamara of the Equal-to-the-Apostles.
Icons revered and loved
Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga is revered as the spiritual mother of the Russian people, since it was from her that he began to take the path of the Christian faith. Innumerable temples erected in her honor. In them, for many centuries people have been walking to bow to the honest image of the Princess of Equality.
Their stream does not dry up in our days. Great respect is enjoyed, for example, by the icon of St. Olga in Moscow in the house church at the Pilgrimage Center of the Moscow Patriarchate - the highest church in the capital. It is located on the fifteenth floor of the Universitetskaya Hotel, and daily opens its doors to hundreds of believers who come from all over the country.
The icon of St. Olga in St. Petersburg is also known to many people. It is stored in the church built in her honor, located in Strelna. This architectural monument, erected in the Mikhailovsky Park on the shores of the Gulf of Finland, always attracts many pilgrims and just tourists. And all of them will remember for a long time the image of the princess holding a cross, granted to her by the Patriarch of Constantinople. This is the icon of St. Olga.
What are they praying for before this image?
It is generally believed that prayer in front of the icon of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga helps believers to find wisdom in everyday affairs and fills their hearts with Grace, so necessary for everyone in our life full of anxieties and temptations. It is also customary to offer her prayers for the strengthening of Russia, for protection from offenders and softening their hearts.
There are also known cases when the icon of St. Olga brought healing to sufferers of mental illness. What else helps her holy image? It will be right to say that literally in everything, if only the prayer is pronounced from the very depths of the heart and is filled with living faith. Under this condition, the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Princess Olga bows the ear to our prayers and intercedes with God for their fulfillment.
It is also known that women bearing the name Olga are especially protected by the icon of St. Olga. The photos presented in the article will help create an idea of the iconography of this image and how it was seen by masters of different eras.