Label Type
Cultural/Historical ContextLabel
Olga was the first Russian saint, who had become Queen of Ukraine in 945 after the murder of her husband Igor. She was ruthless in avenging his death. Later, she visited Constantinople, where she learned about Christianity and charmed the Byzantine emperor, who wanted to marry her. She agreed, if he himself baptized her. Afterward, she cleverly avoided matrimony by claiming that the emperor could not marry her since he had called her his daughter in the ceremony. Olga returned to Kiev, where she worked to establish the Christian religion. When her grandson Vladimir became king, he completed the Ukrainian conversion to Christianity, including that of his two sons, Sts. Boris and Gleb. Olga’s feast day is celebrated on July 11. This icon is almost completely covered with a silver riza which is engraved and worked in repoussé. Only Olga’s face and hands (painted on the panel below) show through. St. Olga is seen standing and holding a Gospel in both hands. She is dressed in a voluminous gown with a hood, more like a nun’s habit than a queen’s robe. She seems to be standing symbolically on a cloud, since behind her there can be seen the tops of buildings, including a church tower with a cross on its peak. A large halo in metal surrounds the saint’s head. The border of the riza has a decorative floral pattern.